When your career takes a major shift, it is tempting to create a second LinkedIn profile to reflect the change. Don’t do it!

Recently I started working with a client who changed companies. To distinguish herself from her former professional identity, she created a second LinkedIn profile. Her original profile was quite robust, with over 500 connections. By the time she sought my help, she had over 200 connections on her second profile.

What’s a person to do in this situation? Sadly, it is complicated.

 

Duplicate LinkedIn Profile – Use the LinkedIn Help Center

Want to know if you or someone you know has a second LinkedIn profile? Just type the name into the LinkedIn search box at the top of the screen. If you see two or more accounts, and they’re yours, you need to go to the LinkedIn Help Center. If they’re someone else’s, send them this post!

• Go to your Home page.

• Scroll down to the bottom of the right hand column and look for the word Help. Click on it.

• Now you are in the Help Center. Type in the words “duplicate account” into the search field, and click on Enter.

• From the options offered, select “Merging or Closing Duplicate Accounts on LinkedIn.” Or simply click on this link: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/1275?query=duplicate account

• Click on the scenario that applies to your situation and follow the directions carefully.

 

 

Merging Accounts with 10 or More Connections Each

This is one of the scenarios offered, and it requires assistance from LinkedIn to make it work.

• The good news is that when the “old” account merges into the “new” account, all your connections transfer.
• The “not so good news” is that your profile data, such as work experience, recommendations, and skills and endorsements don’t transfer.
• Neither do pending invitations to connect.
• Your membership in any groups you belonged to in the old account also doesn’t transfer. You will have to ask to rejoin the groups that are most relevant to you.
• Essentially, the only thing that transfers to the new account are the connections from the old account.

 

Steps to Take Prior to Merging Accounts with 10 or More Connections Each

• Accept all pending invites so they will be switched over to the new account as connections.
• Review all your recommendations. For those you want on your new account, copy the text of the recommendation and email it to the person who wrote it. Ask them to re-recommend you on the new account. If you haven’t already connected with them on the new account, do that prior to sending the email.
• Be sure to add the skills that have been endorsed in your old account to your new one. Doing so makes it easy for your re-endorsers to endorse you again in the new account. As with recommendations, you will need to be connected to the endorsers in your new account.
• Copy your summary and all the other information in your experience section into a Word document. Be sure to edit this information before pasting it into your new account in the proper places.
• Take a screen shot of the rest of your profile, including your headline. Paste that screen shot into a Word document. Now you can choose to add the relevant sections into your new account.

What About You?

Have you dealt with having two or more accounts on LinkedIn? What was your experience in merging these accounts? What tips do you have for someone in this situation?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 45 and up, become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. She provides social media tutoring and training to business owners, business development professionals, authors, speakers, coaches, business consultants, job seekers, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.