Should Voice Actors Have Two LinkedIn Profiles?
- Tom Dheere
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Don't hide your past. It’s your biggest asset.
I get asked this question almost every week...
"Tom, should I make a separate LinkedIn profile for my voice over business? I don't want to confuse people with my background in accounting/nursing/IT."
I understand the impulse. You want to be seen purely as an artist. You want a fresh start.
But from a business perspective? Absolutely not.
Unless you have a very specific legal reason (which we will get to in a moment), creating a second LinkedIn profile is a massive strategic error. It dilutes your brand, doubles your administrative workload, and robs you of your unique selling proposition.
Who You Were Is Who You Are
In the voice over world, we talk a lot about "finding your niche." Your previous career is your niche.
Every job you have done before you stepped behind the microphone is an asset. It is a collection of skills, knowledge, and vocabulary that makes you a more valuable voice actor.
If you spent 10 years as a nurse, you are a medical narration specialist. You know how to pronounce "myocardial infarction" without stumbling. You understand the context of patient care. A casting director for a hospital explainer video will hire you over a generic voice talent in a heartbeat if they know you have that background. Get it? Heartbeat?
Worked in HR? You are the perfect voice for corporate training and e-learning.
Worked in construction? You are the authentic voice for industrial On The Job (OJT) modules.
The Opportunity of a Fresh Start
When you create a new LinkedIn profile, you start with zero connections. You have zero social proof. You are an unknown entity.
However, your existing profile likely has hundreds of connections from your past jobs as well as schools you attended. Those former colleagues, bosses, clients, and alumni? They are your first potential leads.
Don't ghost your existing network. Leverage it.
The Only Exceptions (The "Risk Management" Clause)
There are three scenarios where a separate profile (or hiding your VO work) may be necessary:
Contractual Prohibition:Â Your current employer has an explicit policy forbidding moonlighting or outside employment.
Conflict of Interest:Â Your day job is in a highly sensitive field (like intelligence, journalism, or high-level politics) where a public media presence creates a conflict.
The "Stealth Mode" Strategy:Â You simply aren't ready for your current boss to know you are building an exit strategy, and you fear retaliation or termination.
If you fall into one of these categories, you have to prioritize putting food on the table.
Embrace the "And"
You can be an accountant ANDÂ a voice actor. You can be a Teacher ANDÂ an eLearning Narrator.
Clients love subject matter experts. When you combine your voice skills with your life experience, you stop being a commodity and start being a specialist.
Update that headline. Rewrite that About section. Let your history be part of your story on LinkedIn.
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As the VO Strategist, Tom Dheere has provided voice over business & marketing coaching since 2011.
He's also a voice actor with over 30 years of experience who has narrated just about every type of voice over you can think of.
When not voicing or talking about voicing, Tom produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.