A personal brand is the intentional way you present yourself to other people. It’s about how you want to be seen and known. It can include your skills, expertise, values, achievements and personality. A strong personal brand can help you stand out in job applications, attract opportunities that align with your skills and goals, network and develop your career. A great platform to create and promote your personal brand is LinkedIn.  

LinkedIn is the world’s largest online professional network with over 1 billion users worldwide. You can network with industry professionals around the world, find jobs and learn new technical and soft skills. It is not just for people with many years of work experience, but also for university students too. In fact, users aged 18-24 make up 21.7% of the total user base.  

In this blog, we will explain the 4 main ways to help you build your personal brand on LinkedIn.  

1. Optimise your profile 

Your LinkedIn profile is a summary of your professional life, education, achievements and skills. When writing your profile, it is important that you highlight your unique story, skill set and goals. Here are tips on how to complete the key elements and sections on your profile.  

  • Cover image 

The cover image is the rectangular block behind your profile pic. The image needs to be professional, clear and reflects your personal brand.   

  • Profile picture 

Your profile picture should represent how you look like now. Use a high-resolution headshot with a background that isn’t distracting. For more advice, read the Top 10 tips for taking a professional LinkedIn profile photo.  

  • Headline (underneath your name) 

Your headline must include the keywords you want to be found via the search function (e.g. Hospitality, Retail, Accountant) and reflect the benefits you can bring to a business. If you have little work experience, your headline can reflect what you’re studying or career goals (e.g. Digital Marketer, Law student, aspiring entrepreneur). Read more on how to write a professional LinkedIn headline. 

  • About  

In this section, highlight your career story – where you have been, where you are now and where you are headed. Talk about your mission, values, skills and interests. If you have limited work experience, write about your key skills, strengths and career goals that are relevant to your field of interest.  

Here’s an example for a person studying a Bachelor of Health Science.  

I am an international student pursuing a Bachelor of Health Science as I am passionate about promoting health and well-being. With a foundation in health research and healthcare systems, I have developed key skills in critical thinking, data analysis, and problem-solving.  

My strengths include communication skills, attention to detail and adaptability. I am particularly interested in health promotion, disease prevention, and community health initiatives. My career goal is to improve public health outcomes and advocate for quality healthcare solutions.  

For more advice on how to write a powerful summary, read How to write LinkedIn summary that will make you stand out. 

  • Experience 

Highlight your main responsibilities and achievements of any previous work roles (paid or non-paid). You can include links to projects you’ve worked on.  

  • Education 

List the degree you’re currently studying or have studied at university.  

  • Licences & Certifications 

List any courses that you’ve completed in addition to your degree (e.g. online courses from Google, First Aid certificate). 

  • Skills 

List your technical skills (e.g. coding, business strategy) and soft skills (e.g. communication skills, teamwork). 

  • Additional sections 

Click on ‘Add profile section’. There will be a list of other sections you can add to your profile such as volunteer experience, publications you’ve worked on, awards, languages you speak and any causes you support.  

Pro tip 

All the information you have in your profile contributes to building your unique personal brand and promotes your experience and skills to potential employers. Ensure that you keep your profile updated with any new job roles, skills and achievements; you can also post these milestones on your feed. The more you promote your personal brand, the more ways you’ll give people to remember you.    

2. Create engaging content 

After building your profile on LinkedIn, continue to build your presence by creating engaging content.  

  • Share valuable insights 

Post interesting and inspiring articles, news, photos or videos that show your expertise and industry knowledge.  

  • Use high-quality visuals 

Ensure the visuals you use (e.g. photos, videos) are high quality. You can create your own unique images and short videos to make your content stand out.  

  •  Be interactive 

Comment, like or share other people’s posts to show your support. Joining in discussions gives you opportunities to share your opinion on relevant issues and topics; helping you get noticed. You could create a poll and get other people’s opinions on a specific topic.  

  • Tag relevant people 

When sharing content, you can tag people in your network or industry influencers to broaden your reach.  

 

3. Network actively 

Once you’ve built your profile, you can start connecting with others on the platform. Start with your friends, classmates and colleagues.  

  • Connect with industry professionals 

Connect with industry professionals, thought leaders and experts in your field or people you admire. These connections can help you learn about industry events, insights and job opportunities. You can follow popular people, companies or topics via LinkedIn’s Follow Fresh Perspectives page. 

  • Join relevant groups 

Through LinkedIn Groups, you can find members who share similar interests, experiences and goals. You can take the initiative and create a group for others to join. 

  • Attend online events 

Stay up to date in your field of interest and keep developing your skills by attending professional events such as online workshops and seminars via LinkedIn Events.   

 

4. Monitor your progress 

To see how your profile is performing, you can use LinkedIn’s analytics tools to get statistics on your profile views, engagement and network growth. You can find out what types of content are most effective to help you refine your strategy and improve your personal brand’s impact.  

 

The University of Adelaide College is your pathway provider to Adelaide University. Our College Services team are here to help you settle into the College and offer you any academic or career guidance you may need.