A client, Harvey Topitz of RI Risk Management Services asked me a great question:
“We have decided to make a concerted marketing effort to make people aware of an existing division that we have been successful with and are now looking to grow. I realized I need people who seek me out, to be able to see that on my LinkedIn page. Do I need to launch a new profile or can I be schizophrenic and have both profiles together? Retail insurance brokerage and consulting can be considered a conflict of interest but are not, the way I run them.”
Here is my answer:
There is no need to create a new profile – that would add confusion and dilute the SEO value of your social presence (you do NOT want to confuse Google – we don’t want them unsure of who you are or what you do!). You can have more than one service or area of expertise on a LinkedIn Profile, here is how to do it:
In the summary, explain, just like that sentence you sent – “Retail insurance brokerage and consulting can be considered a conflict of interest but are not the way I run them.”
And go on to explain the two roles, how you do them, who you help and what makes you unique (fortunately, you already kind of address that in the first part!)
Then, in the work experience section you can list both as your ‘CURRENT’ positions by indicating dates that include ‘work here currently’.
Also be sure to include SKILLS that relate to each role, in your skills section.
Note that LinkedIn WILL notify your community (those you are linked to) when you add a NEW CURRENT POSITION – this is their way of HELPING you get the word out. If you do NOT want this type of notification to go out, you can change your ‘settings’ to turn off notifications until after you make the change, then turn them back on. Click here for a blog post with a step by step tutorial on adjusting your settings in LinkedIn.
