job search notes: Too many LinkedIn profiles?

To expand upon a comment I left for Neal Schaffer at Windmill Networking about merging multiple LinkedIn accounts I have the following:

If you don't have or know the password, Neal's confirmation of working through LinkedIn support is the way to go.

If you do know the password, or think you can figure it out, then these steps should work for you.


How many profiles do you have?
Search LinkedIn for your name and location to see if you have just one, or more than one.

The gentleman I worked with had three profiles. Each had been set up with a different email address but he felt he knew the password and in fact was able to access each profile.

We sized up the three profiles and determined which one to keep.
How? Which one had the most contacts, the most recommendations, was the most complete?

Once you know that one, choose the account profile with the least info.

1. Access the account
2. Export the contacts on that profile
3. Copy out any recommendation information there
4. Copy out any other info you would want to keep
5. Delete the account by going to Account Settings
6. Use the duplicate profile as the reason for deleting the account

When you are done, re-do the inquiry on your name and location. You should see only two profiles now. One you want to keep and one you want to remove.

1. Access the account you want to remove
2. Export the contacts on that profile
3. Copy out any recommendation information there
4. Copy out any other info you would want to keep
5. Delete the account by going to Account Settings
6. Use the duplicate profile as the reason for deleting the account

When you are done, re-do the inquiry on your name and location. You should see only one profile now.

Now using the exported contacts, craft an email to send to let them know what you just did to simplify your profile on LinkedIn. Let them know that you will be re-inviting them to connect on LinkedIn.

Go in to your good profile (should be the only one left in LinkedIn now) and re-invite each of the contacts that they removed from your "old and now deleted" profiles.

If you did have any recommendations on the old profiles, send a separate and personal email to each of those who left you a recommendation. You can include the copy of the recommendation that you made before your deleted the profile. This will save them time remembering what they said about you once upon a time. We did this for the gentleman who had the three accounts and he was able to get the recommendations added back to his good profile.

With only one profile, you can nurture your network and be sure that people will find the right you!