The largest hurdle that I face when using LinkedIn is the disconnect between my personal style and the wonderfully curated posts that drive engagement with thousands of comments and reshares. I felt this disconnect so strongly that I was motivated to speak on this topic at GIS-Pro in October 2025 and now write a follow-up article on the YPN Blog!
My name is Sara Thompson and I am a GIS Manager in the public sector. In this blog post, I will cover why GIS Professionals should consider using LinkedIn if they don’t have one or don’t use it.
As people who work in a technology centered industry, we are more likely to be reserved, private people who don’t enjoy the spotlight. This is the antithesis of our worst perception of LinkedIn: boastful, loud, attention seeking. However, using LinkedIn can look the way you want it to. If you have no interest in connecting with the masses, then keep your connections small. If you have no interest in writing novellas about your latest Model Builder, then keep your posts short and sweet!
I use LinkedIn often but I see it as a tool to accomplish my goals, not something that I need to mold myself into in order to fit in with the influencers. Posting to the public does take some courage but it gets easier with practice, and GIS Professionals shouldn’t miss out on the good side of LinkedIn just because they feel that same disconnect.
Let’s jump into what I see as the three most important benefits of LinkedIn!
Maintain a Real Network
One of the most common career tips is to build up your network and LinkedIn provides the most robust way to do that. However it’s important to stay focused on what an ideal network provides: support, job recommendations, and mentorship.
We are in the era of two kinds of networks. The first is a group of people that you have made an in-person or virtual connection with that you can call your “Real Network”. In your Real Network are people like your boss, your coworkers, people who you talked with at a conference, or met during a university course. In short, a Real Network consists of people who know you in some capacity! They can vouch for your personality, and most importantly your geospatial skills and background.
Conversely, there is the group of people you have Connected with on LinkedIn or any other social media platform that can be called your “Digital Network”. In your Digital Network, there can be people you have never spoken to, never met, and they have no frame of reference for your geospatial skills.
For a more rewarding experience on LinkedIn, your Digital Network should be very similar to your Real Network to ensure that your activity is reaching people who can react to your activity in meaningful ways and reach you with meaningful opportunities.
Someone in your Real Network reads your LinkedIn post about needing a new job, and is able to send you a job posting for a GIS technician in your state, because they know these facts about you. Someone in your Digital Network sees that same post, and reacts with a heart emoji. See the difference? A digital connection can be the beginning of a real connection but it should not be the end of it. (Which would take a whole separate blog post to cover!)
Build a Living Portfolio
LinkedIn is a great tool to compliment and expand the traditional GIS portfolio. In a traditional GIS portfolio, you have a website with sections for your technical skills, education, and experience. In the technical skills section, you can highlight a few projects and depending on the structure of the website you may be able to include a write up of the project.
Here are some resources to get you starting in creating your portfolio:
On LinkedIn, you can go even further. You can create (nearly) infinite posts that showcase each of those categories, and document progress towards goals. For example, you could provide monthly updates to a personal project where you are mapping endangered species using new cartography skills. You can post about minor awards and recognition you receive at work or school that might not fit into your resume or portfolio, and tag people who supported you. The possibilities are endless!
An issue that a few people have reached out to me about is feeling unsure about what they are allowed to share from their work on LinkedIn. The simplest answer is to talk with your leadership to see what rules they have around publicly sharing work products. It can also be helpful to identify if any of your work is published publicly by your employer. Since it is already approved for public consumption, it is more likely that you would be able to post it to your LinkedIn as well.
Don’t let yourself feel limited if your GIS work is too private to share. This is where open data and passion projects can shine. You could rework a private Experience Builder into a mock-up version that leverages open data, or you could finally tackle the GIS coding project you’ve been setting to the side!
LinkedIn for Skill Building & Professional Development
LinkedIn offers courses within their site that might be available to you through your employer. While you may first think of their courses related to management or soft skills, they have plenty of intro-GIS courses as well as Python, Cybersecurity, database management courses and more. If your employer doesn’t offer it, consider LinkedIn Premium or check with your local library to see if they provide access. While these courses are too “small” to include on a resume or GIS portfolio, you can post about your LinkedIn Course completions to your feed to show that you are interested in continuous learning.
Example of adding a course completion to a GIS portfolio.
Wrap Up
While LinkedIn may have its annoying quirks, there are still benefits to be had by the average GIS Professional. If we focus on approaching the platform with authenticity to ourselves, we can reap the benefits of staying connected with our Real Networks and build an impressive Living Portfolio.
Comment your thoughts on how you use LinkedIn to elevate your professional accomplishments or network! Not sure how to get started on LinkedIn? Connect with me on LinkedIn to continue the conversation https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-thompson-adot/
