At one point, you were using LinkedIn actively and making the most out of its potential to land the perfect job.
Then, once you progressed in your career and started reaching senior-level positions, you stopped seeing the need to actively maintain your online presence. As a result, you abandoned your LinkedIn profile and let it collect virtual dust while you focus on the daily demands of your job.
Does this sound familiar? It’s a far too common scenario.
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However, contrary to popular belief, LinkedIn isn’t just a platform for job seekers or recent graduates. While the reasoning behind this mindset is understandable, the truth is that senior-level professionals should prioritize their LinkedIn presence just as much as anyone else.
Yes, your resume will still play a crucial role in your job search if you’re looking, but recruiters will still check your LinkedIn profile as well. That’ll be the first impression they have of you, so is yours giving off the right message?
That’s only one of the reasons why you need to keep your LinkedIn profile updated and polished, even as a seasoned professional. Here are 5 more.
Reason 1: It’s the perfect venue to showcase your achievements and expertise
Resumes can be limiting in terms of space and format, making it difficult to fully showcase your accomplishments and expertise in a particular field. With LinkedIn, however, you have the opportunity to create a comprehensive profile that details that expertise and achievements and gives them context.
Three LinkedIn features come in handy here: the “About” section, the “Experience” section, and the “Featured” section. In your “About” section, leverage the available space to highlight your unique skills, expertise, what sets you apart in your industry, and anything else that you couldn’t elaborate on in your resume.
Then, in the “Experience” section, use that section to not only list your career history but also to pinpoint major career milestones (e.g. revenue growth, successful projects, leadership roles, etc.) Here, leverage LinkedIn’s media features to bring your accomplishments to life with presentations, videos, case studies, and more. These interactive features aren’t otherwise possible on a traditional resume, and, accordingly, LinkedIn gives you more flexibility to really showcase your capabilities.
As for the “Featured” section, this one could help you spotlight any achievements, awards, publications, or other significant events you’re proud of. It allows you to showcase media links in a prominent location on your profile (right under the “About” section), giving your most impressive achievements and work even more visibility. This way, anyone who visits your profile can immediately see the highlights of your career journey.
Pro Tip: Real-life endorsements and recommendations from former colleagues can back up the claims you make in your resume, cover letter, and even LinkedIn profile. Make use of these LinkedIn features to boost your credibility–this social proof can go a long way in further strengthening your personal brand and removing any potential doubts in the minds of recruiters.
Reason 2: It helps you stay relevant and engaged
As a senior-level professional, your job duties and industry landscape are likely constantly evolving. At the same time, the day-to-day of your job may leave you with little time to stay up-to-date on industry trends and news.
LinkedIn can be a great tool for keeping your finger on the pulse of your field, even with the busiest schedule. You get access to ready-made content from thought leaders in your industry, industry news updates, up-to-date articles and publications, and even discussion groups to stay in the know.
Plus, you’re not limited to being a passive consumer – you can also actively engage with content and connect with other professionals in your field. This could look like commenting on a post relating to industry trends, participating in a discussion group, or else. That’s on top of the opportunity to post your own content–be it a thought-provoking question, an industry insight, an article, or others–in your own voice.
These activities give employers a chance to read your thoughts, see your knowledge and passion for what you do, and get a better sense of your overall engagement with your industry. You’re no longer confined by what you can or can’t say within the walls of your office, but can establish yourself as an industry expert beyond that.
Reason 3: You will expand your network and influence
LinkedIn isn’t just for job searching – with more than 1 billion users globally, it’s one of the most powerful tools for networking. Whether you’re looking to network with peers, mentors, or industry leaders, LinkedIn is the perfect place for it.
What makes LinkedIn the more convenient option is that networking is rather “expected” and less intrusive than, say, reaching out to someone via a cold email. You can simply send a connection request with a personalized message explaining why you would like to connect with them. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to accept your request and even engage in conversation with you. Not to mention, you’ll start receiving connection requests too.
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Then, to maintain visibility in front of those connections and foster meaningful relationships with them, it’s simple: you can like, comment, or share their posts; send them messages to congratulate them on recent accomplishments; or even have a virtual coffee chat to get to know each other better. However, no matter what, never connect and then go quiet–it’s a wasted opportunity.
Apart from individual-level networking, LinkedIn also offers the opportunity to join groups and communities related to your industry or interests. This allows you to connect with a larger network of like-minded individuals, engage in discussions and share knowledge, and further expand your influence within your field.
Reason 4: You could unlock hidden opportunities
Even if you’re not actively looking for a job, a well-maintained profile can attract unsolicited offers from companies or partners looking for your specific expertise. And who knows, one of these offers could be the career opportunity you never knew you wanted.
There are two ways this could happen. The first goes back to the idea that senior roles are mostly filled through networks (you’ve probably heard of the phrase “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”). By having a polished profile and being visible, the chances that decision-makers will come across your profile increase, and you can catch their attention.
The second is through recruiters and hiring managers who actively search for candidates on LinkedIn. By optimizing your profile with relevant keywords accompanied by a strong headline, you make it easier for them to find you among their search results and consider you for potential opportunities.
It’s always better to have more options than fewer, so why not take advantage of this platform as an opportunity generator?
Reason 5: You can strengthen your professional brand
Gone are the days when handing out business cards was the primary means of sharing contact information. Nowadays, people are more likely to ask for your LinkedIn profile than a business card. It’s your new digital business card that not only has your contact information but also everything about your professional journey.
As such, LinkedIn can be the tool you need to complement the professional image you created for yourself in the “real” world. It won’t only complement it but also strengthen it since it’ll unify your messaging across different channels.
For instance, your posts could echo what you’ve talked about in a conference, spoken of in a webinar, or written in an article. This consistency will gradually make people associate you with certain topics and ideas, further establishing your expertise.
Finally, one of the best features of LinkedIn is that your profile can be updated anytime. You can regularly audit it to remove outdated content, add new skills and accomplishments, and make sure it aligns with your professional goals. This way, it always stays fresh and keeps your brand dynamic.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn was long thought to be just a job search platform, it has evolved into much more. Now, it can help you in various aspects of your career development–from networking and building relationships to showcasing your expertise and finding new opportunities.
However, to truly reap its benefits, there are 2 non-negotiables: an updated and well-optimized profile, and the willingness to invest the time and effort to engage with your network. Once you have those, LinkedIn can become the career growth tool that you can’t afford to ignore.
So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to dust off your LinkedIn profile and start optimizing it for success. And if you’d rather have a professional review it for you and provide you with actionable advice on how to improve it before you start, our free executive LinkedIn review is just a click away and only takes 1 business day!
