PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: LinkedIn for academics

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better – and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

In the beginning (I guess some time around 2010) LinkedIn, for me, was little more than a static collection of digital business cards and a way to be able to keep in contact with fellow PhD candidates as they became new doctors and changed email address. I considered LinkedIn nothing more than an online resume that I’d update when I changed positions or published a new paper. I’d log in every few months to accept connection requests and then promptly forget about it again. But over the years, LinkedIn has evolved. And with that, I have evolved in the way I use it. It’s no longer a passive placeholder of credentials. Instead, it has become a dynamic platform where I share updates and connect with a growing community of fellow academics. As of writing this, I have nearly 7000 followers on LinkedIn, and what started as a business card collection has turned into a part of my academic communication toolkit.

Whether you’re a PhD student looking to expand your network, a postdoc hoping to increase the visibility of your work, or a seasoned professor exploring new platforms for outreach, LinkedIn offers unique opportunities to engage meaningfully with the academic and professional world. Here, I share some practical tips to make the most of LinkedIn in academia:

• Complete your profile with intention: Start with the basics: list your current position, research interests, and educational background. Go beyond just filling in boxes; think of your profile as your digital introduction. Use the “About” section to highlight your field of research.
• Use a professional headshot and a banner photo: A professional headshot, especially if you have one that you use for all your profiles, help making you recognizable at events. Your banner image offers additional visual real estate. Consider using a photograph of your lab setup, or a visualization from your research. This helps convey your academic identity visually and immediately.
• Post strategically about academic milestones: LinkedIn is a great space to share updates about your academic journey. Some ideas for posts include: attending or presenting at a conference, publishing a paper (with a brief explanation of the key findings in lay terms, starting or finishing a research stay or collaboration, being awarded a grant or fellowship, contributing to a panel, podcast, or outreach event, or when you are organizing a mini symposium and are looking for abstracts. Don’t underestimate the power of these posts. They bring visibility to your work, and may lead to future collaborations.
• Tag collaborators and institutions: When you post about a paper, presentation, or event, tag the people and organizations involved. This expands your post’s reach and acknowledges the people who contributed. It also encourages them to engage with your post and possibly share it further.
• Interact with others: LinkedIn is a social network, not an ad valvas. Engage with your connections by commenting on their posts, sharing your thoughts, and reposting content that may be relevant to your network. Your contributions help keep the platform vibrant and create reciprocity.
• Send a message when something raises your interest: If someone shares an article that aligns with your research or posts a call for collaboration, don’t hesitate to send share this with a collaborator in a direct message so that they are aware of this.
• Be consistent but not overwhelming: You don’t need to post daily. Even twice a month can be enough to stay visible. There’s no need to post for the sake of posting. When you have an update, share the update.

LinkedIn, when used intentionally, opens doors that might otherwise remain closed. For early-career researchers, it’s a place to grow visibility and credibility. For seasoned academics, it’s a tool for outreach, visibility, and connecting to the broader community.

Unlike platforms that thrive on quick snippets or memes, LinkedIn offers space for deeper reflections and professional exchange. It can bridge the gap between academia and industry, between early-career and established researchers, and between research and public interest. And while it may never replace the traditional academic CV, it can supplement it in meaningful and dynamic ways.

So if you’ve let your LinkedIn profile gather digital dust, maybe it’s time to revisit it. Consider it not just as a resume, but as a dynamic website where your academic work, ideas, and identity can be shared with the world.

How do you use LinkedIn as an academic?