You are at a conference, a job fair, or a meetup. The conversation is going well. Then comes the inevitable moment: "Find me on LinkedIn." The other person pulls out their phone, opens the app, types a name, scrolls through a dozen results, and may or may not find the right profile. By then the moment has passed and the connection often never happens.
A QR code for your LinkedIn profile eliminates that entire friction. One scan, and the other person is looking at your profile, ready to connect. No searching, no spelling out your last name, no hoping they remember to look you up later. It works on printed business cards, resumes, presentation slides, and anywhere else you want to make connecting effortless.
Table of Contents
Why You Need a LinkedIn QR Code
LinkedIn is where hiring managers look you up before an interview, where potential clients check your credentials, and where industry connections turn into real opportunities. But verbally telling someone your LinkedIn name introduces too many points of failure: common names return dozens of results, unusual names get misspelled, and most people simply forget to follow up once they leave the event.
A QR code that links directly to your LinkedIn profile solves this in two seconds. Scan, profile opens, tap "Connect." For job seekers, a LinkedIn QR code on your resume lets recruiters jump straight to your full professional history and recommendations. For sales professionals, it means every person you meet at a conference can connect with you before they finish their coffee.
How LinkedIn Profile URLs Work
Every LinkedIn profile has a public URL in the format linkedin.com/in/your-name. By default, LinkedIn appends random numbers to your name, resulting in something like linkedin.com/in/jane-doe-8a3b2c1. This works but looks messy on a business card.
You can customize it. Go to your profile, click Edit public profile & URL (or find it under Settings), and set a clean custom URL like linkedin.com/in/jane-doe. If your name is taken, add a middle initial or industry qualifier. A shorter URL also produces a less dense QR code, which means it can be printed smaller while remaining scannable.
One more thing: strip any tracking parameters before generating your QR code. If your copied URL includes ?lipi=abc123&lici=xyz after your name, remove everything after and including the question mark. The clean URL is all you need.
Step-by-Step: Create Your LinkedIn QR Code
The whole process takes less than a minute. Here is exactly what to do:
- Copy your LinkedIn profile URL. Open LinkedIn in your browser, navigate to your profile, and copy the full URL from the address bar. It should look like
https://www.linkedin.com/in/your-name. - Open the URL QR code generator. This is our free tool for turning any link into a scannable QR code. No account or signup needed.
- Paste your LinkedIn URL. Drop the copied URL into the input field.
- Customize the color. LinkedIn's brand blue is
#0077B5, and it works well as a QR code color. Using LinkedIn's blue makes the QR code's purpose immediately recognizable. You can also match it to your personal brand colors or keep it black for maximum contrast. - Download the QR code. Choose PNG for digital use (email signatures, websites, slides) or SVG for print (business cards, resumes, posters). SVG is vector-based and scales to any size without losing clarity.
That is it. You now have a QR code that links directly to your LinkedIn profile. Test it with your phone camera before using it anywhere to make sure it opens the correct profile.
Where to Use Your LinkedIn QR Code
Once you have your LinkedIn QR code, here are the most effective places to use it:
- Business cards -- Place it on the back with a label like "Connect on LinkedIn." For a deeper walkthrough, see our guide to QR codes for business cards. If you want to share your full contact details (phone, email, LinkedIn) in a single scan, a vCard QR code may be the better choice.
- Resume and CV -- Add the QR code in your header or contact section. Recruiters reviewing printed resumes can scan it to see your full profile, recommendations, and work history instead of typing a long URL.
- Email signature -- Embed the QR code image so every email you send becomes an opportunity to connect. Especially effective for sales professionals and recruiters.
- Conference badge -- Print it on a sticker and attach it to your name tag. People can scan your badge instead of fumbling with the LinkedIn app.
- Presentation slides -- Put it on your closing slide at conferences or webinars. Audience members can scan from their seats and connect before you leave the stage.
- Portfolio website -- Add it to your contact page so desktop visitors can scan with their phone and open your LinkedIn directly.
What About LinkedIn's Built-In QR Feature?
LinkedIn does have a built-in QR feature in its mobile app. Tap the search bar, then the QR icon in the top-right corner. It displays a QR code that other users can scan to find your profile.
The limitation: both people need the LinkedIn app open at the same time. The scanner is buried behind the search bar, and most users do not know it exists. You also cannot print it on a business card or embed it in a resume -- it lives only inside the app.
A standalone QR code generated from your profile URL works with any phone camera, requires no app, and can be printed or displayed anywhere. It is simply more versatile.
Combine LinkedIn with a vCard QR Code
For business cards specifically, you have a choice: a standalone LinkedIn QR code, or a vCard QR code that packs your LinkedIn URL alongside your phone number, email, company, and title. A vCard QR saves all of that directly to the scanner's address book in one tap -- phone number for calls, email for follow-ups, LinkedIn for professional context.
This is often the better choice for business cards where space is limited. One QR code, all your contact information. For a walkthrough on designing this, see our guide to QR codes for business cards.
If the sole purpose is LinkedIn connections -- on a conference slide, a resume, or a name badge -- a dedicated LinkedIn URL QR code is simpler, produces a cleaner code, and sends a more focused message.
Get Started
Creating a QR code for your LinkedIn profile takes about 30 seconds and costs nothing. Copy your profile URL, paste it into our free URL QR code generator, pick a color, and download. From there, add it to your business card, resume, email signature, slides, or anywhere else you want to make connecting effortless.
For small business owners and professionals who want scan tracking, geographic analytics, and the ability to update the destination URL without reprinting, ElkQR offers dynamic QR codes with a full analytics dashboard.
Stop telling people to search for your name. Give them a QR code and let the connection happen in two seconds.