Chapter 1 of 7 · 5 checks · 3 min

Name, photo, bio and links

The top of your profile tells a visitor who you are and where else to find you. Fill in the fields GitHub gives you.

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Use a username you are happy to put on a CV and in a URLShould
Why it matters and how to check
Your username is your profile URL, appears on every commit and pull request, and is hard to change once you have shared links. A plain version of your name, or your name plus a short suffix, works best.
Changing a username later breaks links you have posted elsewhere and, as GitHub's email documentation explains, can unlink commits made with an older username-based noreply address. Choose once, carefully.
Check it: you would be comfortable reading your profile URL aloud to a hiring manager, and it matches the name you use on LinkedIn or your portfolio closely enough to be recognised.
Do
Use your real name or a close, stable variant
Avoid
Joke handles or usernames with long strings of numbers
Renaming your account after you have shared links widely
Add your name and a clear profile pictureMust
Why it matters and how to check
GitHub lets you set a display name and upload a profile picture, or fall back to a generated identicon. A real photo or a consistent avatar you also use elsewhere helps people recognise you across GitHub, LinkedIn and conference talks.
The name field does not have to match your legal name, but a name people can search for makes it easier to connect your GitHub work with your other profiles.
Check it: open your profile in a private browser window. Your name and picture show, and someone who knows you from LinkedIn would recognise it is you.
Do
Use the same photo or avatar as on your other professional profiles
Avoid
Leaving the default identicon on a profile you share with employers
Write a bio that says what you build, within 160 charactersShould
Why it matters and how to check
GitHub limits the bio to 160 characters, which is enough for one clear line: your role or focus, your main stack and one specific interest. For example: "Backend developer. Go and PostgreSQL. Building tools for small clinics."
Students can use the same pattern: "CS student. Python and React. Contributing to open source data tools."
Check it: someone who reads only your bio knows what kind of work you do and which technologies you use.
Do
Name your focus and two or three technologies
Avoid
Bios that say only "Learning" or list twenty languages
Add your website, up to four social accounts and a locationShould
Why it matters and how to check
GitHub lets you add a website, up to four social account links as full URLs, a location and, optionally, a time zone for showing your local time. A portfolio site plus LinkedIn is usually enough. The time zone is helpful if you work with people in other regions.
Every link is a chance for a visitor to go further, so only add links that lead somewhere current.
Check it: click every link on your profile in a private window. Each one opens a live, up-to-date page.
Do
Link your portfolio and LinkedIn
Set a location or time zone if you want remote collaborators
Avoid
Dead portfolio links or abandoned social accounts
Use the status message only when it tells people something usefulNice to have
Why it matters and how to check
GitHub's status can show a short message, an optional emoji, a Busy indicator and an expiry. It is useful for telling collaborators you are away or slow to respond, for example during exams or a holiday.
Set an expiry so a stale status does not sit on your profile for months.
Check it: your status is either empty or current, and if it is temporary it has an expiry date.
Do
Set an expiry on temporary statuses
Avoid
A Busy status that has been on for months