I’m kicking off a three-part series today about three frequent LinkedIn practices that hurt (more than help) people’s marketing quotient.

Let me start with the most visible one: Ex-brands!

Some profiles use the headline to highlight famous companies they’ve worked for in the past (such as ex-Google, ex-Uber, ex-Tesla, etc.). 

Often the justification is that it’s helpful for headhunters looking to vet profiles quickly.

However, I feel this is a big missed opportunity for two reasons:

1. The headline is the avenue for us to connect uniquely and personally – not plot our career progression across a corporate skyline.
2. There are clear fields and provisions (viewable very close to the headline itself) for people to see our prior work experiences.

Most people don’t know how to hit an intro message for a home run in 120 characters. 

Therein lies your biggest opportunity!