How to Add a Promotion on LinkedIn (Step by Step)

You got promoted. Congratulations. Now you want LinkedIn to show it correctly: new title, same company, tenure stacked neatly under one employer, and (if you choose) a clean announcement to your network. Here is exactly how to do it on both desktop and mobile, plus how to avoid the one mistake that splits your history into two companies.

First: add a new position, do not just edit the old one

There are two ways to record a promotion, and the choice matters for how your profile reads.

  • Method A: add a new position at the same company (recommended). This keeps your old title on record and stacks the new one above it under a single company logo. Recruiters see "promoted from within," and LinkedIn shows your combined tenure at that employer.
  • Method B: edit your existing position. This simply overwrites the title. Use it only for a correction or a minor title tweak (for example, "Engineer" to "Software Engineer"), not for a real promotion, because it erases the fact that you were promoted.

For an actual promotion, use Method A. Method B is covered below for the cases where it is the right tool.

Method A: add a new position (desktop)

  1. Click the Me icon at the top of LinkedIn, then View Profile.
  2. In the Experience section, click the + (plus) icon, then choose Add position.
  3. Enter your new Title.
  4. In the Company field, start typing your employer and select the existing company from the dropdown. Do not type the full name and skip past the suggestions, this is the step that prevents a duplicate company.
  5. Set the Start date to the month your promotion took effect.
  6. Leave End date blank and tick I am currently working in this role.
  7. Find the Notify network toggle (labeled something like "Notify network" or "Share with network"). Turn it off if you do not want this broadcast, or leave it on to announce the promotion.
  8. Click Save.

Because the company matches exactly, LinkedIn will group the new title with your previous one under the same logo and show your total time at the company.

Method A: add a new position (mobile app)

  1. Tap your profile photo in the top-left, then tap View Profile.
  2. Scroll to Experience and tap the + (plus) icon, then Add position.
  3. Fill in Title, then tap Company and pick the existing employer from the suggestions list.
  4. Set your Start date and tick I am currently working in this role.
  5. On the same screen, find the Notify network toggle and set it to off or on as you prefer.
  6. Tap Save in the top-right.

Method B: edit your existing position

Use this only for corrections or tiny title changes, not a genuine promotion.

  1. Go to your profile and the Experience section.
  2. Click (or tap) the pencil/edit icon next to the role you want to change.
  3. Update the Title (and dates if needed).
  4. Set the Notify network toggle off or on.
  5. Save.

The downside is plain: the previous title is gone. If you ever want to show progression within the company, you would have to add the old role back manually.

How to control whether your network gets notified

LinkedIn can broadcast profile changes to your connections, which is the last thing you want if you are job hunting quietly or your current employer follows you. There are two layers of control:

  • The per-edit toggle. On the add/edit-position screen there is a Notify network (sometimes "Share with network") switch. Turn it off before you save.
  • The global setting. Go to Settings & Privacy > Visibility > Visibility of your LinkedIn activity > Share profile updates with your network and switch it off. With this off, LinkedIn will not push your edits to the feed at all.

A safe routine: switch off the global setting first, then make your edits, then switch it back on later only if you decide to announce things. Here is the path to keep handy:

Settings & Privacy
  > Visibility
    > Visibility of your LinkedIn activity
      > Share profile updates with your network  -> Off

Whether (and how) to announce the promotion as a post

Updating your title and posting about it are two separate things. The profile edit changes the facts on your page; a post is an optional announcement to the feed. You can do one, both, or neither.

If you want to announce it, a short standalone post outperforms a noisy auto-update. Keep it human: name the role, thank the people who helped, say what you are excited about. A simple template:

Excited to share that I have stepped into a new role as [New Title] at [Company].

Grateful to [manager/team] for the trust and support along the way. Looking forward to [one specific thing about the new role].

Post it as its own update rather than relying on LinkedIn's auto-generated "started a new position" card if you want control over the wording.

How a promotion affects your tenure display

When two roles sit under the exact same employer, LinkedIn collapses them into one company block: the company logo appears once, your titles stack newest-on-top, and a combined duration ("3 yrs 4 mos") shows above them. This is the clean, recruiter-friendly look you want, and it is the whole reason to add a new position rather than edit the old one.

The common mistake: a duplicate company entry

The single most frequent error is ending up with the same employer listed twice, which splits your tenure and looks sloppy. It happens when:

  • You type the company name by hand instead of selecting it from the dropdown, so LinkedIn never links it to the real company page.
  • The spelling or punctuation differs even slightly between roles ("Acme Inc" vs "Acme, Inc.").

The fix: edit the new role, clear the company field, start typing, and pick the official company from the suggestions (the one with the logo). Once both roles point to the same company entity, LinkedIn merges them and your continuous tenure reappears.

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Frequently Asked Questions.

Should I add a new position or edit my existing one for a promotion?
Add a new position at the same company. When the employer name matches your current role exactly, LinkedIn stacks both titles under one company logo and shows your continuous tenure there. Editing your existing role just overwrites the old title, which erases the record that you were promoted from within.
How do I stop LinkedIn from notifying my network about the change?
Before you save, open Settings & Privacy > Visibility > Visibility of your LinkedIn activity > Share profile updates with your network and turn it off. On the mobile app there is also a "Notify network" toggle on the add-position screen itself. Turn it off if you are job hunting quietly or do not want the update broadcast.
Will my total time at the company still show correctly after a promotion?
Yes, if both roles are filed under the identical company name. LinkedIn groups same-employer positions and displays a combined tenure (for example, "3 yrs 4 mos") above the stacked titles. The trick is an exact employer match, including selecting the same company from the dropdown so the logo links to the real company page.
Why did my promotion create a duplicate company on my profile?
This happens when you type the employer name manually instead of selecting the existing company from the dropdown, or when the spelling differs even slightly ("Acme Inc" vs "Acme, Inc."). LinkedIn then treats it as a separate employer and splits your tenure. Fix it by editing the new role and re-selecting the company from the suggestions list.
Do I have to announce my promotion as a post?
No. The profile update and a celebratory post are completely separate. You can update your title silently with notifications off, and never post a word. If you do want to announce it, write a short standalone post or use the prompt LinkedIn offers after you save, but that is optional and entirely up to you.

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