How do I manage multiple companies on LinkedIn?

With LinkedIn being the world’s largest professional network, it’s common for professionals to be associated with multiple companies over the course of their careers. Whether you’re a consultant working with multiple clients, an entrepreneur with several businesses, or simply progressing through different roles and organizations, LinkedIn makes it possible to represent your diverse professional affiliations on your profile. However, properly managing and optimizing multiple company profiles requires some strategy.

Should you list every company you’ve worked for on LinkedIn?

Listing every company you’ve ever worked for on your LinkedIn profile isn’t always necessary or strategic. Here are some quick tips on determining which companies to include:

• Focus on highlighting the companies most relevant to your current career path and goals.
• Prioritize listings for well-known companies – these lend credibility.
• You don’t need to list very short-term positions (e.g. internships) unless highly relevant.
• Exclude companies where you want to keep your affiliation private.

In summary, be selective and strategic when listing companies on your LinkedIn profile. Less can sometimes be more when it comes to presenting your professional affiliations.

How many companies should you have on your LinkedIn profile?

As a guideline, 3-5 current and past company affiliations on your profile is ideal for most professionals. Here are some best practices on company quantity:

• Have at least your current position and 2-3 previous roles listed.
• Limit it to 5-6 companies max unless you have a long career history.
• Too many affiliations can dilute your personal brand or seem distracting.
• Recent grads should list relevant internships and affiliations but don’t need an exhaustive company list.

The key is keeping your profile focused around the experiences most important for conveying your personal brand and career narrative. Less is often more when it comes to company listings.

Should you organize companies on your LinkedIn chronologically or by importance?

Either approach can work, depending on your goals and situation:

• A reverse chronological order (most recent first) clearly conveys your career progression over time.
• Listing by importance highlights your most relevant or impressive affiliations upfront.
• Consider a hybrid approach, where your current and most important 1-2 roles are listed first, followed by other affiliations in chronological order.

Prioritizing the listings by importance rather than just chronology helps tell your professional story, but a reverse chronological sequence has logical appeal. Evaluate both options to determine the best fit.

Should you list multiple concurrent positions or companies?

If you currently have multiple active roles or affiliations, LinkedIn offers two options:

• You can list multiple positions within the same company.
• You can list concurrent positions at different companies.

Either approach works, but be sure your profile conveys clearly that the roles were concurrent and not sequential. Listing current, overlapping affiliations demonstrates an ability to manage multiple responsibilities.

How much detail should you provide about each company?

Be concise yet descriptive when summarizing each company affiliation:

• Provide a brief 1-2 sentence company description.
• Summarize your position, responsibilities, and achievements in 2-4 lines.
• Quantify results and accomplishments whenever possible.
• Use keywords relevant to your industry and specialty.
• Don’t overload with minor responsibilities or tasks.

Finding the right balance of detail allows you to paint a vivid portrait of each role without overwhelming readers.

Should you include logos for the companies you list?

Displaying a company’s logo can add legitimacy and visual appeal. However, there are a few guidelines around usage:

• Only use logos for companies you have authorization to represent.
• Logos should be high resolution and current.
• Don’t let logos distract from profile personalization.
• Too many logos can seem cluttered.

In moderation, company logos can strategically complement your profile, but avoid letting them dominate your personal brand presence.

Can you rearrange the order of companies on your profile?

LinkedIn allows you to manually override the default chronological order and rearrange company listings as desired. To do so:

1. Go to your profile and click “Edit” on the “Experience” section.
2. Click “Reorder” to drag and drop companies into your preferred sequence.
3. Remember to click “Save” to apply changes.

Take advantage of this flexibility to list companies in the order that best suits your brand and career narrative.

Should you delete some companies from your profile?

If you have previous company affiliations that are no longer beneficial to showcase on your profile, LinkedIn allows you to easily remove them. Reasons you may want to delete a company include:

• The company or role is no longer relevant to your career path.
• You have limited space and want to focus on more important affiliations.
• You have left the company under negative circumstances.
• The company name has changed substantially since your tenure.

However, tread carefully before deleting – once removed, some profile associations can be difficult to recover.

Can you minimize company details on your profile?

If you want to downplay a particular company affiliation without fully deleting it, LinkedIn provides options:

• You can exclude your position title and simply list the company name.
• You can generalize your role as “Employee” rather than a specific title.
• List the duration of employment without further details.

This allows you to retain an association without emphasizing the specifics. Use judiciously for affiliations you want to deemphasize.

Should you list unpaid or volunteer work?

Volunteer work, community involvement, and pro bono work demonstrate additional skills, social impact, and well-rounded interests for your brand.

• Consider listing leadership roles for causes you care about.
• Be sure to clearly label “volunteer” or “unpaid” positions.
• Describe your contributions and accomplishments just as for paid roles.
• Nonprofit and skills-based volunteering are great additions.

The key is framing unpaid roles in terms of the transferable skills and expertise they enabled you to develop and demonstrate.

What should you do if a company you worked for no longer exists?

If a previous employer has gone out of business, substantially changed its name, or been acquired, you have a few options:

• List the original name of the company along with a note that they no longer operate.
• Name the parent company or acquirer that absorbed your previous firm.
• Simply state the company name as “now defunct” or “acquired”.

The goal is providing enough context so your experience and affiliation are still clear and can be validated. Be transparent about changes.

Can you list a company even if you weren’t formally employed there?

It’s fine to list affiliations beyond strict employer-employee relationships:

• Include contracted consulting and project work.
• Listing an accelerator looks good for startups.
• Co-founders of a business can jointly claim affiliation.
• But avoid claiming experience and access you didn’t actually have.

The key is accurately representing the nature of your affiliation and not misrepresenting your actual role.

What are best practices for displaying company names and details?

Follow these best practices when displaying company information:

• Use the complete official name – don’t abbreviate or shorten.
• Include applicable department or team names if they add context.
• Note corporate HQ location if you worked remotely or in a branch office.
• If changed, state the company name as it was during your time there.
• Always check current trademark usage and branding guidelines if possible.

Providing complete, accurate details helps convey the full context of your experience and affiliations.

Should you let connections know when you change companies?

Major job changes are important milestones to share with your network:

• Post an update announcing your new position and affiliation.
• Personally reach out and inform key connections.
• Thank colleagues from your previous role.
• Share what you’re excited to work on next.
• Promptly update your profile and experience section.

Proactively communicating significant career moves helps strengthen relationships and your personal brand.

How can you get the most value from past company affiliations?

Don’t underutilize your previous company associations. Maximize their value by:

• Keeping in touch with colleagues, clients, and team members from past roles.
• Listing select affiliations on your profile indefinitely as relevant experience.
• Recommending and endorsing connections tied to your previous companies.
• Contributing as a guest author to your old company’s publication or blog.

Staying engaged with past companies in your network can provide enduring benefits.

Conclusion

Strategically presenting your diverse company affiliations allows LinkedIn to comprehensively reflect your professional brand and history. Judiciously curate the organizations you showcase to put your best foot forward while authentically capturing the breadth of your experience. Keep your profile focused, current and accurate by periodically reevaluating how your company associations should be showcased as your career progresses.

Key Takeaways

• Be selective – only showcase current and relevant past companies.
• Highlight 3-6 positions max that convey your personal brand.
• Prioritize listings by importance, not just chronology.
• Concisely summarize role details with metrics.
• Use logos and multimedia judiciously.
• Customize display settings to emphasize or downplay roles.
• Describe unpaid and volunteer work strategically.
• Keep affiliations current as your career progresses.

Effectively presenting your professional affiliations on LinkedIn allows you to craft a compelling career narrative that reinforces your personal brand and achievements. Curate your company associations strategically to convey your most impactful qualifications and tell your professional story.