Quick Answer
To get LinkedIn to say you were promoted rather than started a new position, you need to update your work experience section to show the progression within the same company. When editing your position, choose “Promotion” instead of “New Position” when updating your title and duties. LinkedIn will then show you were promoted at that company, rather than jumping around between positions and companies.
Steps to Update LinkedIn for a Promotion
Here are the detailed steps to update your LinkedIn profile to properly show a promotion:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile and click “View profile” to open the editing view.
- In the Experience section, click the “Edit” pencil icon for the position you were promoted from.
- When the editing window opens, change your job title and description to match the promoted role.
- Importantly, next to the Position dropdown, choose “Promotion” rather than “New Position.”
- Fill out the rest of the details like normal, including your new job title, responsibilities, company name (should stay the same), location, employment dates, etc.
- Click “Save.”
LinkedIn will now show that promotion within the same company on your profile, rather than jumping between two separate positions and potentially companies.
Why Showing a Promotion is Better Than a New Position
Showing a progression of increasing responsibilities and promotions within the same company has several advantages compared to showing various disconnected job jumps:
- Demonstrates growth and advancement within an organization.
- Shows other skills gained and responsibilities earned to be promoted.
- Presents a logical career progression narrative that’s easy to follow.
- Avoids looking like you arbitrarily change jobs frequently.
- Reflects commitment and loyalty to an employer.
- Displays that your employer provided promotion opportunities.
In general, people like to see steady growth within a company before considering you for a new role elsewhere. Jumping between disconnected positions and companies can sometimes raise questions and concerns for recruiters or hiring managers. That’s why properly showing promotions at the same company is important.
How LinkedIn Displays Promotions vs Job Changes
Here is how LinkedIn displays promotions versus completely new positions when viewing your profile:
Promotion:
Marketing Analyst, XYZ Company
June 2020 – Present
Promoted from Marketing Associate
Marketing Associate, XYZ Company
January 2018 – June 2020
New Position:
Marketing Analyst, XYZ Company
June 2020 – Present
Marketing Associate, ABC Company
January 2018 – June 2020
As you can see, LinkedIn clearly annotates that you were promoted from the previous title. This provides helpful context compared to just listing two unrelated positions and companies.
How to Get Started Updating Your Profile
If you haven’t updated your LinkedIn to properly show a promotion, follow these steps to get started:
- Go to LinkedIn.com and log into your account.
- Click your profile picture and then View Profile.
- Scroll down to your Experience section.
- Click Edit on the position you were promoted from.
- Update all the details – title, description, etc. And choose Promotion instead of New Position.
- Click Save. Your promotion will now be displayed!
It only takes a few minutes to update your positions. Showcasing promotions rather than job changes provides a cleaner and clearer view of your career progression.
Important LinkedIn Profile Tips
Here are some other helpful tips for updating your LinkedIn profile:
- Include a professional profile photo of yourself.
- Write an informative headline like “Digital Marketing Manager.”
- Provide a detailed summary of your background and skills.
- List your key responsibilities and achievements under each position.
- Add licenses, certifications, volunteer work, and publications.
- Join relevant LinkedIn groups in your industry.
- Follow influential people and companies in your field.
- Collect recommendations and endorsements.
Optimizing your LinkedIn in this way provides a robust professional profile for recruiters and colleagues to view.
Reasons to Show Promotions on Resumes Too
In addition to updating LinkedIn, be sure to also list promotions clearly on your resume. Similar to LinkedIn, a resume should tell a story of progression through increasing responsibilities.
List each position on your resume like this:
Marketing Analyst, XYZ Company, June 2020 – Present
– Promoted from Marketing Associate
– Task 1, Task 2, etc.
Marketing Associate, XYZ Company, January 2018 – June 2020
– Task 1, Task 2, etc.
Showing the progression from one job title to the next provides helpful context that you earned a promotion. This gives your resume a logical flow as well.
How Co-Workers and Bosses Can Endorse You
To further showcase promotions on LinkedIn, consider having colleagues and managers endorse you for the new skills gained. Their endorsements tied to your new position effectively validate that you were promoted.
Here are ways managers and co-workers can endorse you on LinkedIn:
- You can request colleagues endorse your top skills. This is found under your profile picture.
- When colleagues endorse you, it shows under your position.
- Ask your boss and team members to write recommendations about your promotion.
- Thank every person who endorses you by endorsing them back.
Endorsements help prove you earned increased responsibilities. Therefore, promote and share your own promotions wisely using LinkedIn’s features.
Advertising Promotions to Your Network
LinkedIn provides several options to proudly announce promotions to your networks:
- Share the promotion as a new position update to broadcast the news.
- Write a post sharing the good news and thanking those who helped you achieve it.
- Join new LinkedIn groups related to the promotion to keep learning.
- Update your headline to showcase the new role – “Promoted to Senior Marketing Manager.”
Message your connections asking to meet for coffee to catch up on your new promotion.
Promotions are exciting milestones to advertise on social media. So leverage LinkedIn to properly inform your network about your professional growth.
Conclusion
Showcasing promotions you earn can advance your career both online and off. Following LinkedIn’s best practices makes it easy to highlight your increasing job responsibilities.
To display you’ve been promoted, simply update your work experience, choose “Promotion” rather than “New position”, and provide the details. With a promotion properly listed, your profile tells a logical story that you’re progressing within an organization.
Beyond LinkedIn, be sure to also clearly indicate promotions on your resume and other networks. Promotions demonstrate sought-after traits like responsibility, leadership, achievement, and commitment. So take the time to accurately represent your professional growth in all the right places.