So, you’ve just graduated and are ready to land your dream role, only to realise it’s not as simple as sending out applications. With over 77% of Gen Z’s in the UAE and KSA job-hunting in 2025, the competition is fierce, and a degree alone won’t be enough to set you apart.
This is where LinkedIn becomes your secret weapon – a powerful tool to showcase your skills, connect with industry professionals, and attract the right opportunities.
I’m a certified career expert with 10+ years of experience in regional and multinational organizations – and after spending over five years at LinkedIn, I’ve learned a thing or two (or a lot) about crafting standout profiles.
While knowledge and experience have always been important, 2025 is all about people skills. Based on LinkedIn’s C-Suite research, over half of CEO’s (52%) in the UAE and KSA would prefer to hire someone with growth potential and desire to learn over someone with experience who is less adaptable. Therefore, the most successful job seekers will be those who can build strong connections and nurture relationships – making a strong LinkedIn profile more essential than ever.
Not sure how to achieve a killer profile? Don’t stress – I’ve broken it down into six simple steps to get you there…
Profile Photo
Let’s be real, professional photos don’t always capture our best angles or feel insta-worthy. But on LinkedIn, your profile photo is more than just a picture – it’s your virtual handshake, and the first impression you make on recruiters, colleagues, and industry leaders. LinkedIn’s research shows that members with profile photos receive up to 21x more views and 9x more connection requests. The best approach is to make your profile photo embody who you are as a professional, while still letting your personality shine – think confident, approachable, and totally you.
Position
As a new grad, you might not hold a ton of past professional positions, but don’t sleep on things like internships or extra-curricular activities like participating in Model UN – they’re big moves and definitely worth adding to your profile. Adding a current or past position helps spotlight your achievements, build credibility, and make recruiters and your network see the rockstar you are. Our research also shows that members who include at least one position on their profile receive up to 2X as many profile views and connection requests.
Skills
If there’s one thing that’s seriously underhyped when building a LinkedIn profile, it’s definitely skills. They’re the secret sauce that can set you apart and show recruiters exactly what you bring to the table. 2025 is all about skills and a whopping 48% of hirers on LinkedIn globally explicitly rely on skills to search and identify job candidates.
Here’s how you do it… Think about the top 5 skills that are most relevant to the job you want – then flex them in your About Section. But don’t stop there! Make sure to sprinkle them throughout your profile (jobs, projects, education, credentials) because these keywords will be surfaced to recruiters, who will be also able to see how you are applying these skills and the impact you’ve made using them.
We have found that it is especially effective to highlight soft skills like adaptability and communication and to spend time building and perfecting these skills. Not sure how to gain these skills? You can upskill with LinkedIn Learning Courses, like The Shift Towards a Skills-First Mindset and Landing a Job as a Skills-First Candidate and add these certificates to your profile.
Open to Work
Okay, hear me out – turning on the Open to Work feature might feel a little cringe, but trust me, it’s a game-changer. It’s the ultimate way to let recruiters know you’re open to new opportunities, and you can even show if you’re into remote, hybrid, or on-site roles. You can further elevate this by letting the broader LinkedIn community know you are looking by adding an #OpenToWork photo frame on your profile photo. LinkedIn data shows that using this feature doubles your chances of getting hit up by recruiters. So why not give it a try?
About
The About section should be reflective of your personality – keeping it concise, engaging and authentically you. Use it to tell your professional story, flex your top skills, and let everyone know what you’re looking for in your next role. Not sure what to write? No worries! Using tools like Taplio, you can easily generate an engaging and catchy About section for free using AI.
Featured
Use the Featured section to show off your best work. Whether it’s projects, achievements, or anything that screams expert-level, this is your chance to shine and prove you’ve got the skills to back it up.
Now that your LinkedIn profile is absolutely glowing and you’re ready to kick off your career journey, think of LinkedIn as your ultimate career sidekick. When used right, it can help you grow, connect, and level up like never before. It’s not just a job-hunting tool – it’s your power move for building a career that’s fulfilling, resilient, and totally you.
Click here to find out how C-Suite women in the Middle East are here to shake things up.