Senior executives worldwide are increasingly finding themselves suddenly made redundant. Despite this being an increasing trend in recent years, a head-in-the-sand mentality seems to persist: it couldn’t happen to me.
We see a steady stream of these executives looking to find a way back into the workforce but who have until now paid LinkedIn™ only the most scant attention.
Their profiles are poor and inadequately showcase their many years of experience, knowledge or expertise.
When they unexpectedly find themselves in the job queue their years of profile neglect are thrust into the spotlight. They may be excellent forward planners for the organisations that now formerly employed them, but they are poor at futureproofing their own careers.
Many do not seem to know, for instance that when someone types your name into Google, your LinkedIn™ profile will be in the top three search results, if not the first. A poor profile conveys a disconnect with the times. And those times are increasingly being ruled over by younger generations who understand how the professional branding game is played.
Senior leaders who see themselves as ‘above’ social media or who do not feel the need for a professional online presence are denying what is blatantly staring them in the face – change. Those who do not embrace it will be next to wonder how they could have been so summarily ousted after all their years of service.
We live in a world governed by algorithms, from the news we see to the adverts that show up in apps on our phones. LinkedIn™ is no different and those unemployed execs with little or no presence on the platform or who have a profile that does not do them justice, have little chance of making a positive impact with potential new employers who are likely to be social media-savvy.
LinkedIn™ is not a platform on which to upload your CV and forget. It is not a platform where you can quickly create a quality profile and build a network that demonstrates the abilities or contacts you claim to have. It takes time.
It is no good saying you don’t want to put your head above the parapet and become visible online. The days when that false modesty worked as a strategy are long gone. It simply makes you look out of touch, unable to change and worse, that you have achieved nothing of note in your career.
Is that really how you want to be seen?