Camino de yuwen-c

Build Your LinkedIn Profile from Scratch

#linkedin #career career

Who Is This For?

If you need to build a personal brand on LinkedIn for job hunting (or other reasons), but do not know where to start or how to present yourself, this guide is for you.

Why I Wrote This

I am a self-taught developer transitioning into frontend engineering. During job search, I needed an online profile that could represent me professionally.
There are many resources online, but some made me more anxious by emphasizing perfection. After trial and error, I built my own version and want to share a practical path.

Building the Profile

Here are the sections I actually configured.

Custom URL

Set your profile URL to your name and remove meaningless slug text.

My URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yu-wen-chiu/

Photo

I personally did not choose graduation photos (too young-looking) or formal ID photos (too rigid).
I went with a smart-casual style: clear face, clean background, good lighting.

Photo style depends on your industry, so observe profiles in your target field.

About

This section is flexible. Some people focus on achievements, but I prefer copy that shows your personality and motivation.

Possible directions:

  • strengths
  • industry background
  • skills/interests
  • future goals

One profile that inspired me is Hsin-Hua (Cindy) Lin, another self-taught developer from Zero To Mastery.

For non-native English speakers, you can ask native speakers to polish your writing (for example via italki).
Still, do not accept every suggestion blindly — clarify your intended meaning.

Language choice depends on your target market and industry. For international opportunities, English is essential.

I added my portfolio URL and GitHub profile.
If your shared links have no preview image, the section may look weaker.

If you publish good posts on LinkedIn, add them here too.

Activity

Skip this for now — we will come back to it in the networking section.

Experience

Besides company and period, show your value:

  • what goal you were responsible for
  • what you did to achieve it
  • what result you delivered

If your company won awards or launched products publicly, include related news links.

Education

List courses and reorder entries by relevance to the job you are applying for.

Skills & Endorsements

Put relevant skills first.
LinkedIn endorsements also help increase credibility.

Public View Check

Go to visibility settings and check how your profile appears to others.

Start Connecting Outward

LinkedIn is about links and relationships. Once your profile is ready, start expanding your network.

Follow Relevant Content

Use industry keywords to follow groups and hashtags so your feed becomes domain-focused.
Your interactions (reactions/comments) appear in the Activity area and improve visibility.

Add Connections

Start with classmates and people in related communities. In my experience, many users are open to networking.

Notes:

  • People can see profile visits.
  • Add a short message when sending requests. Example:

Hi (Name), I’m Yu-Wen from (context). I would like to add you to my network!

  • If you have multiple emails on LinkedIn, make sure a primary email is set, otherwise requests may fail silently.

Official doc: Add or Change Your Email Address for Your LinkedIn Account

When receiving invites, replying “I’m happy to connect.” is common, but simply accepting is also fine.

Other Notes

Premium

I tried Premium. One benefit is private profile viewing, but you must enable it in visibility settings.
Also, access still has network-degree limits, which was disappointing to me.

Notifications

Tune email and app notifications in settings so you only receive what you care about.

Even small profile updates can improve visibility to recruiters. Posting useful content helps even more.

Final Thoughts

This is only my personal experience, shared for people who feel stuck at the starting line.
You can refine your profile as your experience grows. Good luck with your job hunt, and have fun.