What to Put in Your LinkedIn Featured Section as a Job Seeker

Your LinkedIn Featured section can turn a profile from a list of claims into a collection of proof. Instead of asking recruiters to believe that you can write, design, analyze data or manage projects, you can show them a relevant example.

This guide explains what to feature, how to choose items for your target role, how to arrange them and what to do when you have limited professional experience.

What Is the LinkedIn Featured Section?

The Featured section is a profile area where LinkedIn members can highlight selected work and content. Depending on what LinkedIn currently supports for your account, you may be able to feature posts, articles, newsletters, documents, images or external links. LinkedIn changes product features over time, so use the options shown in your own profile rather than relying on an old tutorial.

The section is useful because it sits closer to the top of your profile than many detailed experience entries. It gives a visitor a fast route to your strongest evidence. It does not replace a clear headline, About section or Experience section; it supports them.

What Should a Job Seeker Put in the LinkedIn Featured Section?

Choose items that help a recruiter answer three questions:

• Can this person do work related to the role?
• Can I understand their contribution?
• Is the example recent, credible and easy to review?

A strong item normally connects to a skill or responsibility found in your target job descriptions. Start with three to five focused pieces rather than a large, unrelated collection.

12 LinkedIn Featured Section Examples

1. A portfolio landing page

Feature one page that introduces your best projects and makes navigation simple. This works well for designers, developers, writers, marketers, photographers and consultants. Check every link and make the page usable on mobile.

2. A role-relevant case study

A useful case study explains the problem, your responsibility, the process, the final output and what you learned. Remove confidential information and make your personal contribution clear when the work was completed by a team.

3. A project presentation

A short presentation can demonstrate research, structure and communication. For example, a marketing candidate might share a campaign proposal; an operations candidate could show a process-improvement analysis.

4. A writing sample

Writers, communications professionals and subject-matter specialists can feature a published article, report or carefully edited sample. Select work that matches the tone and audience of the jobs you want.

5. A dashboard or data visualization

Analysts can show a dashboard screenshot or public interactive project, supported by a short explanation of the dataset, tools and questions answered. Never upload private employer or customer data.

6. A GitHub project

Developers can link to a relevant repository with a clear README, setup instructions, screenshots and a description of their contribution. A smaller finished project is often easier to evaluate than a large, undocumented repository.

7. A design or product sample

Feature a design system, prototype, research summary or before-and-after redesign. Include context so the viewer understands the problem and constraints, not only the final image.

8. A published LinkedIn post or article

A thoughtful post can demonstrate expertise, professional judgment or communication. Choose content that remains relevant and avoid featuring engagement bait that does not support your professional direction.

9. A certification or completed course project

A certificate is most useful when the learning is relevant to the target role and supported by applied work. If possible, pair it with the project you completed rather than relying on the badge alone.

10. A testimonial or recommendation

If you have permission, feature a public client testimonial or a case study containing approved feedback. LinkedIn recommendations normally belong in the Recommendations section, so avoid duplicating them unless the featured format adds useful project context.

11. An interview, webinar or podcast appearance

Feature an appearance when it demonstrates relevant knowledge or communication. Link directly to the useful segment and explain why it matters.

12. A resume or contact document

A public resume can be convenient, but consider privacy before uploading your phone number, home address or other personal details. A portfolio contact page is often easier to update and safer to control.

Best Featured Items by Career Goal

Recent graduates

Use capstone projects, research posters, presentations, student-organization work, internships and independent projects. Label academic work honestly. Our LinkedIn profile guide for recent graduates explains how to turn these experiences into credible evidence.

Career changers

Choose bridge projects that demonstrate skills for the new field. A career changer moving into data analysis might feature a public dataset project and a dashboard. Explain the connection between transferable experience and the new role. See our LinkedIn profile guide for career changers.

Freelancers and consultants

Feature a clear service page, selected case studies and approved client results. Keep the work specific to the clients or projects you want next.

Managers and senior professionals

Use presentations, articles, interviews or public projects that demonstrate leadership, decision-making and domain knowledge without exposing confidential information.

How to Choose the Right Featured Content

Review five to ten realistic job descriptions and list their repeated responsibilities, tools and outputs. Then match each potential featured item to that list. A piece deserves a place when it proves something important and can be understood quickly.

Score each item using these criteria:

• Relevance: Does it support a target responsibility or skill?
• Clarity: Can a recruiter understand it without extra explanation?
• Credibility: Is your role and the context accurate?
• Recency: Does it reflect your current ability?
• Accessibility: Does the link work without a login or permission request?
• Safety: Are confidential and personal details removed?

Use our guide to finding LinkedIn keywords to identify the language recruiters use. Do not add keywords that the work does not actually demonstrate.

How to Order Your LinkedIn Featured Section

Place the strongest and most relevant item first. A sensible order is:

1. Your best role-specific case study or project
2. A second example showing a different important skill
3. Your portfolio, professional site or GitHub profile
4. A credibility item such as an article, talk or approved testimonial

Review the section whenever your job target changes. An excellent example for one role may distract from another.

How to Write Titles and Descriptions for Featured Items

Do not depend on an unclear page title or image thumbnail. Use a plain-language title that states what the item is and, when helpful, the skill it demonstrates.

Weak title: Final Project

Stronger title: Customer Churn Analysis — SQL and Power BI Case Study

Weak description: Take a look at my work.

Stronger description: A portfolio case study showing how I cleaned customer data, explored churn patterns and built a Power BI dashboard. Uses a public practice dataset.

Keep descriptions accurate. If a result was simulated, academic or based on a public dataset, say so.

How to Add a Featured Section on LinkedIn

1. Open your LinkedIn profile.
2. Choose the option to add a profile section.
3. Look for Featured under the recommended or available sections.
4. Select the type of content LinkedIn currently offers.
5. Add the link or item, then review its title, description and thumbnail.
6. Save and check the result on desktop and mobile.

LinkedIn’s interface changes, so the exact labels may differ. Use LinkedIn Help if the option is not where an older tutorial shows it.

What If You Have No Portfolio?

Create one small, honest sample connected to the job you want. You do not need a client or employer to demonstrate a process.

• A marketing candidate can audit a public brand’s content and propose an editorial calendar.
• An analyst can examine an open dataset and document the questions, cleaning steps and findings.
• A project coordinator can build a sample project plan, risk register and status report.
• A UX candidate can evaluate a public interface and develop a clearly labeled concept redesign.
• A writer can create a short article or landing-page sample for a defined audience.

Do not present practice work as paid client work. Clear labels increase trust.

Featured Section Mistakes to Avoid

• Featuring unrelated content: Keep the section aligned with your current target role.
• Using broken or restricted links: Test links while logged out.
• Sharing confidential material: Remove employer, client and personal data unless you have explicit permission.
• Providing no context: Explain the problem, your contribution and the skill demonstrated.
• Uploading too much: Lead with a short selection of strong evidence.
• Using misleading results: Never invent metrics or imply that practice work was commercial work.
• Ignoring mobile presentation: Check thumbnails, titles and readability on a phone.
• Letting items become outdated: replace old work when a stronger, more relevant example is available.

LinkedIn Featured Section Checklist

• Every item supports the role you want.
• Your strongest evidence appears first.
• Titles explain what each item contains.
• Descriptions identify your contribution and tools.
• Links work for people who are not signed in.
• Files contain no confidential or unnecessary personal information.
• Academic, practice and team work is labeled accurately.
• The section complements your headline, About and Experience sections.

Use our complete LinkedIn profile checklist for job seekers to review the rest of your profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many items should I put in my LinkedIn Featured section?

There is no universal ideal number. Three to five focused items usually give a recruiter useful evidence without creating a crowded collection. Keep fewer if only one or two examples are genuinely relevant.

Can recruiters see my LinkedIn Featured section?

Visibility depends on your LinkedIn profile and privacy settings. Review the public version of your profile and LinkedIn’s current visibility controls to confirm what other people can see.

Should I feature my resume on LinkedIn?

You can, but consider privacy and maintenance. A public resume may expose contact details and become outdated. A portfolio page or targeted project often provides better evidence.

Can I use student projects?

Yes. Label them as academic projects, explain your personal contribution and remove restricted or private information.

Does the Featured section help LinkedIn SEO?

The primary purpose is to help human visitors evaluate your work. Use clear, relevant titles and descriptions, but avoid keyword stuffing. Your headline, About, Experience and Skills sections still need a coherent target.

Make Your Claims Easy to Verify

The best LinkedIn Featured section for a job seeker is focused, truthful and easy to review. Choose work that proves the abilities your target roles require, explain your contribution and remove anything that creates doubt or privacy risk.

Continue with our complete LinkedIn guide for job seekers, or use the step-by-step formulas in the LinkedIn Blueprint.