This just in: LinkedIn is officially the social media platform of the generation(s). When both your local high school freshman and a mysterious Boomer you somehow have 34 mutuals with send you LinkedIn connection requests, you’ll have no choice but to acknowledge them, too. But when all you have to show is a generic yearbook photo (thank you, senior portraits) and a few clubs you forgot you were a part of, that’s bad news. In an ever-so-connected and competitive world, self-branding has become a must. To help you avoid being swept up in the rising tides of the social media platform, Flyby presents its own profile.

Caution: We know this is completely unsolicited advice. You may or may not find success with these.

The Headline

You have to assert yourself here. Dream high and aim high. That’s what LinkedIn is all about.

Here is what we have for you:

Aspiring Founder | Non-profit Consulting | Passionate about All Interesting Things | Student of The World

The Post

Once you have a good headline, it is time to go for a groundbreaking post. Be inspiring, and make people want to tell you so. “I’m so inspired!” “Congratulations!!!” These should be flooding your inbox. (And, yes, skip the About Me page. Who reads that anyway?)

Here, we have tailored an example to make you sound inspiring and passionate:

“Assignment Submitted.” Those words are music to any student’s ears, but few of us question what that really means.

I’ve submitted countless problem sets, written pages upon pages of papers, and fervently read every page– nay–every inch of my assigned reading during the 6700+ hours of my college experience. Here is one thing I learned:

Receiving the Gradescope email for a problem set due at 6 p.m with a submission timestamp of 5:59:58 p.m. will profoundly change someone.

Sure, nobody on their first thought fathoms this idea. How can you submit an assignment barely on time and still be proud?

While many of my colleagues focused on how close 5:59:58 p.m. is to 6 p.m., I focused on something else: I chose to see the forest, not the tree. It is the very two seconds between submission and the deadline that make one a victor, rather than the conquered. The thrill and sense of accomplishment that rushed through my blood cannot be described by any known word other than “revolutionary.”

To be world leaders who make a truly meaningful and significant change for the greater good, we must always push our boundaries and challenge them. Those two seconds are the challenge, and it is the change.

Stay Connected

Just because you wrote your first post doesn’t mean you can go full autopilot and coast to 500+ connections. By any means necessary, stay connected and expand your network. You can’t just be satisfied with blurred profiles of those who have stalked your profile. Be that section kid, be that person maxing out on coffee chats, and be more. If necessary, commit to that gold-plus sign and be premium.