12 reasons why you should keep your LinkedIn profile up to date

LinkedIn is a great choice for your professional career. It’s the go-to hub where you can develop your personal brand, boost your professional network, blog, share professional news and views, increase your knowledge and make new professional colleagues and friends. It’s a place to find jobs and create business.

Is it any wonder that you need to keep such a fantastic digital asset up to date?

1. It’s about you, and it’s much more than a CV!

A properly constructed LinkedIn profile has more personality than a CV. It makes who you are visible to your professional community. Now that you add pictures and video, it has an even greater range of tools to let you shine. Whether you call it personal branding or self-promotion, LinkedIn gives you that platform. Don’t let your presence stand still. Keep it moving forward.

2. It has millions of members

With 706 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. Networking with those who can most readily enhance your career requires your regular attention.

3. It boosts your network

If you regularly update your profile – especially through writing, sharing, commenting, and liking content, others will be better able to see you and connect with you.

4. It’s expected that you’ll have a profile

What happens if you apply for a post, the recruiter looks you up on LinkedIn and they find you haven’t updated your profile in a while? What might they infer? That you are unwilling to promote yourself, network, take part, be accurate and transparent, and to project enthusiasm and ambition? Might their conclusions be unfair? Possibly… but that’s not the point.

5. It lets you make better introductions

LinkedIn makes introductions easier for everyone irrespective of where they lie on the spectrum of introversion-extraversion. There’s no making sure you get invited to the right event, hanging around for the right moment, initiating small talk and pressing a calling card into someone’s hand. You can introduce yourself and others on LinkedIn – and be introduced on a regular basis.

6. Use LinkedIn to remind yourself about the key things about people and their careers

Treat the site as if it’s a gigantic aide memoire – work biographies, opinions on key topics, work anniversaries and birthdays are marked so you don’t lose track of the milestones in peoples’ lives. Regularly check them out.

7. It makes meetings more memorable

LinkedIn is a great for researching people before you meet them. When you meet, you’re better informed and better equipped to engage in more mutually beneficial conversations.

8. People are talent spotting – constantly

Recruiters want you – but not if your LinkedIn profile fails to display your up-to-date aptitudes and experience. Don’t let them overlook you. And in time, your clients may also connect with you, your tutors, your manager, your suppliers, and those who work for you too. Your talent is on the line. And don’t forget that LinkedIn can feature heavily in Google search results.

9. It spotlights your ambition

If your profile is out of date it screams, “You don’t realise the importance of LinkedIn”. And as LinkedIn has a role in career development it can suggest you’re neglectful of that. Again, perhaps an unfair assumption but one that’s easily made.

10. Keep up to date with LinkedIn groups and you’ll be noticed

One great way to be up to date on LinkedIn is to join professional discussion groups and contribute. As with “real-life” groups, members who regularly make interesting comments are liked, respected, and grow in influence.

11. It’s full of ideas

Use LinkedIn as a learning tool and it will help you maintain an edge. Did you know that LinkedIn offers over 16,000 free and paid courses? Maintain an edge on LinkedIn and you’ll be presented with further opportunities to pick up new knowledge. It’s win-win if you keep your presence fresh and visible.

12. You’ll stay connected

In a fast-moving world, it’s the place to find out where people are moving to for work and what networks they’re entering. Follow those who follow you. Congratulate them on promotions, comment if they move into new areas of work that interest you. Nurture those connections.

Sign up here to receive the latest developments in legal education, qualifications and support that will help you boost your career.