Speaker Bio:

Shima Ghaheri is a speaker, career strategist, and founder of UnderlineU, where she helps students and professionals design careers they love — without losing themselves in the process.

She specializes in career strategy, professional positioning, and leadership development, helping individuals navigate competitive environments with clarity and confidence. Her work focuses on enabling technically strong professionals to translate their academic works, projects, and real-world experience into compelling professional narratives that stand out.

Shima has spoken in academic and professional environments, including delivering a TEDx talk and presenting at leadership and entrepreneurship conferences. Her sessions are known for being practical, playful, and immediately actionable, equipping participants with clear strategies they can implement right away.

Abstract:

In today’s competitive job market, technical skills alone are not enough. Early-career professionals must learn to clearly position their value on LinkedIn, in resumes, and during interviews to stand out.

In this session, Shima Ghaheri breaks down how hiring managers evaluate candidates and how students can translate their academic work, projects, and internships into compelling professional narratives. Participants will learn to strengthen their LinkedIn presence with clarity and purpose, structure resumes around impact rather than responsibilities, and approach interviews with preparation and strategy rather than guesswork.

Designed for college students and entry-level professionals, this session provides practical, actionable guidance to help attendees move from being qualified on paper to being selected with confidence. By making hiring systems more transparent and accessible, the session also aims to help reduce common opportunity gaps and empower students to compete on clarity and preparation rather than proximity or privilege.