10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Maximize your LinkedIn Profile for MBA Applications

It’s remarkable how many MBA applicants come to us with outdated, incomplete, or just plain boring LinkedIn profiles. It’s one of the most common gaps we see in applicant profiles, and a serious missed opportunity.  

Admissions officers, alumni interviewers, current students, and even post-MBA recruiters visit your LinkedIn page at some point in the process. What they see there can either leave a great impression, or quietly undermine your candidacy by making you look inattentive, inconsistent, and like you have limited professional self-awareness.

A great LinkedIn profile shows that you’re already thinking, communicating, and presenting yourself like the high-potential leader top business schools want to admit. It’s also a big part of your personal brand. And no, it’s not enough to throw in a bunch of titles and hope they do the heavy lifting. 

We compiled our top tips to make LinkedIn quietly work in your favor throughout the admissions cycle. 

1: Get First Impressions Right

Your photo and banner are the very first elements anyone notices.

• Professional headshot: Choose a high-resolution image in which you are dressed as you would for an MBA interview, looking directly at the camera, and smiling naturally. Plain or office-style backgrounds work best. If you don’t have a suitable photo, go get one! A professional headshot is a great investment for your career and improves your visibility across platforms. 

  
  

• Banner (header) image: Replace the default blue gradient with a clean, relevant visual: a photo taken while speaking at a conference, a city skyline tied to your industry, a team off-site, or a minimalist branded graphic. Avoid vacation photos, group selfies, or anything that could be considered unserious. 

  
  

2. Custom URL

You don’t want your LinkedIn url to look like you’ve typed up code in your resume. By default, LinkedIn sets your url to a string of numbers and letters (like linkedin.com/in/yourname-7b3k9x2). Navigate to your profile settings and change this to linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname or the closest available variation. A clean URL looks sharper on your resume and is easier to share. 

3. Craft a Memorable Headline

The line directly beneath your name is prime real estate. That’s 220 characters most people waste on the default “Job Title at Company.”

Instead, treat it as a concise personal branding statement that combines your current role, a signature achievement or focus area, and a hint at your future direction.

Examples:

• Supply Chain Transformation Leader | Delivered $42M in cost savings across 18 countries | Future MBA to drive sustainable global operations

• Product Manager – Payments & Risk | Scaled fraud detection platform serving 150M users | Passionate about financial inclusion in emerging markets

• Private Equity Associate | Closed $1.8B in healthcare and tech deals | Building the next generation of impact-driven investors

  
  

4. Write an About Section that’s not AI-generated

The About section is your opportunity to speak directly to the reader in the first person. Aim for 250–350 words, divided into three or four short paragraphs.

We recommend:

• Opening paragraph: A brief origin story and your proudest professional accomplishment (include metrics).

• Middle paragraph(s): What you have learned, what continues to energize you, and the gaps you want to close with an MBA.

• Closing paragraph: A clear, forward-looking statement about your post-MBA vision, followed by one humanizing personal line (“When I’m not buried in spreadsheets, you’ll find me trail running or attempting new recipes from around the world.”).

  
  

Read the final draft aloud. If any sentence feels stiff, corporate, or overly buzzword-heavy, rewrite it until it sounds like something you would actually say in a networking conversation.

5. Create a Strong Experience Section

LinkedIn allows unlimited space. That doesn’t mean you copy paste your resume into it. 

For each position:

• Use the grey subtitle line for a fully descriptive title: “Senior Product Manager – Consumer Lending | Fintech Unicorn | New York & São Paulo | 2021–Present”

• Begin with a 2-3 sentence paragraph summarizing scope and overall impact.

• Follow with five to eight bullets that quantify results and, where possible, add a brief note on how you achieved them or what you learned.

Example:

LinkedIn bullet: “Redesigned underwriting model and led cross-functional team of data scientists, compliance officers, and engineers to launch new risk engine, unlocking $180M in additional annual origination volume.”

Maintain exact consistency with dates, company names, and titles across your resume, application, and LinkedIn. Don't leave AdCom/interviewers guessing.

6. Skills, Endorsements, and Recommendations 

Pin your five to ten most relevant skills to the top (Strategic Thinking, Financial Modeling, Product Strategy, Cross-Cultural Leadership, Spanish, etc.).

Then, send polite requests to trusted colleagues to endorse the skills you most want highlighted. LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards heavily endorsed skills with better search visibility.

Secure at least two to three written recommendations from supervisors, clients, or peers. These function as supplementary credibility boosts for anyone who lands on your profile.

7. Add the Sections That Most Applicants Overlook

Take ten minutes to complete these high-impact areas:

• Licenses & Certifications (CFA progress, PMP, language proficiency certificates)

• Volunteer Experience & Causes (focus on leadership roles)

• Projects (major deals, product launches, consulting engagements)

• Publications (articles, case studies, or even your best original LinkedIn posts)

• Featured section (pin a short video, a slide deck, or a news mention)

  
  

8. Get Active

A completely dormant profile feels stagnant. Aim for light but consistent engagement:

• Comment thoughtfully on industry articles ever so often.

• Publish one original post every four to six weeks (a project reflection, book insight, or team milestone).

• Follow your target schools, their admissions accounts, relevant clubs, and thought leaders in your post-MBA field.

  
  

9. Audit

Double-check every date, title, employer name, and educational detail against your submitted application. Even minor discrepancies can raise unnecessary questions.

Separately, review all other social platforms (Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, etc.) and archive or delete anything you would not comfortably show a future employer. Sometimes, we see people get too comfortable and start using LinkedIn like their Facebook profile. AdCom does not want to know about your terrible experience at Del Taco. Or that inspiring AI-generated motivation graphic. Stay professional!

10. Leverage LinkedIn Proactively During Outreach

Every time you email an admissions officer, alumnus, or current student, they will click through to your profile. A polished page turns a cold outreach into a much warmer interaction.

After a meaningful conversation, it is perfectly appropriate (and strategically smart) to send a connection request with a short note thanking them and expressing continued interest.

Are you applying to top business schools? Get in touch for a free chat.