Nowadays, everybody, it is not unusual to have two jobs. Balancing two professions at the same time can be tricky but some people try to make it work. Because of this, many people want to know if they can present multiple positions in a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn can be a wonderful tool for making connections and gathering leads. But your overall LinkedIn strategy should focus on how overtly you want to advertise your second gig.
Carla Deter, founder of LinkedIn Profiles & Executive Resume Writing Service, said that she has worked with many clients in similar situations. And while LinkedIn prohibits users from having a second profile, the platform can still “be strategically manipulated to work for the dual position dilemma,” Deter said.
Setting Up Your Profile
LinkedIn is not set up to accommodate more than one career, as having multiple search results on the same person can cause confusion and prevent people from connecting with a user, especially if both accounts are active.That said, it is quite easy to work around this obstacle, as LinkedIn has a few tools that can be used to represent your two jobs.
If it is a clear second job that is approved by your primary employer, then you may simply list it as a concurrent role. If it is a personal side gig such as freelance writing or coaching, then you have to list your company and the services you provide.
Again, this depends on your LinkedIn strategy, because many users prefer sticking with one job and highlighting that profession using their LinkedIn profile, especially if their two jobs have nothing to do with one another. Deter recommends assessing the second job and considering if it belongs on LinkedIn at all.
Some people are not likely to turn to LinkedIn for certain jobs. For example, if the second job is as a waitress at a small diner on evenings and weekends, it is unlikely to be something employers who find potential employees on LinkedIn would be interested in. Deter said that LinkedIn users should focus on the primary source of income for their LinkedIn profile.
If you have decided to list information about more than one job, Deter suggests creating a LinkedIn banner that shows your expertise in both fields. For instance, an IT professional that also takes on freelance writing jobs could design a custom image that shows off both jobs. An image can give an idea of the professional in a sense.
Make sure to include a creative headline. Creativity is key.
“The default should be the persons’ job title — where the main source of income comes from. Then add a few keywords [related to] the second position,” Deter said. “It does take some thinking of how to best come up with the keywords that mesh the full-time position with the evening/weekend work, but it can be done.” Use LinkedIn’s second experience box to showcase the side job and include a list of skills that can relate to both of your professions.
Add Your Experience
Here’s how to add the experience on LinkedIn:
Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
Click View profile.
Click Add profile section in your introduction card.
Under the Background dropdown, click the Add icon next to Work experience.
In the Add experience pop-up window, enter your information into the fields provided.
Click Save.
Utilize LinkedIn to fully showcase all of your skills and capabilities so that you can make the most out of the platform. While it does not allow you to make two separate accounts for two different careers, LinkedIn still gives you the freedom to show off your two jobs.
