What to Do with Your LinkedIn Profile the Day You Quit (And What to Wait On)

The day I gave my two weeks' notice, I opened LinkedIn and stared at my profile for twenty minutes. Should I update my headline to say I'm looking for opportunities? Should I change my current job to "former" immediately? Should I post an announcement?

I didn't know what was appropriate. So I did nothing—and then worried I was missing out on opportunities because recruiters didn't know I was available.

Here's what I wish someone had told me: LinkedIn moves you've made matter more after you quit than they did when you had a job. Update the wrong thing too early, and you look presumptuous. Wait too long, and you're invisible to recruiters when you most need to be found.

The strategy isn't complicated, but the timing is everything. Let me walk you through exactly what to do and when.

Day 1: The Day You Give Notice (Don't Touch LinkedIn Yet)

You've just told your manager you're leaving. Your heart is pounding. You feel lighter. And your first instinct might be to update your LinkedIn profile.

Don't.

You still have two weeks left. Updating LinkedIn while you're still employed—especially on the same day you gave notice—looks premature and can create awkwardness.

What Your Coworkers Will See

LinkedIn notifies your connections about profile changes. If you update your headline to "Open to Opportunities" or change your job title while you're still sitting at your desk, your coworkers will see it in their feed.

Instead, during your notice period:

• Leave your profile exactly as is
• Don't announce you're leaving
• Don't change your current job title or dates
• Don't add "Open to Work" badge or update your headline

The exception: you can quietly connect with people you want to stay in touch with. Add coworkers, clients, or industry contacts with a simple note like "Great working with you—let's stay connected." This is normal professional networking and doesn't signal anything about leaving.

Weeks 1-2: During Your Notice Period (Prepare Quietly)

You're not updating your profile yet, but you should be preparing. Use your notice period to set yourself up for success after you leave.

Update Your Contact Information (Privately)

Go to your LinkedIn settings and make sure your contact info is current:

• Personal email address (not your work email—you're about to lose access)
• Personal phone number
• Remove or update your work address if it's listed

These changes don't show up in your network's feed, so you can update them anytime.

Download Your Current Profile

Before you make any changes, save a copy of your current profile. This gives you a reference point and makes it easier to update your resume later.

Go to Settings → Data Privacy → Get a copy of your data → Request archive

Start Drafting Your Updates

Don't publish anything yet, but write drafts of:

• Your new headline (more on this below)
• An updated summary/about section
• A description of your current role that you can move to "past experience"

Having these ready means you can update quickly once you've left instead of scrambling.

Connect with Recruiters (If You Want To)

If you're going to be job hunting, start building your recruiter network during your notice period. This won't raise flags—people connect with recruiters all the time for various reasons.

Search for recruiters in your industry and send connection requests with a note like: "I'm interested in staying informed about opportunities in [your field]. Would love to connect."

Don't say you're leaving or looking—just establish the connection. You'll reach out more directly after you've left.

Your Last Day: What to Update (And in What Order)

It's your last day. You've cleaned out your desk, returned your laptop, said your goodbyes. Now you can finally update LinkedIn.

But there's a strategy to this. Update things in the right order to control what your network sees.

Step 1: Turn Off "Share Profile Edits" Temporarily

Before you change anything, turn off notifications so your edits don't blast out to your entire network one by one.

Go to Settings → Visibility → Share profile updates with your network → Toggle OFF

This gives you breathing room to make multiple updates without spamming people's feeds.

Step 2: Update Your Current Role to Past Tense

Move your current job from "Present" to a specific end date (your last day).

Update the description to past tense if you wrote it in present tense. Example:

Keep it factual. Don't editorialize or add commentary about why you left.

Step 3: Update Your Headline (This Matters Most)

Your headline is the single most important line on your LinkedIn profile. It's what recruiters see in search results. It's what appears under your name everywhere on the platform.

The default LinkedIn headline is just your job title. Now that you don't have one, you need something better.

Step 4: Update Your "About" Section

Your About section is where you tell your story. Now that you're between jobs, this is your pitch.

Don't write it like a cover letter. Write it like you're explaining your career to someone at a networking event.

Step 5: Add "Open to Work" (If You Want It)

LinkedIn has a feature that lets you signal you're open to opportunities. It adds a green ring around your profile photo that says "#OpenToWork."

Should you use it? It depends.

Pro tip: You can set your job preferences to be visible only to recruiters (not your whole network). Go to Open to Work settings and select "Recruiters only" instead of "All LinkedIn members."

This way recruiters can see you're looking in their recruiter dashboard, but the green badge doesn't appear on your profile photo publicly.

Step 6: Turn Notifications Back On

Once you've made all your updates, turn "Share profile updates" back on.

Your network will see one consolidated update instead of ten separate notifications.

Should You Post an Announcement? (The Pros and Cons)

After updating your profile, you might consider posting an announcement that you've left your job. This is optional and depends on your goals.

The Case for Posting

A departure post can be valuable if:

• You want to let your network know you're available
• You're hoping connections will share opportunities
• You want to control the narrative before people hear through gossip
• You had a positive experience and want to thank your team publicly

The Case Against Posting

You might skip the announcement if:

• You left on bad terms and don't want to draw attention to it
• You already have a new job lined up and don't need help
• You're taking a break and aren't ready for people to send you opportunities
• You prefer a low-key transition

There's no right or wrong here. I've done both—posted announcements when I wanted visibility, and quietly updated my profile when I didn't. Both worked fine.

What NOT to Say in Your Post

Ongoing Maintenance: Staying Visible While Unemployed

Updating your profile once isn't enough. If you're job hunting, you need to stay active on LinkedIn so you remain visible to recruiters.

Post Once or Twice a Week

LinkedIn's algorithm favors active users. If you post regularly, you show up in more searches and feeds.

You don't need to write essays. Short, thoughtful posts work:

• Share an article relevant to your industry with your take
• Comment on a trend you're seeing
• Ask a question to spark discussion
• Share something you're learning or working on

Engage with Other People's Content

Commenting on other people's posts is easier than creating your own and keeps you visible.

Spend 10-15 minutes a few times a week scrolling your feed and leaving thoughtful comments on posts from people in your industry. This puts your name in front of their networks.

Respond to Messages Quickly

When recruiters or connections reach out, respond within 24 hours even if it's just "Thanks for reaching out, let me get back to you tomorrow."

LinkedIn tracks response rates and response times. If you're slow to respond, the algorithm deprioritizes you in recruiter searches.

Update Your Skills and Endorsements

Add any new skills you've picked up. Reorder your top skills to put the most relevant ones first (you can drag and drop).

Ask former coworkers or managers to endorse you for specific skills. This adds social proof and makes your profile more credible to recruiters.

What If You're Not Job Hunting? (Career Breaks and Sabbaticals)

Not everyone who quits is immediately looking for another job. Maybe you're taking a career break, traveling, going back to school, or starting a business.

Your LinkedIn strategy should reflect this.

How to Frame a Career Break

Don't leave a gap on your LinkedIn timeline—it looks like you forgot to update your profile. Instead, add an entry for what you're doing.

The key is: don't apologize for taking a break. Frame it as intentional, not something that happened to you.

Staying Connected Without Job Hunting

Even if you're not looking for work right now, keep your LinkedIn somewhat active. You never know when an opportunity might come through your network.

A few times a month:

• Accept connection requests from people in your industry
• Like or comment on posts from former coworkers
• Share updates about what you're learning or working on (if comfortable)

This keeps you on people's radar without signaling that you're actively job hunting.

Common LinkedIn Mistakes After Quitting (And How to Avoid Them)

Mistake 1: Disappearing Completely

Some people quit and completely abandon LinkedIn. Their profile still lists them as employed at their old job months later. Recruiters see this and assume the profile is outdated.

Fix: Update your profile within a week of leaving. Even a minimal update is better than nothing.

Mistake 2: Being Too Vague

Headlines like "Seeking New Opportunities" or "Open to Anything" don't help recruiters find you. They're too generic.

Fix: Be specific about your role, skills, and what you're looking for. "Product Manager | Ex-Amazon | Open to roles in B2B SaaS" is infinitely better.

Mistake 3: Oversharing About Why You Left

Nobody needs to know that you left because your manager was terrible or the company culture was toxic. Even if it's true, putting it on LinkedIn makes you look unprofessional.

Fix: Keep your updates neutral and forward-looking. Focus on what you're doing next, not what drove you away.

Mistake 4: Not Customizing Your LinkedIn URL

Your default LinkedIn URL is something like linkedin.com/in/john-smith-8a3b2c1. It's ugly and unmemorable.

Fix: Change it to linkedin.com/in/yourname (or some variation if your name is common). Go to Settings → Edit public profile URL.

This makes your profile easier to share and looks more professional on resumes.

Mistake 5: Ignoring Your Profile Picture

If your profile picture is from 2015 or you're not smiling or it's a group photo where you cropped everyone else out, update it.

Fix: Use a recent, professional-looking headshot where you're smiling and the background isn't distracting. You don't need a $500 professional shoot—a well-lit photo against a plain wall works fine.

Quick Reference: LinkedIn Update Timeline

Final Thoughts: Your LinkedIn Is Your Professional Storefront

When you're employed, LinkedIn is something you check occasionally and mostly ignore. When you're between jobs, it becomes one of your most important tools.

Recruiters are searching LinkedIn constantly. Your next opportunity might come from a connection seeing your profile and thinking "Oh, they'd be perfect for this role we're hiring for."

But that only happens if your profile is:

• Updated to reflect your current status
• Optimized with the right keywords
• Actively maintained so you stay visible

The updates I outlined above take maybe an hour total. That's a small investment for something that could directly lead to your next job.

Don't overthink it. Update your profile, stay active, and let your network know you're available. The rest will follow.