Having multiple work experiences to showcase on your LinkedIn profile can be a great way to highlight your diverse background and skills. However, with the limited space on the LinkedIn profile, it can be tricky to fit in all your work history while keeping your profile organized. So how do you properly combine two work experiences on LinkedIn?
Should You Combine Work Experiences on LinkedIn?
The first question to ask yourself is – should you combine work experiences on your LinkedIn profile at all? Here are some things to consider:
- Do the two roles overlap? Were you doing similar work or using similar skills?
- Were you at the same company? It often makes sense to combine same-company experiences under one position.
- Are you tailoring for a specific goal? Sometimes combining makes sense to highlight specific skills or responsibilities.
- Do you want to showcase progression? Keeping them separate shows your career growth and promotions.
If the two roles were quite distinct or at different companies, it often makes sense to keep them as separate positions. However, if there is overlap, combining them can sometimes be the cleaner approach.
How to Combine Work Experiences on LinkedIn
If you do decide to combine two work experiences into one LinkedIn position, here are some tips:
1. Adjust the Position Title
Come up with a blended title that accurately reflects the two roles. This might involve:
- Listing both titles, e.g. Marketing Manager / Senior Marketing Manager
- Choosing the more senior title
- Creating a new overarching title, e.g. Marketing Lead
2. Combine the Time Periods
Adjust the start and end dates to cover the total time period you spent in the two positions. Make sure not to have any gaps between when one role ended and the next began.
3. Blend the Descriptions
Bring together the descriptions into one overview that captures the responsibilities and achievements from both roles. Focus on showcasing the skills and experiences that are most relevant.
4. Consolidate Key Details
Look at areas like skills, endorsements, recommendations etc. and bring together the highlights. Remove any obsolete or redundant info.
Examples of Combined Work Experiences
To make this clearer, here are a couple examples of how you can accurately combine previous roles into one position:
Same Company, Promoted Role
Original Positions: |
Marketing Associate, XYZ Company Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 |
Senior Marketing Associate, XYZ Company Jan 2018 – Present |
Combined Position: |
Marketing Associate / Senior Marketing Associate, XYZ Company Jan 2015 – Present |
Similar Roles, Different Companies
Original Positions: |
Social Media Manager, 123 Designs Jan 2017 – Mar 2019 |
Social Media and Content Manager, ABC Media Apr 2019 – Dec 2020 |
Combined Position: |
Social Media Manager, 123 Designs, ABC Media Jan 2017 – Dec 2020 |
Tips for Combining LinkedIn Work Experiences
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when consolidating positions on LinkedIn:
- Don’t overload one position with too many disjointed roles – split them if needed.
- Be clear about company/title if switching between two.
- Focus on skills and responsibilities that are most relevant.
- Make sure the timelines are accurate without gaps.
- Get rid of repetitive or outdated info from old positions.
- Use the summery section for additional details if needed.
Should You Keep Work Experiences Separate?
In many cases, it can make more sense to keep work experiences separate on your profile rather than combining. Here are some scenarios where separating is better:
- You want to showcase career advancement and promotions.
- The roles had very different skills and responsibilities.
- Each position includes important milestones you want to highlight.
- You are tailoring for specific roles by emphasizing certain positions.
Keeping experiences separate gives you more space to expand on each position. Just be mindful of organizing the section clearly and cutting any irrelevant content.
Examples of Separate Work Experiences
Here are two examples of how separating out work history can better showcase your background:
Showcasing Promotions
Original Positions: |
Marketing Analyst, XYZ Company Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 |
Senior Marketing Analyst, XYZ Company Feb 2019 – Present |
Keeping these roles separate clearly shows the progression from Marketing Analyst to Senior Marketing Analyst.
Highlighting Distinct Roles
Original Positions: |
Business Analyst, 123 Tech Jun 2015 – Dec 2018 |
Product Marketing Manager, XYZ Company Jan 2019 – Present |
These two very different roles are best kept separate to showcase both your business analysis and marketing skills.
Should You Customize for Each Application?
When applying for jobs, it can make sense to customize how you present your LinkedIn work experiences:
- For very relevant roles, separate out positions to expand on details.
- For peripheral experience, combine under an umbrella position.
- Rearrange order to highlight most relevant positions.
- Add/remove positions that aren’t important for that application.
Essentially, adapt your LinkedIn work section for each application to showcase the experiences most pertinent to that role. Just be sure to update it back to your main professional profile afterwards.
Key Takeaways
Combining LinkedIn work experiences well takes forethought and organization. Keep these tips in mind:
- Only combine roles that significantly overlap or are related.
- Consolidate details like titles, timelines, and descriptions.
- Focus on showcasing the most relevant skills and achievements.
- Separating roles better highlights progression and distinct responsibilities.
- Customize which positions you highlight for each application.
With a thoughtful approach, you can optimize your LinkedIn profile to present your work history in the best possible light.