Dear Stephen,
I'm a VP of Sales for a well-known manufacturer. I'm not remotely looking for a job. Some of my colleagues—even my wife—told me my LinkedIn looks like crap! They say my profile doesn't reflect the job I have. I'm not a self-promoter type; it's just not my personality. I work for one of the major manufacturers, and I work with people who are busier branding themselves on LinkedIn than selling our products. I hate that kind of person!
Yet I can be objective. When I look over my LinkedIn profile, which I created myself, it's true—maybe it doesn't articulate all the experience I'm actually getting at my job right now. For instance, revenue size, number of direct reports, the geography I cover, etc.
What's your LinkedIn profile supposed to look like when you're not looking for a job? Am I supposed to just copy the job description my company gives me onto my LinkedIn? That seems ridiculous!
Finally, here's my question: what's the benefit of having an up-to-date LinkedIn if I have a great job that I like, I'm making good money, and I'm not looking for a new one?
Signed,
LinkedOut
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Dear LinkedOut,
First of all, your wife, your friends, and now I are telling you it's very important to have an up-to-date LinkedIn. (Even when you love your boss, love your job, and are making gobs of money!) It's not always about being "open to work" or looking for a new job. Believe it or not, it's just as important for keeping your current job. Here are two examples:
Let's say you work for one of the major manufacturers (which you do) or a small foreign company headquartered in Europe…
Starting with the major manufacturer: what if your company merged with another manufacturer? It's critical that leadership at the acquiring company can look you up and understand exactly what you do. I have news for you—the easiest and fastest way people do that is to look on LinkedIn. Sometimes it's even easier than going to your internal HR file, especially during a merger when everything is inevitably mixed up internally for a bit. Your LinkedIn helps you stand out to your current or future bosses.
On the other hand, if you're working for a foreign manufacturer—Italian, Swiss, Norwegian, German, Danish, Canadian, residential or contract—leadership in Europe can sometimes barely keep track of the employees local to them, let alone the people working for them in the United States. LinkedIn bridges that gap, and being visible to your bosses internationally is a leg up within your organization. Once again, the best way to do that is by having a great profile. If there's an opportunity for promotion coming up in America, they're going to look on LinkedIn to see who looks good.
Another reason to have a great LinkedIn: when you ask for a raise or when it's time for your annual review, if you have a diminished LinkedIn that's not up to date and doesn't truly reflect the geography you cover, the independent reps you're responsible for, or the number of direct reports you have, your boss—or your boss's boss—is going to have a hard time understanding your value to the company.
All of these reasons are why you should have an up-to-date LinkedIn. It's not about getting a new job; it's about cementing your position, no matter what it is.
Some advice for those of you who may now want to update your LinkedIn after reading this—never update your LinkedIn yourself! Hire a professional. Find someone through AI or Google, or if you want some recommendations, email me at stephen@viscusigroup.com and I'll give you some names.
Signed,
Stephen