Make your LinkedIn profiles, posts, and articles POP with a symbol or two

Your LinkedIn profile may be one of your first touchpoints with potential partners, employers, employees, and random interesting people. The challenge is that there are millions of LinkedIn profiles. They’re often text heavy. You can’t do much with the formatting (no bold, italic, underline etc.), so how can you make your profile stand out from the crowd?

One possibility is to incorporate a few interesting symbols to highlight specific words or add emphasis to your message.

There is quite a large selection to choose from, including emoji-style icons BUT I tend to feel that colourful emojis on LinkedIn aren’t quite right. Admittedly, I am not a fan of emojis at the best of times, and I tend to stick to the old-fashioned text-based emoticons, so this is possibly more about personal preferences than hard-and-fast rules!

Purpose: the point of using a symbol or two is to engage, add interest, and catch the eye.

Tip: don’t overuse these – a few symbols add emphasis and spice things up. Too many, and your profile or posts will start to look messy and unprofessional.

Caution: these should work on LinkedIn and elsewhere, but check them first – sometimes different platforms just aren’t happy with these!

Library of symbols and icons to use on LinkedIn

To use any of these, simply copy them from this page, and paste them into your LinkedIn profile or posts.

Arrows & Pointers: 

← → ↑ ↓ ⟵ ⟶ ⇦ ⇨ ⇧ ⇩  ⮕ ➡ ⬆ ⬇  ↔ ↕ ↚ ↛ ↮ ⟷ ⬄ ⇳ ⬌ ⬍ ↖ ↗ ↘ ↙ ⤡ ⤢ ⭠ ⭢ ⭡ ⭣ ⭤ ⭥ ⭦ ⭧ ⭨ ⭩ ⮈ ⮊ ⮉ ⮋ ➲ ⮜ ⮞ ⮝ ⮟ ⮘ ⮚ ⮙ ⮛ ➢ ➣ ➤ ⭪ ⭬ ⭫ ⭭ ⇠ ⇢ ⇡ ⇣ ⤌ ⤍ ⤎ ⤏  ⤑  ⤐ ↼ ⇀ ↽ ⇁ ↿ ↾ ⇃ ⇂ ⥊ ⥋ ⥌ ⥍ ⥎ ⥐ ⥑ ⥏ ⥒ ⥓ ⥖ ⥗ ⥔ ⥕ ⥘ ⥙ ⥚ ⥛ ⥞ ⥟ ⥜ ⥝ ⥠ ⥡ ⥢ ⥤ ⥣ ⥥ ⇋ ⇌ ⥦ ⥨ ⥧ ⥩ ⥪ ⥬ ⥫ ⥭ ⥮ ⥯ ⮄ ⮆ ⮅ ⮇ ⇈ ⇊ ⇇ ⇉ ⇆ ⇄ ⇅ ⇵ ⮀ ⮂ ⮁ ⮃ ⭾ ⭿ ⇐ ⇒ ⇑ ⇓ ⇔ ⇕ ⇖ ⇗ ⇘ ⇙ ⇍ ⇏ ⇎ ⟸ ⟹ ⟺ ⤂ ⤃ ⤄ ⤆ ⤇  ⇶ ⇚ ⇛ ⤊ ⤋  ⟰ ⟱ ⭰ ⭲ ⭱ ⭳ ⭶ ⭷ ⭸ ⭹ ⇤ ⇥ ⤒ ⤓ ↨ ⤝ ⤞ ⤟ ⤠ ↤ ↦ ↥ ↧  ⤅ ⟻ ⟼ ↸ ⇱ ⇲ ⇜ ⇝  ⟿ ↜ ↝ ↭  ⤳ ⇷ ⇸ ⤉ ⤈ ⇹ ⇺ ⇻ ⇞ ⇟ ⇼ ⭺ ⭼ ⭻ ⭽ ⤀  ⤁  ⤔  ⤕  ⤖  ⤗  ⤘ ⮠ ⮡ ⮢ ⮣ ⮤ ⮥ ⮦ ⮧ ↰ ↱ ↲ ↳  ↴ ↵ ⮐ ⮑ ⮒ ⮓ ↩ ↪ ⤣ ⤤ ⤥ ⤦ ⭚ ⭛ ↫ ↬ ⤙ ⤚ ⤛ ⤜ ⥼ ⥽ ⥾ ⥿ ⭜ ⭝ ⭞ ⭟ ↯ ⭍ ↶ ↷ ⤾ ⤿ ⤺ ⤻ ⤹ ⤸ ⭯ ⭮ ↺ ↻ ⟲ ⟳ ⥀ ⥁ 🗘 ⮎ ⮌ ⮏ ⮍ ⮔ 🔁 🔂 🔃 🔄 ⤶ ⤷ ⤴ ⤵ ⮰ ⮱ ⮲ ⮳ ⮴ ⮵ ⮶ ⮷ ➥ ➦ ⮨ ⮩ ⮪ ⮫ ⮬ ⮭ ⮮ ⮯ ➩ ➪ ➫ ➬ ➭ ➮ ➯ ➱ ⇪ ⮸ ⇫ ⇬ ⇭ ⇮ ⇯ ➳ ➵ ➴ ➶ ➸ ➷ ➹ ➙ ➘ ➚ ➾ ⇰ ➛ ➜ ➔ ➝ ➞ ➟ ➠ ➧ ➨ ➺ ➻ ➼ ➽ ◄ ► ◅ ▻ ◀ ▶ ▲ ▼ ⯇ ⯈ ⯅ ⯆ ⌃ ⌄ ⮹ ↞ ↠ ↟ ↡ ⯬ ⯭ ⯮ ⯯ 🔙 🔚 🔛 🔜 🔝 ↢ ↣ ⇽ ⇾ ⇿ ⭎ ⭏ ⥂ ⥃ ⥄ ⥉ ⥰ ⤼ ⤽ ⥶ ⥸ ⥷  ⥱ ⥵ ⥲  ⥳ ⥴ ⥆ ⥅  ⇴ ⥈ ⟴ ⥇ ⥹ ⥻ ⥺  ⤪ ⤨ ⤧ ⤩ ⤭ ⤮ ⤱ ⤲ ⤯ ⤰ ⤫ ⤬

Quotes:

❝ ❞ « » ‟ ‹ › ⟨ ⟩ „ ′ ‵ ‘ ’ ‚ ‛ “ ” ‷ ‴ ‶ ″

Circled Numbers:

⓪ ① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ⑧ ⑨ ⑩ ⑪ ⑫ ⑬ ⑭ ⑮ ⑯ ⑰ ⑱ ⑲ ⑳ ㉑ ㉒ ㉓ ㉔ ㉕ ㉖ ㉗ ㉘ ㉙ ㉚ ㉛ ㉜ ㉝ ㉞ ㉟ ㊱ ㊲ ㊳ ㊴ ㊵ ㊶ ㊷ ㊸ ㊹ ㊺ ㊻ ㊼ ㊽ ㊾ ㊿ ⓿ ❶ ❷ ❸ ❹ ❺ ❻ ❼ ❽ ❾ ❿ ⓫ ⓬ ⓭ ⓮ ⓯ ⓰ ⓱ ⓲ ⓳ ⓴

Circled Letters:

Ⓐ Ⓑ Ⓒ Ⓓ Ⓔ Ⓕ Ⓖ Ⓗ Ⓘ Ⓙ Ⓚ Ⓛ Ⓜ Ⓝ Ⓞ Ⓟ Ⓠ Ⓡ Ⓢ Ⓣ Ⓤ Ⓥ Ⓦ Ⓧ Ⓨ Ⓩ ⓐ ⓑ ⓒ ⓓ ⓔ ⓕ ⓖ ⓗ ⓘ ⓙ ⓚ ⓛ ⓜ ⓝ ⓞ ⓟ ⓠ ⓡ ⓢ ⓣ ⓤ ⓥ ⓦ ⓧ ⓨ ⓩ 🅐 🅑 🅒 🅓 🅔 🅕 🅖 🅗 🅘 🅙 🅚 🅛 🅜 🅝 🅞 🅟 🅠 🅡 🅢 🅣 🅤 🅥 🅦 🅧 🅨 🅩

Roman Numerals: 

Ⅰ Ⅱ Ⅲ Ⅳ Ⅴ Ⅵ Ⅶ Ⅷ Ⅸ Ⅹ Ⅺ Ⅻ Ⅼ Ⅽ Ⅾ Ⅿ ⅰ ⅱ ⅲ ⅳ ⅴ ⅵ ⅶ ⅷ ⅸ ⅹ ⅺ ⅻ ⅼ ⅽ ⅾ ⅿ

Circles, Squares, Triangles: 

◉ ○ ◌ ◍ ◎ ● ◐ ◑ ◒ ◓ ◔ ◕ ◖ ◗ ❂ ☢ ⊗ ⊙ ◘ ◙ ◍ ❏ ❐ ❑ ❒ ▀ ▁ ▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ ▉ ▊ ▋ █ ▌ ▍ ▎ ▏▐ ░ ▒ ▓ ▔ ▕ ■ □ ▢ ▣ ▤ ▥ ▦ ▧ ▨ ▩ ▪▫ ▬ ▭ ▮ ▯ ☰ ☲ ☱ ☴ ☵ ☶ ☳ ☷◿◺◹◸◮ ◭ ◬ ◥ ◤ ◣ ◣ ◇ ◆

Flowers: 

✽ ✾ ✿ ❁ ❃ ❋ ❀

Games & sport:

♠ ♥  ♤♦ ♢ ♣ ♧♟♞♝♜♛♚♙♘♗♖♕♔⚽ ⚾

Write, email, phone: 

✐ ✎ ✏ ✑ ✒  ✉ ⌨✆ ✉ ☎ ☏

Fractions: 

½ ⅓ ⅕ ⅙ ⅛ ⅔ ⅖ ⅚ ⅜ ¾ ⅗ ⅝ ⅞ ⅘

Compare: 

≂ ≃ ≄ ≅ ≆ ≇ ≈ ≉ ≊ ≋ ≌ ≍ ≎ ≏ ≐ ≑ ≒ ≓ ≔ ≕ ≖ ≗ ≘ ≙ ≚ ≛ ≜ ≝ ≞ ≟ ≠ ≡ ≢ ≣ ≤ ≥ ≦ ≧ ≨ ≩ ⊰ ⊱ ⋛ ⋚

Currency:

₠ ₡ ₢ ₣ ₤ ₥ ₦ ₧ ₨ ₩ ₪ ₫ € ₭ ₮ ₯ ₰ ₱ ₲ ₳ ₴ ₵ ₶ ₷ ₸ ₹ ₺ ₻ ₼ ₽ ₾ ₿ ＄$ ௹ ৲ ₹ ৳ 원 ㍐ 圓 元 円 ﷼ ៛ ₰ ¤ ₸ ₴ ￥ ¥ ₿ ฿ ￠ ₡ ¢ ₢

Stars:

★ ☆ ✪ ✵ ✯ ٭ ✭ ✰ 🌟 ✡ ✹ ✷ ⍟ ❃ ✫ ✧ ✦

Yes & No: 

☑ ✓ ✔ ✖ ✗ ✘ ✕ ☓

Superscripts and subscripts:

⁰ ⁱ ⁵ ⁶ ⁷ ⁸ ⁹ ⁺ ⁻ ⁼ ⁽ ⁾ ⁿ ₀ ₁ ₂ ₃ ₄ ₅ ₆ ₇ ₈ ₉ ₊ ₋ ₌ ₍ ₎ ₐ ₑ ₒ ₓ ₔ ₕ ₖ ₗ ₘ ₙ ₚ ₛ ₜ

Music:

♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯ ° ø

Trademark symbols:

™ © ℗ ® ℠

Other bits and pieces:

♻ 🖒 🖓 ☭𝜋 ☥☮ ☯☀ ☁⛄ ⛅ ☂ ☃ ☄☼ ☽ ☾ ☿ ♀ ♁ ♂ ♃ ♄ ♅ ♆ ♇ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑ ♒ ♓ ♿ ⛱

History of emoticons

Every now and again, a textual smiley face makes an appearance in my posts (not my profile), and whilst collecting symbols for this article, I started to wonder how smiley faces and other textual emoticons started. Apparently the first emoticon was posted to a Carnegie Mellon University bulletin board on September 19 1982, by Scott E. Fahlman.

propose that the following character sequence for joke markers: 🙂 Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are not jokes, given current trends. For this, use 🙁

For Fahlman’s own view of how it all began, take a look at his page on Smiley Lore.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

That’s it!

Hopefully this is of use. Enjoy!