Counselling activity: the Future LinkedIn Screenshot Exercise
This activity encourages students to imagine their professional identity 10 years from now – and works backwards from there
Students today face a multitude of options: different countries, universities, programmes and scholarships. Traditional counselling – focusing on grades, aptitude tests or standard career guidance – often fails to capture students’ true motivations, personal values and long-term professional aspirations.
Over my experience working with students, I have developed an innovative technique – the Future LinkedIn Screenshot Exercise – that positions students’ professional identity at the centre of decision-making. This technique is simple, highly effective and adaptable to school or consultancy settings, providing evidence-based, personalised guidance.
What is the Future LinkedIn Screenshot Exercise?
The Future LinkedIn Screenshot Exercise asks students to imagine a snapshot of their professional identity 10 years into the future, formatted as a LinkedIn profile. Instead of specifying degrees or universities, the profile emphasises:
Headline: one-line description of professional identity and purpose
About section: summary of the problems the student solves, the people they help and the impact they want to make
Key achievement: a milestone they would be proud of professionally.
By focusing on identity and impact, students consider their personal and professional values, rather than making choices based on reputation, peer pressure or convenience. This approach aligns with student-centred counselling principles and promotes reflective practice.
How the exercise works
Introduction (5 minutes)
Present the exercise as a reflective, creative activity. Emphasise that it is a tool for evidence-based guidance rather than a test, and that it will help students to make long-term decisions.
Profile creation (15–20 minutes)
Provide a template for students to design their future LinkedIn profile. Encourage authenticity and aspiration.
This step can be combined with use of country or university comparison tools, scholarship data and course-fit analysis, linking professional aspirations with practical opportunities.
Reflection and analysis (15 minutes)
Discuss each student’s profile to identify:
- Key skills and strengths implied by their future identity
- Potential industries, roles and work environments that match their ambitions.
- Global or regional opportunities aligned with their goals.
Reverse-engineering the path (10 minutes)
Map a pathway: identity → skills → environment → degree → university
This ensures that all educational recommendations are aligned with long-term career outcomes, rather than being generic advice.
Benefits for students
The Future LinkedIn Screenshot Exercise provides several measurable advantages. It:
Clarifies purpose: it moves students from vague ideas of “what to study” to a defined vision of who they want to become.
Reduces external pressure: focus on identity reduces the influence of parental expectations or societal pressures.
Enhances motivation: visualising future impact drives engagement and commitment to actionable steps.
Personalises counselling: it enables counsellors to deliver bespoke, student-centred recommendations, incorporating global trends, scholarships and university fit.
One of my students initially wanted to apply for generic business programmes. During the Future LinkedIn Screenshot Exercise, however, they drew up the profile headline: “Climate strategist helps cities transition to renewable infrastructure.”
This insight enabled me to offer highly targeted programme recommendations, integrating scholarships and global programme options. This demonstrates the value of personalised evidence-based guidance.
Adaptations for practice
Grade levels: the exercise is suitable for Grades 10-12 (Years 11-13) , particularly for students evaluating multiple pathways or uncertain about their career direction.
Multimedia: the exercise can be completed digitally, using Google Docs or Slides, or on paper. It can also be delivered in individual or small-group sessions.
Follow-up: annual updates of the LinkedIn snapshot allow reflective practice, monitoring evolving interests and global opportunities.
For new counsellors, this technique offers a low-resource, high-impact way to guide students towards making informed, purpose-driven decisions. By prioritising long-term identity, it ensures that degrees, universities and skill development align with aspirations and global opportunities.