Your LinkedIn glow-up starts here
By Kurstin Finch Gnehm, Senior Partner, Cairney & Company
At the CASE Spring Institute in Educational Fundraising 2025, Dr Joanna McGarry (Deputy Director of Global Engagement — Marketing and Communications at the University of Bristol) and I hosted a session titled “Social media glow-up: LinkedIn edition.”
Our goal wasn’t to position ourselves as social media experts (we’re not), nor to suggest that everyone should become content creators. What we did want to do was open up an honest, low-pressure space to think about how we present ourselves on LinkedIn — particularly as advancement professionals.
Because the truth is, most of us do want to be more visible. We want to connect with peers, inspire confidence in prospective employers or clients, and maybe even amplify the good work our institutions are doing. But many of us aren’t quite sure how to start — or what good even looks like.
This article offers a summary of what we shared during the session with three practical actions you can take to raise your LinkedIn game, minus the anxiety.
Before we start, though, let’s talk about what LinkedIn is actually for.
What role does LinkedIn play in your life?
There are one billion users, most of working age. Fifty-three percent of recruiters use the platform to find and vet candidates, and as a result ten thousand people look for jobs on it every minute. For better or worse, it is my first stop when someone applies for a role at my organisation, checking for consistency, additional information I may find useful and for any mutual connections. It’s worth paying a little attention to your profile.
1. Your profile is your digital brand — treat it accordingly
We opened the session with this quote from Lianne Zhang, Director of Talent at Milestone Technologies:
“Your LinkedIn profile is your digital brand. I can't tell you the number of times where we had two equally qualified candidates and the one with the stronger LinkedIn profile got the job.”
Your profile is more than just a digital CV. It’s your professional presence in the world — and often the first thing people see when they Google you. With that in mind:
Use your photos well, both the headshot and the background image, to make an impression and tell viewers something about yourself. Every photo should tell part of your story. Use the banner, your photo and other images to illustrate your personal brand. For example, I use mine to feature conferences I’m speaking at, show my team in action or a personal call to action: linkedin.com/in/kurstinfinchgnehm/.
For the headshot choose something natural, professional, and recent, with a neutral background and clothing choice and a pleasant expression. I prefer photos of myself laughing (in a professional context)! Not a holiday selfie. Not a panic headshot. And not so close it’s practically a retinal scan.
Headline: Go beyond your job title. Try to communicate what you actually do, or who you help. It should be memorable above the scroll but should also match the current role you list on your CV. It’s critical that it’s always up to date.
Summary: This is your chance to tell a story — not a list of duties, but a short narrative about what drives you, how you work, and what impact you’ve had. And a bit about who you are, your values and goals. Emily Robin, Associate Dean for Advancement at London Business School, is a master at these first three things: linkedin.com/in/emily-robin/.
Other tools: Be sure to use the other tools available — Skills, Honours and Awards, Volunteering, etc. Pamela Agar, Co-Director of CASE Europe, does this well: linkedin.com/in/pamelaagar/. Post videos or images that bring your successes to life. All of these make you easier to find. Do not spend much time on Endorsements or Recommendations — I find them frequently so out of date as to not be useful.
Recruiters and colleagues alike use keywords to search, so be strategic in your language — but don’t let it become robotic. If you’re unsure how to start, make a list of key words and phrases that describe you and your work, but also where you see yourself going professionally. Scatter these words throughout your profile to make sure you get noticed.
But that’s not all recruiters will check — they will also make sure that your CV and your LinkedIn history match. A misalignment will raise questions. Be sure to update your profile regularly, particularly if you’re actively searching for work.
2. Start posting — not all the time, but with intention
One of the biggest myths about LinkedIn is that you have to post regularly to be visible. Not true. You just need to post intentionally — and occasionally.
We talked in the session about the value of authenticity, but also about not oversharing. Think about what’s professionally relevant but still personal enough to be engaging.
Here are a few kinds of content that tend to work well:
Reflections after a professional event or milestone
Celebrations of team or institutional success
Thoughtful responses to sector news or changes
Behind-the-scenes insights into your work or process
And some practical guidelines:
You don’t need to post about or react to everything. Establish your personal content pillars, just as your organisation has content pillars. Who are you? What do you care about? What do you know about? And then try to be consistent.
Keep copy between 350–600 characters for regular posts
Use images or carousels rather than just text (they’re more engaging)
If you’re writing a longer piece, aim for 500–750 words and format it like a blog post, with headings, dividers, and a clear headline
Place links in the comments, not the post itself, to please the algorithm
Above all: test, learn, and persevere. LinkedIn is more forgiving than you think.
3. Be thoughtful about your network — and who you’re visible to
Think carefully about who you’re connecting with, and why:
Colleagues and peers in your sector
People whose work inspires you
Donors or alumni (with caution and boundaries)
Recruiters or clients you might want to work with one day
Ask yourself:
What networks do I need in the next five years?
Who’s posting useful or thought-provoking content I want to engage with?
How do I want to be seen in this space?
You don’t need to accept every connection request — and you don’t need to feel guilty about curating your feed.
Final thoughts
As we said in the session: we’re not trying to become LinkedIn influencers. This is about being intentional, not performative. And about using LinkedIn to reflect your work, your values, and your aspirations — in a way that’s professional, personal, and sustainable.
To summarise:
Craft a profile that reflects who you are and where you're going
Post when you have something to say — and say it in your voice
Use the platform strategically to build useful, long-term connections
And if all else fails, remember: everything is copy — and that includes the process of figuring out what to share.
Thanks to everyone who joined us at the CASE Spring Institute. We loved the conversation, the honesty, and the energy in the room — and hope this summary helps you feel more confident about showing up on LinkedIn.
If you’re up for it, give your profile a once-over this week. Or better yet, post something real. We’ll be cheering you on.
Session: “Social media glow-up: LinkedIn edition”, CASE Spring Institute in Educational Fundraising 2025
Speakers: Dr Joanna McGarry (University of Bristol) and Kurstin Finch Gnehm (Cairney & Company)