Adeleke Adesina, a life and business system coach at Tregs consulting has called professors, lecturers, and academicians to have a strong digital presence on LinkedIn, to showcase research work to attract global collaborations, funding and mentor students in the language of digital professionalism.
According to him, it will lead to creating a platform for mentorship that will engage both students and alumni.
He noted this during a workshop themed: ‘Future-ready faculties: Skilling for global workforce preparedness’ at the Arthur Mbanefo digital research centre in the University of Lagos in celebration of the World Skills Day hosted by the university’s career development service (UNILAG-OCDS).
On a broader scale Adesina explained this will cause institutional visibility, helping universities showcase their intellectual capital to broader audiences, he noted.
“Visibility leads to opportunity,” he said, offering 12 practical strategies on Linkedin for academic professionals.
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12 practical steps for professors to build a strong Linkedin visibility
Here are the 12 steps Adesina recommends for professors, academia to build a strong Linkedin visibility:
Have a strong headline which plays a crucial role in capturing professional identity.
Include job titles clearly such as Professor of Biology, Researcher, Science communicator, etc, which will offer clarity allowing peers and potential collaborators to quickly grasp the academic focus.
Another is having a strong ‘About’ section which gives faculty members an opportunity to outline their scholarly interests, research contributions and teaching philosophy.
Others are showing full experience that includes not just teaching roles, but administrative and leadership roles, committee work and surprise or consulting contributions.
Another is highlighting education, awards and certifications. This refers to degrees with thesis/dissertation titles, academic honors or fellowships and/or teaching or leadership certificates.
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The ‘Featured’ section should be populated to highlight key publications or media mentions, conference presentations, student mentoring stories and course design highlights.
Regular posting of research summaries, reflections on academic life and calls for research participation responses to peers
Engage with those on your network by liking, sharing and commenting
Use hashtags thoughtfully to elevate visibility.
Join academic groups to enable faculty members participate in subject-specific conversations, deepening professional ties and knowledge exchange.
Request and give endorsements and exchange recommendations. Reflect on mentorship, leadership, or collaboration. Whether acknowledging mentorship, collaborative projects or leadership experience, these endorsements help build a well-rounded and trustworthy public persona.
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To reinforce consistency across academic platforms, LinkedIn profiles can be linked to university pages, Google Scholar, ResearchGate and even email footers.
Customising the LinkedIn url will further enhance accessibility, strengthening individual branding and making profiles easier to locate and share.
