LinkedIn’s career flow extension allows you to showcase your skills, accomplishments, and work experiences directly on your LinkedIn profile. This extension goes beyond just listing your work history – it enables you to tell a rich, interactive story of your career journey.
Adding a career flow extension to your LinkedIn profile has many benefits:
- It makes your profile stand out and look more professional.
- It shows potential employers and connections how your career has progressed over time.
- The visual timeline format is more engaging than just a list of positions.
- You can include multimedia like photos, videos, presentations, etc.
- It demonstrates your skills and achievements in a dynamic way.
Overall, the career flow extension enables you to craft a compelling narrative of your work history and abilities. In this article, we’ll explore step-by-step how to add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Prerequisites
Before adding the career flow extension, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date with all of your work experiences, education, skills, etc. The extension will pull and display information from your profile, so having an optimized profile will ensure your career flow looks complete.
Here are some tips for updating your profile:
- Add all your work experiences – include titles, companies, dates, descriptions, and achievements.
- Flesh out the descriptions with keywords, numbers, accomplishments, etc.
- Include all your education with details on degrees, majors, dates attended.
- Add skills with supporting details on your expertise level.
- Upload multimedia like photos, videos, Slideshare presentations, etc.
- Get recommendations from managers and colleagues.
Spending time beefing up your LinkedIn profile is worthwhile. The richer your profile, the more impressive your career flow extension will look.
Enabling the Career Flow Extension
Once your profile is looking sharp, here are the steps to add the career flow extension:
1. Go to your LinkedIn profile page and click “View profile” to switch into edit mode.
2. Click the “+” icon in the top section and select “Create a featured section”.
3. In the dropdown menu, click on “Career flow”.
4. This will open up the career flow editor. The first step is enabling visibility. Click “Show to profile viewers” to display the extension on your public profile.
5. Next, select a template. LinkedIn provides different layouts depending on if you want a simple, vertical, lateral, or expanded view. Choose whichever you prefer.
6. Now it’s time to add positions. Click “Add position” and select each job you want displayed. The roles can be rearranged later.
7. For each position, fill in key achievements, skills gained, media attachments, etc. This information makes your career flow dynamic.
8. To rearrange roles, simply drag and drop them in the editor into your desired order. Get creative with the layout.
9. Finally, click “Save” to add the career flow extension to your profile.
It’s that simple! Now anyone who views your profile will see an engaging timeline summarizing your work experiences and accomplishments.
Maximizing the Impact
To make sure your career flow extension leaves a strong impression, keep these best practices in mind:
- Showcase 8-10 roles. Including too many makes it cluttered.
- Highlight 3-5 achievements or skills gained per position.
- Use concise bullet points – don’t write paragraphs.
- Attach relevant media like photos, awards, presentations, etc.
- Use the full width setting so it spans the profile.
- Ensure your title and company names are keyword optimized.
- Pick a layout that best fits your career’s progression.
Additionally, come back periodically to update your career flow extension. Just like your LinkedIn profile, it should be kept current and fresh.
Including Multimedia
One of the best aspects of the career flow extension is the ability to include multimedia like images, videos, Slideshare presentations, PDFs, and more.
Integrating visual elements makes your career flow engaging and interactive. Here are some types of media to consider:
- Photos: Profile pictures from each company, shots of you speaking at events, awards ceremonies, project screenshots, etc.
- Videos: Video greetings, demos of your work, interviews, event clips, animated explainers, etc.
- Presentations: Upload Slideshares to showcase projects you delivered.
- Infographics: Visualize data and statistics related to your achievements.
- PDFs: Reports, content you authored, project plans, etc.
When adding visuals:
- Ensure you have rights to use them and give proper attribution if needed.
- Pick relevant, high-quality media that supports your brand.
- Include concise captions explaining what’s shown.
- Aim for visual consistency across the timeline.
- Space out multimedia evenly vs. overloading one position.
Tasteful, appropriate multimedia will take your career flow extension to the next level. But use it selectively – nobody wants to scroll through tons of images to get your story.
Promoting Your Career Flow Section
You’ve put in the work to create an awesome career flow extension. Now it’s time to spread the word so people actually see it!
Here are some ways to gain more visibility of your new section:
- Share the profile editor link directly so connections view it.
- Give sneak peeks in relevant LinkedIn groups and on other social channels.
- Mention it when networking and reaching out to connections.
- Highlight it prominently on your customized LinkedIn URL.
- Run promotions and giveaways asking people to view your profile.
- Pay for some LinkedIn Sponsored Content ads targeting your audience.
- Analyze your LinkedIn analytics to see engagement metrics.
Promote your career flow strategically by sharing it where it will resonate most with your target audiences. And don’t be afraid to be a little boastful – you put in the effort, now make sure it gets seen!
Design Inspiration
Need some design inspiration for your career flow extension? Here are examples showing creative ways to showcase career histories:
The Skills Timeline
Focus mainly on highlighting the skills you gained at each company. Great for technical positions.
The Visual Timeline
Use photos, videos, charts, etc. to create an engaging visual story of your career.
The Corporate Ladder
Illustrate your upwards career progression across organizations.
The Infographic
Design your career path like an infographic resume with stats, charts, icons, and visuals.
The Roadmap
Show your career journey like a winding road with key milestones and achievements.
The Photo Album
Share a collage of photos from your career – team shots, award ceremonies, conferences, etc.
There are so many creative ways to visualize your background. Take inspiration from these templates but make your career flow uniquely you. Have fun with it and keep experimenting until you create something you love.
Do’s and Don’ts
To wrap up, here are some best practices to keep in mind:
Do:
- Keep your descriptions concise and impactful.
- Make strategic use of multimedia elements.
- Showcase your big wins and proudest moments.
- Customize the template and layout.
- Make updates to keep it current.
Don’t:
- Include every minor job and internship.
- Use generic or repetitive language.
- Write long dense paragraphs.
- Leave out important milestones.
- Use blurry or inappropriate multimedia.
Follow these tips and you’ll have an eye-catching career flow extension that wows visitors and strengthens your personal brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions about LinkedIn’s career flow extension:
How is the career flow different from the background section?
The background just lists positions, while the career flow allows you to tell the story with achievements, skills, visuals, and more.
Can I reorder positions in my career flow?
Yes, you can easily drag-and-drop positions to customize the sequence.
What’s the best way to showcase my early career jobs?
Focus on key skills gained and how they prepared you for future roles.
Is the career flow extension free?
Yes, it’s included with a standard LinkedIn account.
How far back should I go with my career flow timeline?
8-10 positions is ideal – going too far can dilute the impact.
Can I edit the career flow extension after publishing it?
Yes, you can update it at any time just like your full profile.
Should I still keep the background section?
Yes, the background provides a quick summary while the career flow tells the richer story.
Conclusion
Adding a career flow extension provides a dynamic way to showcase your professional journey on LinkedIn. By strategically highlighting achievements, skills gained, and multimedia, you can craft a compelling story that grabs attention.
Just be sure to keep your descriptions tight, choose visuals selectively, customize the design, and promote the section appropriately once it’s live. Follow these best practices and your career flow will become a centerpiece of your LinkedIn presence.
So take the time to do it right – a well-executed career flow extension can be a difference-maker as you network, job search, and advance your career. It shows you’re a thoughtful, strategic professional who knows how to effectively present your background and talents.
Pros of a Career Flow Extension | Cons of a Career Flow Extension |
---|---|
|
|