A guide for researchers on updating and getting the most out of LinkedIn

1. LinkedIn for
Researchers:
It’s more than a CV!
Kara Gavin, M.S.
IHPI/Michigan Medicine
Communications

2. Key facts about LinkedIn
• Owned by Microsoft since 2016
• 930 million users world wide, up 30 million since January 2023
• 300 million users in U.S., who account for 1/3 of traffic.
• Nearly half of U.S. users visit the site daily.
• Unlike other social media platforms, focuses on professional activity
• High use by business and public policy community
• 3,000-word character limit on posts
• Probably one of the most “Google-visible” things about you!

3. U-M on LinkedIn
• Multiple branded accounts posting content you can engage with
• Michigan Medicine (200,000+ impressions/month)
• IHPI
• Medical School
• Multiple centers, schools, colleges and groups
• You can get verified as an employee of U-M & Michigan Medicine to
get employee-focused features (via email verification)
• HR uses – finding new staff, fellows, etc.

4. LinkedIn as an alternative to Twitter
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02554-0

5. Key steps to spruce up your profile
• The space immediately under your name should be a short “ad” for
you
• DO NOT just enter your current title
(people can see that further down)
• Instead, write a punchy description of your professional self.
• In the “Summary” area, you can describe your professional
interests and current projects.
• Using key terms and buzzwords may help you be visible in search.

6. Key steps to spruce up your profile
• In employment history & education, use full company/institution names.
• LinkedIn will likely recognize them automatically, and make it easier
for people to connect with you because they once
worked/studied/trained at the same place.
• Use a professional-looking photo
• Add links to your projects, papers, website(s), professional societies
• Enter specific skills you possess – and other professional/volunteer
activities.
• Contact info will only be visible to those who you’re connected to.

7. Tips for posting
• Like and repost posts from accounts you follow
• Short posts are fine! (And you can include many features)
• Post every time you publish a paper, go to a conference, get a grant or
award, or add a new professional title/role
• Posting as an article (even a short one) opens up formatting tools
• Use hashtags & tag others’ accounts to improve discoverability/sharing
• When sharing a link or photo, add a sentence about why you’re sharing it
• Give praise, celebrate achievements and milestones, and share resources

8. “Add to your post” options

9. Let AI help you craft your post (Beta)

10. …or not!

11. Sharing slide sets
• Slideshare.net – log in using your LinkedIn login
• Post PDFs or PPTs
• Assign visibility – public, private, allow downloads & clipping or not
• Add description and tags to make them discoverable
• Leave out preliminary data if you want

12. Privacy & etiquette
• You can control what is visible about you to people you’re not
connected with, who can message you, and who you connect with
• You can see recommended posts or latest posts
• You can tell LinkedIn to email you about activity involving you
• Stick mainly to professional and professional-adjacent posts
• Avoid overtly political posts if you do policy-relevant work
• If someone asks to connect & you have no idea who they are: ignore
• People can pay for Premium access which gives them the ability to
message you via InMail, unless you turn this off

13. If nothing else…
• Update your profile at least once a year (set a reminder!)
• Set your privacy and notification settings
• If you get an email saying someone has mentioned or messaged you,
go see what it’s about and engage (or not)