LinkedInChecklist

The Complete LinkedIn Profile Checklist

35 items across every section of your LinkedIn profile. Work through it in 30 minutes and know exactly what to fix — photo, headline, About, experience, skills, and more.

3 min read

A complete profile is not about filling every box. It is about giving recruiters and connections enough to understand who you are, what you have done, and why they should reach out. Work through this checklist section by section.

Profile Photo

Your photo shows your face clearly — cropped roughly from the shoulders up, not a full-body shot
The background is neutral or professional — plain white, grey, or a clean outdoor setting. Not a party, holiday, or group photo
You are dressed appropriately for the industry you are targeting — a shirt or blouse works for most sectors

Background Banner

You have replaced the default blue banner — even a plain dark colour or subtle pattern is better than the default
If possible, your banner reinforces your professional identity — a relevant image, your university branding, or a clean graphic with your specialism

Headline

Your headline does not just say your job title or "Student at [University]" — it communicates something specific about who you are
Your headline is under 220 characters (LinkedIn's limit)
Your headline includes at least one keyword relevant to roles you are targeting — so it shows up in recruiter searches
You have avoided vague phrases like "aspiring professional", "passionate about", or "hard-working individual"
Your headline gives someone a reason to click your profile — it is interesting or specific enough to stand out in a search result

About Section

Your About section is written — it is not blank
The first two lines (before the "see more" cut-off) are compelling enough to make someone want to read on
You have described what you study or do, with some context about why or what drew you to it
You have mentioned at least one concrete thing you have done — a project, placement, society role, or achievement
You have ended with a clear statement of what you are looking for or where you are heading

Experience

Every role — including part-time, voluntary, and society roles — has a description, not just a job title
Descriptions are written in past tense for roles you have left, present tense for current roles
At least one bullet or sentence in each description mentions an outcome, achievement, or the impact of your work — not just the task
You have not described your duties in a way that reads like a job advert — you have described what you actually did
Your most recent or most impressive role is the most detailed
Employment gaps longer than a few months are explained or filled with relevant activity (study, volunteering, personal project)

Education

Your university and course are listed correctly with accurate dates
You have added relevant modules, societies, or achievements under your education entry — not left it as just a degree title
If you have completed a placement year, it is listed as a separate Experience entry as well as being reflected in your Education dates

Skills

You have added at least 10 skills to your profile
Your top three pinned skills are the most relevant to the roles you are targeting
You have included a mix of technical skills (software, tools, platforms) and transferable skills (communication, project management, research)
You have endorsed connections for skills you can genuinely vouch for — endorsements tend to be reciprocated

Featured Section

You have enabled the Featured section and added at least one item to it
Your featured items demonstrate your work — a project write-up, presentation, article, or portfolio link is better than a blank section
If you have a Portfolio Polish from Hireable, a link to it would sit perfectly here

Activity

You have posted, shared, or commented on something in the last 90 days — an inactive profile signals disengagement
Your recent activity shows an interest in your field — industry news, your own reflections, or relevant content
You follow at least 10 companies or creators relevant to your target sector

URL & Settings

You have customised your LinkedIn URL to something clean — ideally linkedin.com/in/yourname — rather than the default string of numbers
Your profile visibility is set to public so anyone can find you
You have turned on "Open to Work" if you are actively looking — either publicly or visible only to recruiters

💡 Work through it in order

Do not try to complete this all in one sitting. Photo and headline take 10 minutes. About section takes 30. Experience rewrites take the longest — give yourself an hour for those. A complete profile built over a few sessions is better than a rushed one built in an afternoon.

For a deeper guide to writing experience entries that show real impact, read How to Write Experience Descriptions That Show Impact at /resources/experience-descriptions.

For a step-by-step guide to your About section specifically, read How to Write a LinkedIn About Section That Actually Works at /resources/about-section-guide.

Next step

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