LinkedIn profiles are today’s business cards, don’t forget about it!
We are living in a professional world asking everybody to expose himself/herself even before we shake hands or meet over video. Check-ups of LinkedIn profiles are not limited to professionals looking for a new job.
Be sure that the candidate you are calling in for an interview is preparing for that interview by thoroughly researching your business and your person looking at your LinkedIn profile.
You are a Procurement, HR or Engineering professional sending out a RFQ? Most likely, somebody at the supplier or provider is checking your LinkedIn profile before sending an answer or when preparing him/herself for a pitch.
And, if you are looking for a new job opportunity for yourself, your LinkedIn-profile will be scrutinized by any internal or external recruiter before inviting you to any online or personal interview, and you better make sure there is no incongruence with the CV you have sent out.
No matter if you like it or not, social media and platforms like LinkedIn/Xing have replaced business cards in the daily business communication between people working for different companies.
For many organizations, their employees’ profiles on LinkedIn/Xing have become part of the corporate identity, and they request their staff to follow common rules when presenting themselves on these social networks. If employees do not follow these rules, they are exposing themselves and the company and may damage its public image.
Some may argue they did not join LinkedIn as employees, but as private persons and are therefore free to do with their profile what they wish.
Actually, this applies only to people in-between jobs, not to those who are representing an employer by mentioning their current employment on their profile. Even those searching for a new opportunity use their former employers name for personal branding.
Have you ever met a top-manager giving you his/her private business card?
If you read us till here, we suggest to check up your own LinkedIn profile and up-date it if needed.
@ Corporate HR:
Think about making the up-date of any individual LinkedIn profile part of the corporate on-boarding process.
Consider regular check-up’s during the whole life-cycle of an employee including his/her departure from the company?
Think about ways you can protect your organization from false records of employees who have not been employed with them in the indicated time range.
What are you recommending to bother individual users and organizations ?