How to Find Your LinkedIn Profile URL

Understanding Your LinkedIn Profile URL and Why It Matters

Your LinkedIn profile URL is the web address that directs people to your professional profile on LinkedIn. It's the unique link that appears in your browser's address bar when you visit your own profile page. Think of it like a digital business card—when you share your profile URL, others can click it to learn about your work experience, skills, education, and professional accomplishments without needing to search for you by name.

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LinkedIn, founded in 2003, now has over 900 million members worldwide as of 2024. Your profile URL is important for several reasons. First, it allows you to share your professional information easily across different platforms—on your resume, in email signatures, on your personal website, or in social media bios. Second, a professional-looking LinkedIn URL looks more credible than a default one with random numbers and letters. Third, if you're searching for a job, changing careers, or building your professional network, your profile URL might be one of the first things a recruiter or hiring manager sees.

LinkedIn automatically assigns every profile a default URL that includes numbers and characters. However, you have the option to customize this URL with a cleaner format, typically using your name. For example, instead of a URL like "linkedin.com/in/abcd1234567890," you could have "linkedin.com/in/john-smith" (this is a fictional example).

Practical Takeaway: Understanding what your LinkedIn profile URL is and how it functions is the first step toward managing your online professional presence effectively. Take a moment to visit your LinkedIn profile in a web browser to see what your current URL looks like.

How to Locate Your Current LinkedIn Profile URL

Finding your LinkedIn profile URL is straightforward and takes only a few seconds. The most direct method is to log into your LinkedIn account and navigate to your profile page. Once you're on your profile, look at the address bar at the top of your web browser. The URL displayed there is your LinkedIn profile address. This works whether you're using a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

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On a desktop or laptop computer using a web browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge, here's what to do: First, go to www.linkedin.com and sign in with your email address and password. Next, click on your profile photo or the "Me" icon, which is usually located in the top navigation bar. Then select "View profile" from the dropdown menu. Your browser will navigate to your profile page, and your URL will appear in the address bar at the top.

If you're using the LinkedIn mobile app on a smartphone or tablet, the process is similar but slightly different. Open the LinkedIn app and tap the profile icon at the bottom of the screen. This takes you directly to your profile. To see your profile URL, tap the three dots or settings menu (usually in the upper right corner), then look for an option that says "Share profile" or "Copy profile URL." This feature may vary slightly depending on whether you're using an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) or an Android device.

Your profile URL will follow one of these formats: "linkedin.com/in/[your-customization]" or "linkedin.com/in/[random-numbers-and-letters]." The second format is the default one LinkedIn assigns to you. Many people prefer to customize their URL to make it more professional and memorable, which we'll discuss in detail in the next section.

Practical Takeaway: Open LinkedIn right now and navigate to your profile page. Copy the URL from your address bar and paste it into a document or note-taking app so you have it readily available. This is the URL you can start sharing with others immediately.

Customizing Your LinkedIn Profile URL for a Professional Appearance

LinkedIn allows you to customize your profile URL one time, creating a shorter, cleaner web address that's easier to share and remember. A customized URL typically looks like "linkedin.com/in/firstname-lastname" instead of something like "linkedin.com/in/abc123def456ghi789." This customized version is more professional and makes a stronger impression when you include it on your resume, business card, or email signature.

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To customize your LinkedIn profile URL, you'll need to access your profile settings. Log into LinkedIn, click on your profile photo or the "Me" icon, and select "View profile." Once on your profile page, look for an "Edit public profile & URL" option. This is typically found on the right side of your profile header (on desktop) or in a menu (on mobile). Click this option, and you'll see your current URL with an "Edit" button next to it.

When you click "Edit" next to your URL, a text field will appear where you can type your customization. LinkedIn has specific rules for what you can use: your customization can include your name, numbers, or hyphens (dashes), but not special characters like periods, apostrophes, or underscores. You must use at least 3 characters and no more than 30 characters. LinkedIn will show you whether your chosen customization is available—if someone else has already claimed it, you'll need to choose something different.

Here are some examples of effective customized URLs: If your name is Sarah Johnson, you might use "linkedin.com/in/sarah-johnson." If that's taken, you could try "sarah-johnson-marketing" or "sarahjohnson2024." If you have a common name like John Smith, consider adding your profession or location: "john-smith-accountant" or "john-smith-denver."

Practical Takeaway: Before customizing your URL, decide what format makes the most sense for your career goals. Write down three to five options you'd like to use, keeping them professional and relevant to your industry. Then try customizing your URL with your first choice—if it's not available, LinkedIn will suggest alternatives based on what you entered.

Where and How to Share Your LinkedIn Profile URL

Once you have your LinkedIn profile URL (whether it's customized or not), you can share it in many professional contexts. The key is knowing where sharing your LinkedIn profile is most effective and how to present it properly. Different situations call for different approaches to sharing your URL.

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On your resume, include your LinkedIn profile URL in the contact information section at the top. Format it clearly, such as "LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/your-name" or simply add it as a clickable link if you're submitting a digital resume. Many hiring managers and recruiters expect to see a LinkedIn URL on modern resumes—according to 2023 LinkedIn research, over 77% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates. Including your URL makes it easy for them to view your complete professional history and recommendations.

In your email signature, add your LinkedIn URL as a clickable link. This is particularly useful if you communicate regularly with clients, colleagues, or potential business contacts via email. Every email you send becomes an opportunity for professional networking. A simple format is: "Connect with me on LinkedIn: [your-URL]" or just include the URL as a hyperlink with your other contact information.

On social media platforms like Twitter (X), Facebook, or Instagram, add your LinkedIn URL to your bio section. Many professionals use this approach to drive traffic between their social media profiles and their professional LinkedIn presence. If you have a personal website or portfolio, include a link to your LinkedIn profile there as well. You can also share your URL when you're job searching by including it in cover letters, job application materials, or when networking with people in your industry.

When networking in person or at professional events, you might mention your LinkedIn profile verbally and offer to connect. Simply saying "You can find me on LinkedIn" followed by your URL (or asking them to search for you by name) is a natural way to extend a professional conversation into an ongoing digital connection.

Practical Takeaway: Create a list of five places where you currently share professional information (resume, email signature, website, etc.) and add your LinkedIn profile URL to each one. Start with the most important—your resume and email signature—then expand from there.

Understanding Privacy Settings and Profile Visibility Related to Your URL

When you share your LinkedIn profile URL, you're allowing people to see whatever information you've made public on your LinkedIn profile. It's important to understand your privacy settings and what information is visible to different people. LinkedIn offers several levels of profile visibility, and you can control these through your account settings.

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By default, your profile is set to "Public," which