LinkedIn is adding new tools to help people with their side hustles
LinkedIn is adding profile, networking and creator tools in response to more users holding multiple roles and pursuing projects alongside their main jobs. The changes aim to help people present those activities, connect with people they know and earn money through the platform.
Users will be able to highlight multiple jobs, and LinkedIn is testing a feed limited to existing connections and followed accounts. It is also introducing a digital business card and paid one-to-one “Advice Sessions”, initially for US Business Premium subscribers, with no cut of earnings. LinkedIn says the number of users listing “founder” on their profiles rose 70 per cent over the past year; its product chief said more people are starting businesses, though the reasons are unclear.
- LinkedIn is adding tools for people with multiple roles and side projects.
- A connections-only feed and digital business card are also coming.
- “Advice Sessions” will initially be available to US Business Premium users.
New here? Start with this
LinkedIn is a professional networking site where people share work experience, find contacts and promote their skills. A side hustle is a business, freelance job or other project someone pursues alongside their main work; some people also hold several jobs or roles at once.
The changes are aimed at helping users show these activities on their profiles, keep in touch with existing contacts and offer paid advice through the site. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, and its tools are used by both job seekers and people looking to build professional networks or businesses.
The shift matters because profiles and connections can shape how people find work, clients and collaborators. LinkedIn says more users are listing themselves as founders, although it has not established why that number is rising.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The tools could help people show the full range of their work, find collaborators through trusted connections and earn from their expertise. Making side projects easier to present and develop may support entrepreneurship and give workers more ways to pursue opportunities beyond a single job.
The case against
Adding more ways to promote work and sell advice could make LinkedIn feel more commercial and encourage users to treat professional networking as constant self-promotion. The tools may also offer limited help to people whose side projects are constrained by time, money or job conditions, while the reported rise in “founder” profiles does not by itself show that more people are successfully starting businesses.