Things Can Change on Your LinkedIn Profile Overnight . . . Keep an Eye on It!

When was the last time you took a look at your LinkedIn profile?

It may look quite a bit different than even a month ago . . . things may have moved around, some things may not be there anymore.

Like all social networking sites, LinkedIn continuously upgrades features and functionality, to provide a better user experience.

That’s mostly a good thing . . . despite the fact that any given time you revisit your profile, you may not be able to find things.

I like to think I stay current with what’s happening on LinkedIn, because I log on several times a day to post updates, accept invitations to connect and monitor various things.

But, like everyone, I miss stuff.

Something important vanished from my LinkedIn profile!

The other day I had a LinkedIn strategy session with a client.\

We reviewed his profile first, and then took a look at my LinkedIn profile . . . so he could get an idea of what he needed to do with his profile.

When viewing my profile, he noticed that my education didn’t show up in my profile “intro”. That’s the section at the very top of the profile that includes your photo, headline, “See contact info” and number of connections.

I have no idea how long it was missing from that spot. All education information was still intact under my Experience section.

Funny thing is, this client of mine hadn’t touched or looked at his LinkedIn profile for years, but his education showed up in the intro section. I wonder if it’s because he has a premium account. I don’t.

Who knows why LinkedIn created the situation that requires us to take notice, and then take the time to go in and correct this.

How to fix this LinkedIn profile glitch.

The fix is very easy to accomplish:

• Click on the little blue edit pencil at the top right of the intro section,
• Once the pop-up appears, scroll down slightly to “Education”,
• Check-mark the little box next to “Show above education in my intro”.

It’s as simple as that.

Other areas on your Linkedin profile (and LinkedIn in general) you need to keep an eye on.

In general, since things can change on LinkedIn from one day to the next, you should scrutinize your “Settings & Privacy” frequently, say every week or so . . . . especially if you’re actively job hunting.

LinkedIn is the most popular destination for executive recruiters and hiring professionals when they’re sourcing and assessing candidates.

Be aware of what these people are seeing (or not seeing) on your LinkedIn profile.

More specifics in my post, 7 LinkedIn Things You Should Do . . . But Probably Don’t.

One thing in particular I want you to look at on your LinkedIn profile.

Go to the “Privacy” page in “Settings & Privacy”.

Scroll down to the “Microsoft Word” option, where you can choose whether or not your “work experience descriptions from your LinkedIn profile can be shown in Resume Assistant, a feature within Microsoft Word”.

I strongly advise you to toggle to “No” for that option.

Why?

With Resume Assistant, LinkedIn made plagiarism a whole lot easier for those people who are too lazy to create their own brand-reinforcing content and have no problem swiping others’ content.

Nogoodniks no longer have to jump all around the site looking for comparable profiles. Resume Assistant allows that information to come right to them.

More in my post, How LinkedIn’s Resume Assistant Can Negatively Impact Your Personal Brand.

My advice to deal with the ever-changing nature of LinkedIn.

Revisit your profile frequently to catch any changes that may have occurred since the last time you checked in . . . especially if you’re actively job-hunting and you want people to want to reach out to you.

If you can’t find something that was there before, or don’t know how to do something on LinkedIn because the functionality is different, consult the LinkedIn Help pages. They’re pretty good about posting up-to-date, relevant information about these things.

More About LinkedIn and Executive Job Search

LinkedIn Experts Speak Up About the Biggest LinkedIn Executive Job Search Mistakes

Executive Job Search: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Look, I Found My Personal Brand Doppelganger on LinkedIn!

How to Deal With Employment Gaps in Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile