LinkedIn: I’m employed, do I need a LinkedIn Profile?

Before I became a career services professional, I often wondered why I needed a LinkedIn profile. Today, you have to say yes to LinkedIn.

One of the first things I do when I meet another professional is to look them up on LinkedIn. I admit, I have different opinions of professionals with LinkedIn profiles… and those without. And let me say that simply having a profile isn’t enough.

I want to see a completed profile that not only provides work experience, but some insight into the person as a professional (e.g. philosophy in business and info on their industry).

Still not convinced? Let me give you a quick example of how a friend and colleague used LinkedIn to his advantage — while gainfully employed.

My friend worked at a well-known technology firm in the quality assurance department. He was paid well and, on his way, to becoming a vice president. He would always share with me how he was active on LinkedIn and the importance of keeping a pristine profile. This was about eight years ago and honestly, I did not even have a profile at the time. My friend shared with me that he had just received an offer from a competing company for a higher position and more pay.

But he didn’t stop there. He took that offer to his current employer and asked if they would beat it. And they did!

Now, let me pause right here and say I would not recommend staying at a company that was willing to counter an offer, because that implies they were undervaluing you in the first place. But I’ll leave that for a different post. My friend ended up staying with his original company and about three months later, he received a new offer that he accepted with yet a different organization.

The biggest take away for me was my friend did not solicit and was not actively in the job market. He used LinkedIn as a platform by being active and writing articles relevant to his industry and current employer. His profile showed what a knowledgeable and dedicated employee he was.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone recruit you and submit a great job offer — all with minimal effort on your part? All you have to do is maintain a LinkedIn profile. 

Until Next Tuesday…

Comment Below: What is one thing you could do to improve your status on LinkedIn?