Wondering if you need two LinkedIn Profiles because you have two jobs? A full-time gig and a side hustle? Ever wonder, “Should I have 2 LinkedIn Profiles”? Creating a second LinkedIn account may seem like a good idea when you have a side business or are looking to make a career change, but it’s not a strategic approach to building your personal brand on LinkedIn and here’s why!

LinkedIn’s User Agreement

Firstly, it is against LinkedIn’s User Agreement. According to the Service Eligibility section of the User Agreement, “you will only have one LinkedIn account, which must be in your real name “. This means that creating a second account is a violation of the terms of service and could result in your account being suspended or terminated.

If You Have 2 LinkedIn Accounts You Split Your Reach 

The purpose of having and using your LinkedIn account is to build your personal brand, networking with other professionals, and increase your visibility. By creating two LinkedIn accounts, you are splitting your network and connections, which can be detrimental to your job search efforts. You’ll also have to put in the time to build two LinkedIn profiles and maintain both accounts, which can be time-consuming and frustrating.

Clear Employment Target 

When job searching, having a clear employment target will enable you to be strategic and generate results quicker. Narrowing down your employment target based on the industry, employer, and role is essential. By focusing on one LinkedIn account, you can tailor your profile, connections, and messages to align with your job search goals.

Save Your Energy

Instead of creating 2 LinkedIn profiles, take the time to assess your career story and career achievements, and explore whether there are ways to merge your experience in both fields. Many people on LinkedIn have full-time roles and run businesses on the side. Look at other people’s profiles for inspiration. You can use your headline to showcase your multiple roles, for example, ” [Job Title] by Day, [Business Title] by Night” followed by your unique value proposition.

Creating a second LinkedIn account can be detrimental to personal branding efforts, so it’s best to focus on building and maintaining one LinkedIn account that aligns with your career goal.

For professionals building their personal brand on LinkedIn, watch our recent YouTube video, where Lissa shares how she grew her LinkedIn account from 400 to 35K followers in 18 months.