Will My Employer Get Suspicious?
Earlier this week, I attended a meeting with a dozen job seekers who voiced a common concern: If I update my LinkedIn profile, won’t my employer assume I am looking for a new job?
It’s a fair question, and one I often hear from my coaching clients.
But here’s the truth– LinkedIn isn’t just a job-search tool anymore. It’s your digital business card, your personal PR channel, and your access point to world-class learning and industry conversations.
Here’s how to confidently explain your use of LinkedIn—even while employed—without raising any red flags:
1. Professional Development– There are more than 23,000 LinkedIn Learning courses, many of which directly benefit your current job. LinkedIn Premium members have unlimited access. If you have the free version of LinkedIn, you can access ten courses a month at no additional charge.
Available courses include Excel, Generative AI, Project Management, and so much more! Add the completed courses to your profile to demonstrate your commitment to professional growth.
2. Employee and Employer Branding– According to LinkedIn, posts shared by staff members get twice the engagement and tap into networks ten times larger than the company page alone. When you post about new projects or industry trends, you’re providing more visibility and free publicity for your employer. In other words, you are a brand ambassador, not a flight risk.
3. Competitive Edge– If your employer has a company page, chances are your competitors have one as well. What better way to learn more about your industry and your competitors’ products and services? It’s competitive intelligence, right at your fingertips!
When framed as professional development, brand advocacy, and a way to learn more about the competition, your profile tweaks look a lot less like an escape plan and a lot more like free benefits for your employer.
P.S. To better protect your privacy, adjust your Visibility settings on LinkedIn. Change the Manage Active Status setting to “No One”, and change Share Job Changes, Education Changes to Off.
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Shelley Maley, PHR, CCSP
Dreamcatcher Career Coaching, LLC
www.dreamcatchercareercoaching.com
(610) 663-0585
Communications Chairperson – Pennsylvania Career Development Association (PACDA)
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