How to Build a LinkedIn Profile as a Graduate
Many graduates underestimate how important LinkedIn is at the start of their career — or underinvest in it at exactly the point when it matters most. Graduate recruiters search LinkedIn for candidates. Graduate schemes are aware of your LinkedIn profile by the time they interview you. Your professional connections in the early years of your career are built largely through LinkedIn.
The Basics: Get Them Right From the Start
A complete, professional profile from the moment you graduate is worth more than the most comprehensive profile built three years into your career. Early professional impressions on LinkedIn persist because your earliest connections and early network relationships form before you have a track record.
Graduate LinkedIn essentials:
- Professional profile photo
- Keyword-rich headline (not just "Student at [University]" — add your target role type)
- A completed About section that positions you for the roles you are targeting
- Education section completed with your degree, classification, and relevant modules or dissertation
- Any internship, placement, or work experience added in the experience section
- A skills section with the relevant technical and professional skills you have developed
Headline as a Graduate
"Computer Science Graduate | Seeking Software Engineer Role | Python, Java, AWS" is a better headline than "Computer Science Student at [University]." It signals availability and what you are looking for, using keywords that recruiters search for.
Once you have your first role, update your headline immediately.
About Section as a Graduate
Graduates often write very short About sections because they feel they have little to say. Write it based on what you are bringing (your degree, your relevant skills, your internship or project experience) and what you are looking for (your target role type and sector). Three to four sentences is sufficient.
Building Your Network From Graduation
Connect with: fellow graduates, professors and tutors, people you met during internships, people in your target profession who you meet at events or through alumni connections. A starting network of 200–300 relevant people is achievable at graduation and creates the foundation for your professional LinkedIn presence.
Build your CV free at CVCircuit, then use the LinkedIn rewrite feature to build your graduate profile from your CV.