Subscriber Question: Should I delete my LinkedIn posts? (& a Free LinkedIn Guide)

This depends on a few things, and without knowing your goal, it's hard to give a direct answer. But here are some questions to consider:

Do your posts relate to your career goals?

If the answer is "no," I wouldn't say that you need to delete your posts. But you may want to revise your posting strategy. Deleting your posts could harm how the LI algorithm "scores." While LinkedIn isn't great about telling us their algorithm, it's plausible to me that deleting a post that has engagement could make the algorithm think you get less engagement than you do.

Do you have time to reread your posts?

I have been posting every day for the last 4 years. That's way too much for me to go back and review. So I'm not going to trouble myself. And if someone wants to hold a post I made three years ago against me, they're likely not a person I want to interact with anyway. Anyone with that much time on their hands and that level of focus likely isn't making good use of their time and won't make good use of mine.

Do you present yourself in the best light?

If you messed up and used LinkedIn to vent about an employer, that might be a post you want to take down. (I'm not saying that your perspective isn't valid, just that there's a reason we're told in interviews not to bad-mouth our former employers.)

If you vent about your job search ("I've applied for 300 jobs and no one wants me" kind of stuff), I'd recommend removing those too. Again, I get the frustration. But humans are wired to avoid disconnection, even subconsciously. Some people may read that kind of post and subconsciously think, "Don't interact with them. Then I'll be rejected too" or "Well, maybe those 300 people have a point." It's a crappy mentality to have, but it exists nonetheless. Better to vent to a friend (or heck, email me!) than potentially hinder your search.

It is okay to write about your struggles, but try to present them in a solution-oriented way. So "I applied for 300 roles and gotten rejections. Here's how I've changed things up each time and the results I've learned from those changes" is much better than "no one wants me."

Tangent - I've seen some people call out bad behavior (of individuals and companies) on LinkedIn. There's something to be said for holding people and organizations accountable. I don't think you necessarily need to delete these posts. But realize that having them means some people/org will self-filter, admittedly the right people self-filter themselves, but there was a time when I couldn't afford to allow people to self-filter out of my search. If anything, perhaps revising these posts to be as fact-based as possible would be good (if nothing else for legal reasons).

Have you shared anything that would be illegal to ask about in a job interview?

People have all kinds of biases. And hiring managers/recruiters can be flawed. With autistic unemployment at 80%, I sometimes find myself in these anxious moments where I consider whether being so open about myself will harm my future employment opportunities. On the one hand, I want to make this world safer for others. But on the other hand, my fam has got to eat. In the end, I comfort myself with the knowledge that I don't want to work for anyone who refuses to work on their ableism. So sharing about myself helps people self-filter. Consider carefully if you want to share your religion, disability status, marriage status, age, etc. My choice doesn't have to be your choice.

Did you copy and paste someone's work and present it as your own?

I hope not. But sometimes our insecurities get the best of us and we make poor choices. Might be best to delete plagiarized work if you can't edit the post to give proper credit.

Freebie Alert - LinkedIn Guide

I thought I'd share my freebie ebook, Everything's Linked(In). I remember how difficult it was for me to navigate this platform when I was first transitioning out of the classroom, so I created this to support my mentees.

Now I share it with anyone who signs up for my email newsletter.

24 pages with sections on:

• Powerful Profiles - checklist and resources to make your profile shine
• Intentional Networking - strategies to meaningfully connect with people
• Purposeful Posts - posting strategy creation and techniques
• Company Searching - checklist to find your dream companies and their employees
• Job Hunting - checklist to support your hunt, process to find job openings announcements, and how to avoid scams

Additional free resources in every section!

An essential tool for anyone navigating LinkedIn land! Mandy does a phenomenal job of explaining and bringing purpose to all she constructs. Great work here! Thank you for sharing! I think many will find the resource a huge help. - Lacy Prescott, 2023 mentee

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