It was my birthday last week. I’ve always thought birthdays didn’t belong in LinkedIn profiles. As I’ve often argued, Facebook is one thing, but LinkedIn should be reserved for business use.
Well, I’ve recently had a change of heart. Not because I wanted attention on my birthday but because celebrating a birthday on LinkedIn has some great advantages!
In fact, LinkedIn algorithms are specifically designed to notify your network when it’s your birthday putting you top of mind.
LinkedIn’s Reach is Immense
LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional networking sites out there. The platform has over 700 million users and is an excellent resource for job seekers, recruiters, entrepreneurs, and businesses looking for clients.
A complete and optimized LinkedIn profile is crucial if you want to be noticed and make connections that matter. And if you’re anything like I was, one aspect of your profile that you might not have considered before is your birthday.
Many people choose not to include their birthdays on LinkedIn. However, there are actually some pretty good reasons why you should at least consider it. In this blog post, we’ll explore several of the benefits of including your birthdate on your LinkedIn profile.
What Are the 9 Advantages of Including Your Birthday in Your LinkedIn Profile?
1. It gets you in front of your followers (at least once a year).
On the day of your birthday, LinkedIn users who follow you will be notified and will see your name at the top of their feed. Having your birthday in your LinkedIn profile will temporarily put your profile top of mind for existing followers, increasing the chance of them reaching out to connect. This is a great way to remind people where you work and what you’ve been up to, leading to more engagement with your posts and content.
2. Followers’ reactions get you in front of THEIR followers.
When one of your followers reacts or comments on your LinkedIn birthday notification, it has the potential to be seen by all of THEIR followers. That means that your profile can reach a far wider audience than just your own contacts and followers. It’s a great way to get more exposure and further build your professional network.
3. It’s an easy way to connect with others.
Everyone likes to connect with someone who shares something in common with them. If you list your birthday on your LinkedIn profile, it’s easy for people to find and connect with you. You may have shared interests or connections with someone searching for people with the same birthday. It’s a small detail, but it can make a big difference.
4. Networking is all about personal touches.
Nurturing relationships in the professional world is all about making personal connections. By including your birthday on your profile, you show you’re open to getting to know people and connecting with them on a deeper level. This can help potential clients or employers develop trust in you as a professional, making you more memorable to them.
5. It can be a conversation starter.
LinkedIn is all about building professional relationships. When you connect with someone on LinkedIn, you want to start a meaningful conversation that can lead to potential job opportunities or business deals.
By listing your birthday on your profile, you open up the opportunity for others to reach out to you and congratulate you on your special day by just responding to the notification in their feed. This can be a great conversation starter and help you build a relationship with someone who could become a valuable connection.
A quick “We should grab coffee soon!” has been the start of many great business partnerships.
6. Showcase your personality!
Listing your birthday on your profile is a good way to remind your connections that you’re open and approachable. It also gives people insight into who you are, which can help make them more comfortable connecting with you. Seeing your smiling face pop up in their notifications on your birthday can also be a fun way to make an impression and keep the conversation going.
7. It personalizes your profile.
Your LinkedIn profile contains a lot of information about your professional background and experience, but it can sometimes feel sterile and impersonal. By including your birthday on your profile, you are humanizing yourself and adding a personal touch to your page. This can help others see you as a more approachable and relatable professional.
8. It can help you show off your accomplishments.
Including your birthday in your LinkedIn Profile can be an opportunity to showcase your recent accomplishments or milestones. People will often click on your birthday profile to remember what you do. For example; just prior to your birthday you could mention a big project at work that you just completed or a certification you just received. This is a great way to remind your connections of your skills and accomplishments and keep you on their radar for future collaborations. People like to stay up to date on things happening in the lives of their connections.
TMI?
It’s important to remember that you should always be careful about what information you share online. You don’t have to include your birthday if it makes you uncomfortable, but in most cases, it is a harmless detail that can be beneficial for building relationships and getting noticed.
You also don’t have to worry about revealing your age, as LinkedIn does not require you to list your birth year – the month and day are all you need in order to show up in notifications.
Do you worry about sharing too much personal information on your LinkedIn profile? No problem; A few days after your birthday has passed, simply remove your birthday. Just remember to add it back to your profile next year in the days leading up to your birthday.
Dreaded Weekend Birthdays
Weekend birthdays are great! You get two days of celebration and usually more time off to enjoy it. Unfortunately, when your birthday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, your birthday notifications may go unnoticed until your connections return to work on Monday. By that time, newer notifications will have likely replaced yours so they will need to scroll down to see it.
Still, it’s worth including your birthday in your profile, as many of your connections may still see the notification over the weekend and check out your profile while enjoying their Sunday morning cup of coffee.
Make Your Birthday Count! Or not. It’s Totally Up To You.
Listing your birthday on your LinkedIn profile may seem like a small detail, but it can greatly impact your networking efforts. By including this information, you can make it easier for others to connect with you, filter out job opportunities that are not a good match, build more personal relationships, and showcase your accomplishments. While it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether or not to include your big day, these benefits are certainly worth considering when optimizing your LinkedIn profile.
FAQs
Q: Should I include my birthday on my LinkedIn profile?
A: Including your birthday on your LinkedIn profile can help you gain more visibility and engagement. On your birthday, your followers will be notified, putting your profile at the top of their feeds. This can lead to increased interactions, reminding your network about your professional activities and achievements.
Q: How does including my birthday expand my reach on LinkedIn?
A: When your followers react or comment on your birthday notification, their actions can be seen by their own followers. This amplifies your profile’s exposure beyond your immediate connections, helping you expand your professional network and make more meaningful connections.
Q: Is listing my birthday an effective way to connect with others?
A: Absolutely. Sharing your birthday on your LinkedIn profile provides a common point of interest that makes it easier for others to connect with you. People with similar birthdays might be more inclined to reach out, leading to conversations and networking opportunities you might not have otherwise.
Q: How does adding my birthday contribute to personalized networking?
A: Networking involves building personal connections. By displaying your birthday, you signal that you’re open to forming deeper relationships. This can enhance trust among potential clients or employers, making you more memorable and trustworthy in a professional context.
Q: Can listing my birthday help initiate conversations?
A: Certainly. LinkedIn is all about fostering professional relationships. Having your birthday visible gives others a reason to initiate conversations by congratulating you, which can lead to meaningful discussions and potential collaborations. A simple birthday wish can be the start of valuable partnerships.
Q: Does displaying my birthday help showcase my personality?
A: Yes, it does. Your birthday on your LinkedIn profile humanizes your image, making you more approachable and relatable. Seeing your profile pop up on their special day can create a positive impression and encourage ongoing interactions.
Q: How does including my birthday add a personal touch to my profile?
A: LinkedIn profiles can sometimes feel impersonal. By sharing your birthday, you inject a personal element into your professional profile, making it more engaging and relatable. It shows the person behind the achievements, making connections more meaningful.
Q: Is sharing my birthday too much personal information for LinkedIn?
A: While it’s understandable to have concerns about privacy, sharing your birthday on LinkedIn is generally harmless. You don’t need to reveal your birth year; just the month and day are sufficient. Plus, you can always remove your birthday a few days after the celebration if you’re uncomfortable, then add it back next year.
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