Can you put CEO as title in your LinkedIn while working full time?
I am working full time as a Software Developer and I am making my startup go live this September 2013. My question is that, should I/Not put CEO/Founder Title in my LinkedIn profile while working full time in current company?
Moving on, I would like to tract some investors down the road (possibly end of this year) so having a professional LinkedIn account with CEO/Founder will make more sense :\?
I dont know I am confused, hope anyone can shed their advice on this.
Getting Started Linkedin Titles
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No you shouldn't, unless you don't mind causing an issue with your current full time employer about conflict of interest, non-compete, etc which could potentially lead to being let go. – Ekoostik Martin 11 years ago
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So technically, be in stealth mode as long as things are running fine. When I will receive some funding, then I can quit and put the title back in. – Rg 3 11 years ago
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Yes. VC/Angels should not be determining whether or not to invest based on the existance of a CEO/Founder title in your LinkedIn, you should be more worried about your business plan, protoypes, elevator pitch etc. – Ekoostik Martin 11 years ago
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With that said, do of course make sure that your LinkedIn profile is clean, up-to-date, accurate (matches your resume) and professional looking. – Ekoostik Martin 11 years ago
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I got it. Thank you for your comments! – Rg 3 11 years ago
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I am currently thinking the same. But i would suggest that instead of writing CEO go for the word **Founder/Co-founder of XYZ**. Its not that only CEO grabs eyeballs. Frankly this will be non controversial but still equally valid. – Masterbinoy 11 years ago
2 Answers
Be accurate and honest with your LinkedIn profile. Employers don't own you after hours and, barring any non-compete issues, can't stop you from pursuing other ventures or sources of income. That said, you don't want to give the appearance that you're looking to leave them anytime soon either. In fact, though some employers could see it as threatening, many will see outside work/initiative as a very positive thing. They see you're passionate about the work you do and are keeping your skills sharpened outside of regular business hours. While in a corporate setting I've had direct reports who did that and it became a reason for me to make sure their pay/benefits were top-notch - so they didn't leave for another opportunity. From my perspective, if they were going to leave for another venture I couldn't stop them anyway so I'd maximize their expertise before they left. But I was much more interested in retaining great talent like that!
So list your side business on LinkedIn and definitely go with "Founder" over "CEO". CEO can sound like you're trying to be bigger than you really are and that can be a turn-off. Founder is accurate, lets potential investors know you're in charge of the venture and won't raise your current employers eyebrows as much as you being the "CEO of a start-up". Best of luck!
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Thank you for a wonderful insight. I am working in a traditional financial work environment, where I am just a number now and have no challenges. That being said, I dont know how my manager (who wants to get rid of me from the team) will react to it? Personally, I dont like the work environment at all right now, but I cannot leave this company and work full time to marketing my own company if I dont make the break even point. Hope it makes sense :) – Rg 3 11 years ago
Everything you publish on line can be found by anyone - you should always be careful about information you release to the world.
If your manager doesn't know about your side business then linkedin (or facebook, twitter, etc.) is probably not the best way fro him/her to find out.
On the other hand, if you are looking for investors then your linkedin profile (and every other on-line presence you may have) should show you are the founder of your business and you should make sure there isn't anywhere that say you are employed elsewhere.
