Why you need to include your full name on your LinkedIn Profile

Privacy is an illusion. If recent events haven’t proven that, then a simple Google search for your name would.

Yet more importantly, any attempt to be anonymous on LinkedIn undermines the entire reason for having a profile there.

Ask yourself, what do I want to accomplish from using LinkedIn?

If your answer is somewhere in the vicinity of, “I’d like a better job” or “To have a professional online resume”, then clearly leaving out your full name doesn’t help you achieve your goals.

So what’s your hesitation? Maybe it’s fear of identity theft. Or some cultural faux-pax against being to public, or not being private enough.

Whatever your reason, know that you have an irrational belief that’s getting in the way of your success. So resolve to deal with it, and just put your real and full name in your LinkedIn profile.

Nothing bad will happen. I promise!