Edition #19 - Profile Experience

Pros and Cons of Including Past Work Experience ?

Welcome to the LinkedIn Booster newsletter, your go-to source for best practices to improve your effectiveness on LinkedIn When coaching people through MissionBoost Makeover profile optimizations, one question repeatedly arises:

Why should I include past work experience that falls outside my current industry or role? Seems irrelevant! ??

I more often than not will strongly recommend including prior experience with a few caveats.

Advantages of Including Diverse Work Experience ??

1. Demonstrating Versatility Including a varied work history can showcase your adaptability and diverse skill set. This is particularly valuable in today's rapidly evolving job market, where employers often seek candidates with multifaceted backgrounds.

2. Highlighting Transferable Skills Even if your past roles seem unrelated, they may have equipped you with valuable transferable skills. This is especially true for recent grads who may not have had any experience in the entry-level role they are seeking in their target industry. As covered in a recent New Grad Guide, a former service role in a waiter position could demonstrate customer service prowess, applicable across many industries.

3. Providing a Fuller Professional Picture A comprehensive work history can offer potential employers or connections a more holistic view of your professional journey. This can be especially beneficial if your career path has been non-linear or if you're pivoting industries.

Be Strategic ??

1. Utilize the Summary Section Use your profile summary to contextualize your diverse background. Explain how your varied experiences have shaped your unique professional perspective and value proposition. Optimize your About summary with keywords. ?? Read more here

2. Emphasize Relevant Achievements When including past roles, highlight specific achievements or projects that demonstrate skills applicable to your current industry or desired position. Edit each role to add value-added skills. ???

3. Curate Your Experience Section Be selective about which past experiences you include. Focus on roles that have clear relevance to your current career path or showcase important skills.

Disadvantages to Consider ??

1. Potential for Confusion Including unrelated past experiences might confuse viewers about your current career focus or expertise. Including too many past positions might overshadow your more relevant, recent experiences. In a long prestigious career, early entry level jobs are likely no longer relevant.

2. Risk of Appearing Unfocused A profile filled with diverse, unrelated experiences might give the impression that you lack direction or commitment to your current field. This could be a concern for potential employers looking for dedicated specialists.

3. Potential for Unintended Disclosure Including past roles in religious organizations or ideologically-driven institutions can inadvertently disclose personal information about your beliefs, values, or affiliations. This information, while potentially meaningful to your personal journey, may not always be relevant or beneficial in a professional context.

The Elephant in the Room ??

I recently had a client ask me:

Do you advise me to include a role coordinating a building development project for a Jewish community organization? Some of the experience I gained and the logistics skills I utilized are relevant to my current role. But I am not sure it would be wise to include it given some of my customers' backgrounds.

How should one handle the sensitivity of religious or ideological affiliations disclosed by listing certain past roles?

Unfortunately, despite anti-discrimination laws, unconscious biases can still influence professional interactions. Revealing religious or ideological affiliations might expose you to potential prejudices, especially in multicultural or multinational environments where diverse beliefs coexist. In roles that require broad appeal and neutrality, disclosing specific religious or ideological backgrounds might create unnecessary barriers. Some clients or colleagues may make assumptions about your views or ability to relate to diverse perspectives. While diversity is often celebrated, many professionals prefer to maintain boundaries by keeping certain aspects of their personal lives separate from their professional personas.

Frankly, I did not feel comfortable making this personal decision for my client, a Global Sales Director for a multinational corporation. Instead, I presented her with the pros and cons. As an independent consultant, not beholden to or seen as representing the views of a larger organization, I have more latitude. I am 100% comfortable engaging on LinkedIn on a wide range of topics and expressing my views (which I am not shy about ??).

The goal of your LinkedIn profile is to present your professional qualifications and experiences in the most effective way possible. Carefully consider how each element of your profile contributes to your professional narrative and aligns with your career objectives. ??

Check out other recent LinkedIn Booster articles on optimizing your profile, including How to Create a Killer Profile - Updated.

Let me know if there are specific topics you want to learn about. And feel free to DM me on LinkedIn or email me if you'd like more hands-on support in honing your presence and/or sharing content on LinkedIn.

?? Email: [email protected] Let's boost your mission together!

Randi

Randi Curhan

Founder

MissionBoost Consulting