Recruiters and hiring managers often look you up on LinkedIn after reading your resume. A complete, consistent profile builds trust. An empty or messy one can raise questions. Use this checklist to review yours in about thirty minutes.
1. Use a clear profile photo
Choose a recent photo where your face is visible, the light is good and the background is simple. It does not need to be professional photography. A phone photo near a window works. Avoid group pictures, heavy filters and sunglasses.
2. Write a headline that says what you do
By default LinkedIn fills your headline with your latest job title. You have 220 characters, so use them. Mention your field, a skill or two and the kind of work you want. For example: "Final-year B.Tech (Electronics) | Embedded systems and IoT projects | Seeking internship". A clear headline helps you appear in the right searches.
3. Write an About section in plain language
Use the first two lines well, because only they show before "see more". Say what you do, who you help or what you are looking for, and add a few strengths with examples. Write in the first person and keep it under 200 words. End with a line about how to contact you.
4. List experience the same way as your resume
Use the same job titles, companies and dates as your resume. Mismatches look careless. Add two or three bullets per role describing what you did. For students, add internships, projects, volunteering and leadership roles in clubs.
5. Add projects and featured work
The Featured section lets you pin links, documents or posts. Add your best project, a portfolio link, a presentation or an article you wrote. This turns your profile from a list of claims into evidence.
6. Choose relevant skills
Add the skills that match the jobs you want, and put the three most important at the top. Skills are searched by recruiters. Do not add dozens of unrelated ones. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity.
7. Add education and certifications
Include your degree, institution and years. Add certificates from courses you have actually completed, with the issuing organisation and a credential link if there is one.
8. Customise your profile URL
Edit your public URL so it contains your name, for example linkedin.com/in/yourname. It looks tidier on a resume and in emails.
9. Check your contact information and links
Make sure your email address is correct and professional. Add your portfolio or Pehchan profile link in the contact section. Remove links that no longer work.
10. Review your privacy and visibility settings
Decide who can see your email, your connections list and your activity. If you are job hunting quietly, check the settings that control whether your current employer can see it. Do this carefully, and read the on-screen descriptions of each setting.
11. Build a small network on purpose
Connect with classmates, teachers, colleagues, alumni and people in the field you want to join. Add a short note when you send a request. Follow companies you are interested in so you see their openings.
12. Be active in a small, regular way
You do not need to post daily. Comment thoughtfully on posts in your field, share something you learned, or post a short update about a project. This shows that your profile is alive.
Quick consistency test
Open your resume and your LinkedIn profile side by side. Do the names, titles, dates and skills match? Does the headline reflect the role you are applying for? Fix any differences. Then use one shareable link, such as a Pehchan profile, for everything else you want recruiters to see.