Job Change? How to Update your LinkedIn® Profile

Recently, I received two job change notifications from my LinkedIn® connections. I looked at their profiles expecting to see some information about these new positions. To my dismay, neither of my connections had updated their LI profile appropriately.

One person had a previous job title listed in their headline. The other person had not updated the website of their new company.

When you have a change in your career, update your LinkedIn® profile as soon as possible.

I cannot emphasize too much to:

  1. Before posting run the text through www.Grammarly.com for spelling and grammar checks. Word.doc does not always catch misspelled words and will often tell you there is a grammar error however it does not give enough information on how to correct it.
  2. Test all links to make sure they work.
  3. Test your email address for spelling errors. (I recently tried to email a new connection and their email had a typing error. Yikes!

When making a job change, here are the relevant information pieces that you need to update immediately:

Banner – If you do not have a Logo, go to https://www.canva.com (free version) to create one or hire a Graphic Designer. This is free real estate. You only need 3-4 pieces of information on the banner:

  • Logo
  • Your Name
  • Company Name
  • Phone Number
  • Website address
  • Email Address (only if you don’t have a website)
  • Tagline (if you have one of these as well)
  • 1-2 Product and/or Service offerings provided

You can update a Banner by moving the content around on the page. Options that can be incorporated here include:

  • Upcoming events you might be hosting/conducting
  • New Book release
  • Additional Product/Service Offerings

DO NOT SELL HERE!

Photo – Spend a little money to get a professional photograph of yourself. Remember the dress-for-success pointers that you need to look like a professional if you expect to be taken seriously in your business. (Size: 400×400 pixels) Update this photo every couple of years.

  • Your face should be 60% of the frame. No hats, no full-length shots.
  • Background: Use natural light and a white background, especially if you have dark skin
  • Smile that shows some teeth
  • Dress: Clothing that is indicative of what you would wear to work, and solid colors

Name – If you have a professional designation such as: CPA, MBA, Ph.D. or Ed.D., JD, MD, or other medical licensure, etc. you can add this at the end of your name. Do NOT include anything else in this section.

Headline – This is NOT a job title. Create a headline that reflects what service you provide to the marketplace. Instead, when deciding how to describe your job position, think about how someone might search for you with your area of expertise.

Business email address – If you have a business email use it instead of a personal email address. LinkedIn is a professional business platform on social media. Trust me, you will not get more spam.

Company Website – Include your company’s website so that people can connect with you and your company. You are allowed to have up to 3 website links in the Contact Information area of the profile. After updating your links, test every one of them to make sure they work.

  • Website
  • Website Blog
  • Other Link options, such as:
    • Another Social Media link
    • Calendar link
    • Landing page

Work Experience – Create a 3-paragraph description of your new position. Use present tense grammar when writing about your new job.

Current Position – Written in 1st person grammar

  • 1-2 sentences about your company, size, geographical territory, number of employees, and product/service offerings.
  • 1-2 sentences about your official job description. If you are in management, include the number of employees you are responsible for and territorial coverage, i.e. what you do.
  • 1-2 sentences about additional duties for which you are responsible. Add any accolades, honors/awards earned.

Previous Work Experience – written in past tense grammar.

  • Update your former employment description with past tense verbiage.

Phone number – Provide your office or cell phone number in your contact information. When I teach LinkedIn® classes, I’m adamant about making it easy for people to get in touch with you.

Address – This is not required, however, if you have a brick-and-mortar location, it is acceptable to include an address. (I have a mail station where I receive snail mail with a note to designate that this is not a storefront.)

About / Summary – Develop a new summary (2600 characters maximum) that outlines who your prospects are, what product/service you provide, and why you have a problem solution that a buyer needs. This is an opportunity for you to talk, in detail, about your area of expertise.

Create this summary in 1st person grammar. Remember, at the end of your summary, include a Call-to-Action (CTA) with your phone number, website, and email address.

Education – Have you completed additional continuing education coursework? Or earned a special certification or degree? Update your education section of LinkedIn® with any classes that you have taken.

Skills – What about new skills learned or obtained during your prior employment? Have you learned a new CRM program or become proficient with Excel spreadsheets? Be sure to include all of your skill-set information on your LI profile.  Be proactive in asking for skill endorsement from those who can speak to your areas of expertise. You can use up to 100 skills on your profile. Once you have updated your skill list, add applicable skills to each of your work experiences.

Volunteer / Civic work – Were you the captain of a team to raise money for your favorite charity? Employers and prospective clients, are very interested in seeing that you are proactive in giving back to your community. List volunteer experiences and enumerate details of any managerial work that you provided. This section is drafted the same as if it were a job.

Recommendations – Give to get!  Be willing to provide recommendations to several people with whom you have worked.  Former supervisors or business associates are good examples of people who know, like, and trust you.  Don’t be shy about asking.  If you don’t ask, you will not receive it!

Finally, let your trusted contacts to let them know you have made a career move.

Although this is only a short list of LI features that are critical to update when you change jobs, I believe this will get you started.

Peggy P. Edge (c) 2025

Peggy Edge provides LinkedIn® Makeovers and training to individuals, executives, small-medium companies, and sales teams. To hire Peggy, call her at 214-725-7626 or link with her on LinkedIn® at: www.linkedin.com/in/peggyedge