Congratulations! After all the interviews and call-backs, you’ve landed that dream job or internship. It’s a great achievement and of course, it’s natural to want to share this news with the world, especially with your professional network. But, hold your horses!
Why you might think it's a good idea to add an incoming role
There can be compelling reasons to add an incoming role to your LinkedIn profile. Firstly, it allows you to share your good news promptly with your professional network. This can generate conversations, connections, and opportunities. Secondly, reflecting an incoming role on your LinkedIn profile might feel like an essential step in your career transition that you're eager to take.
Why it’s best to wait at least two weeks
When it comes to the ideal time to update LinkedIn with your incoming job, there are various recommendations out there. At Resume Worded, we recommend waiting at least two weeks after starting your new job before you add an incoming position to LinkedIn.
It’s not an exact science and is always a personal decision. It’s likely that once you feel secure in your new job and moved on from the former one, you’re good to go.
Tying up loose ends
You may still have a few loose ends to tie up in your current role, including working out your notice or handing over to your successor.
Job uncertainty
What if your new job falls through before you join? Or your new employer may have a probationary or waiting period of three to six months, when your performance over that time is monitored to establish whether you’re a good fit for each other or not. Waiting until you’re sure that the job is right for you helps avoid premature LinkedIn updates.
Learning the new role
As a new hire, you may feel swamped with work, adapting to new processes and environments. Once you have a better grasp of these, you’ll be happy to update your LinkedIn profile to accurately reflect your new role and accomplishments.
Respecting your soon-to-be former employer
When transitioning to a new role, it's important to consider your current employer's feelings and expectations. Prematurely adding your new role to LinkedIn can be perceived as inconsiderate or hasty and might strain professional relationships. Your current team may be unaware or unprepared for your departure announcement, and some companies may prefer to manage such announcements themselves.
Public
Another point to remember: Unless you’ve edited your LinkedIn settings, your profile is public, so your network will be immediately notified of any updates you make. In fact, LinkedIn recently updated their platform to make all status updates public, meaning that they’re picked up by search engines like Google.
Impossible to add future jobs to LinkedIn Experience
While LinkedIn’s system doesn’t technically allow you to add future jobs to the Experience section (i.e., the LinkedIn fields won’t accept dates in the future), there's a common workaround that some people employ. They add a new role that hasn't started yet, set the start date as the present day, and in the job title, note something like "Data Analyst (Incoming Analyst - Joining September 2024)".
However, this method has potential drawbacks. It can give the impression that you've already started in the role and may mislead your network. Plus, some recruiters or potential employers might view this practice as unprofessional or confusing. Our recommendation? It's better to wait until you've actually started in your role before adding it to your LinkedIn experience.
Alternatives to LinkedIn’s Experience section
But, don’t despair! There are other ways to highlight your achievement. As long as you feel you are not over-stepping any boundaries from both your new employer’s and your former company’s points of view, here are some ideas:
LinkedIn headline
Update your profile headline to include a mention of your incoming position, such as "Incoming Marketing Manager at XYZ Company".
LinkedIn article
Write a LinkedIn article about your new role, the journey that led to it and what insights you learnt along the way.
LinkedIn cover photo
Customize your LinkedIn cover photo to feature an image or text related to your new role, such as the company logo or a relevant quote.
LinkedIn summary
Modify your LinkedIn summary to briefly mention your upcoming position, focusing on the skills and experiences that led to this opportunity.
When it’s time to make the announcement
After a few weeks, once you’ve settled in and feeling confident in your new role, it’s time to shout it from the rooftops! Update your LinkedIn profile to update your whole network so that everyone you are connected with will know about your new position.
Optimize your LinkedIn profile
When you announce your new role, you will probably receive many new profile views, comments, and messages of congratulations. This is a great time to update your LinkedIn profile! Our LinkedIn Review service is here to help. We provide personalized tips and strategies to elevate your LinkedIn profile and make a compelling impression. Good luck!
