12 WebsiteCompass How toModify Your LinkedIn Profile at Retirement When you retire, your goals change. So, it’s smart to make changes to your LinkedIn profile. TUTORIAL Modify Your LinkedIn Profile at Retirement LinkedIn allows you to create a story around your professional life. But after retirement, what exactly should that story be? For many people, retirement is a time to explore new interests that may or may not be related to the career they held. If you have a LinkedIn profile, updating it rather than deleting it can help keep you on people’s radar or help you consider other opportunities. 1. Edit your headline. You may think adding the word “retired” to the current position listed on your LinkedIn profile headline is the obvious edit, but experts insist that this is a mistake. “Retired” suggests you’re completely done with the working world. Instead, use the word “former.” Or create a generic title for yourself. For example, instead of beginning your headline with “Vice President of Marketing at XYZ Corporation,” use “Experienced Marketing Executive” or “Self-employed Consultant.”You can use the rest of the headline to explain how you want to be of service going forward or that you’re open to considering all options. 2. Edit your LinkedIn summary profile. This is the place to define yourself in your own words as you enter the retirement phase. You can put career choices into context, highlight your top achievements, and display your interests and personality. If you want to pursue opportunities such as part-time work or volunteer gigs, clearly express those goals. For example, you could say, “If you need someone with these skills, let’s talk.” If you have no idea what’s next for you in retirement, you say that, too! The LinkedIn community may be able to help you figure that out. 3. Make sure you post a recent photo. While you may show a few more wrinkles than when your last professional photo was taken, that’s OK. Have a new photo taken that communicates energy and warmth—and excitement for your retirement years. 4. Think carefully before you delete work experience and skills. Even if your retirement plans are totally unrelated to your career, deleting too much of your work experience and skills from LinkedIn could be a mistake. Those details help to paint the complete picture of who you are, what you’ve done, and what you can do. Maybe there’s a post-retirement opportunity out there that would be perfect for you, but you may never connect with it if your LinkedIn background doesn’t include all the relevant searchable data. Social Media Basics
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