How to Write a LinkedIn About Section When You Feel Like You Have Nothing to Write
The About section is the most underused part of a student profile. Most students either leave it blank or paste in their personal statement. Here is the structure that works.
The About section is LinkedIn's blank page problem. You know you should fill it in. You sit down to write it. And then nothing comes. Most students either leave it completely empty, or paste in their UCAS personal statement and hope for the best. Neither works. Here is why — and the structure that actually does.
What not to do
Before the structure, it helps to understand the common mistakes that make About sections ineffective.
- •Copying your personal statement: it was written for a different audience (admissions tutors) and a different purpose (getting into university). Recruiters are not reading it the same way.
- •Writing in third person: “Tom is a third-year student who...” reads as strange and distant. LinkedIn is a first-person platform.
- •Being generic: “I am a hardworking, motivated student with excellent communication skills” says nothing. Every student writes this. None of it is memorable.
- •Writing too much: the About section expands after “see more.” Most people will not click it. Your strongest line needs to come first.
The 3-part structure
The most effective About sections for students follow a three-part structure: an opening that is specific, a middle that summarises your experience, and a close that signals direction. It should be readable in under 60 seconds and say something concrete about who you are.
Part 1: Open with something specific
Do not open with “I am a second-year student at...” Everyone does this. Instead, lead with your degree and one concrete thing you have done, are doing, or are working towards. The opening sentence is the only part of your About section that is guaranteed to be read — make it count.
Part 2: Your experience in 2-3 sentences
The middle section gives context. What have you studied, worked on, led, or built? This is not a list of every experience — it is a curated summary of the two or three things most relevant to where you want to go. You are not recapping your CV; you are giving someone a reason to keep reading it.
Part 3: Close with your direction
End with where you are going and what you are looking for. This is where you make yourself actionable — if a recruiter is reading and they have something relevant, they should know whether to reach out. Be specific: are you looking for a summer internship, a year-long placement, a graduate scheme, a specific industry?
A worked example
Here is a real-world example based on a Politics and International Relations student at Bath Spa University who runs a student society.
Before
I am a second-year Politics and International Relations student at Bath Spa University. I am passionate about current affairs and enjoy debating and discussing political ideas. I am a team player with good communication skills and I am looking for opportunities to develop my professional experience.
After
I study Politics and International Relations at Bath Spa University, with a particular interest in UK foreign policy and climate diplomacy. Alongside my degree, I run the Political Debates Society — organising events, managing a committee of six, and growing our membership from 40 to 120 students this year. I am in the process of applying for political affairs and public policy internships for summer 2025 and would welcome connections in those spaces.
Practical tips
- •Write in first person throughout — “I” not “they” or your own name
- •Keep it under 300 words — longer sections get hidden behind “see more”
- •Front-load your best line — the first sentence is the most important
- •Read it out loud — if it does not sound like something you would actually say, rewrite it
- •Update it every six months, or whenever something significant changes
The “so what?” test
After you write each sentence in your About section, ask yourself: so what? Why should a recruiter or connection care about this? If you cannot answer, the sentence either needs to be rewritten or cut.
Take the sentence “I am interested in marketing.” So what? Compare it with: “I have been managing the social channels for my student society for six months, growing our Instagram following by 40%.” The second sentence passes the test. It is specific, it demonstrates action, and it gives a recruiter something to ask about.
💡 The blank page trick
If you are staring at the blank section and cannot start, try this: open a notes app and write about yourself as if you were telling a friend what you have been up to at university. Do not try to make it professional yet — just write. Then take the most interesting parts and restructure them using the three-part framework above.
The About section is not a test of your writing ability. It is a chance to give the right person a reason to reach out. That is worth ten minutes of your time.
Profile Polish
Ready to put this into practice?
A Profile Polish review applies everything in this article — and more — to your actual LinkedIn profile. You get a full written analysis and a rewritten version, delivered in 48 hours.