How to Add a Position to Your LinkedIn Profile

By Joel Elad from LinkedIn For Dummies, 2nd Edition

One of the most important aspects of your LinkedIn profile is the list of positions you’ve held over the years, including your current job. Keeping your employment information up to date is especially important if you’re using LinkedIn to find a new or different career or to reconnect with past colleagues.

Hiring managers want to see your complete history to know what skills you can offer, and past colleagues can’t find you as easily through LinkedIn if the job they knew you from isn’t on your profile. Therefore, it’s critical to make sure you have all the positions posted on your profile with the correct information.

Use your resume when completing this section because most resumes have all or most of the information required.

To add a position to your LinkedIn profile, follow these steps:

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Go to LinkedIn and log in. Click the Profile link in the top navigation bar.

This step takes you to the Profile page. Scroll down your profile until you see the Experience header.

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Click the Add a Position link to the right of the Experience header.

You’re taken to the Add Position page.

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In the text boxes provided, enter the information about your position, including company, title, time period, and job description.

When you type in your company name, LinkedIn checks that name against its Company Profiles list of thousands of companies from its records, and you see suggested company names while you type. If you see your company name in that list, click the name, and LinkedIn automatically fills in all the company detail information for you.

When you’re defining the company where you held your position, LinkedIn either finds a match among its Company Pages or asks you for more information about your company (so it can better connect you with any colleagues or business partners. After entering the company name, enter your title, the time period when you worked there, and a description of your position.

Click the Save Changes button.

This adds the newly entered position into your profile, and you’re taken back to your Profile page.

Repeat this process for any additional position you want to enter.

To edit a position you already listed, simply click the Edit link next to that record in the Experience section instead of clicking the Add a Position link.

The Experience section isn’t just for paid full-time employment. You can add position information for any contract work, nonprofit assignments, or other valid work experience that added to your skill set. If you’ve written a book, maintain a blog, or have a regular magazine column, you might want to list that as a separate position.