Barack Obama hasn't updated his LinkedIn page and now we're even more depressed
Even Barack Obama can't handle the truth.
I'd been waiting for the LinkedIn notification, "News about Barack Obama," or "Congratulate Barack Obama on his new position." But there's been nothing.
Then I checked the former President's LinkedIn page, one he created in 2007, while he was just an Illinois senator running for president. Barack Obama hasn't updated it. He's still listed as "The President of the United States of America."
Reading his LinkedIn profile is like stepping into a socio-political time-machine, where everything is as it was pre-Jan. 20, 2017 when Donald J. Trump took the oath of office and became our 45th president.
Obama's photo is a image of the former president with a hint of the "Obama - Biden" campaign logo overlaid near the bottom.
His experience still has "President" at the top and lists his tenure from January 2009 to ... wait for it ... present.
Then there's the killer sentence:
"I am serving as the 44th President of the United States of America."
We love you, Barack, but you, sir, are no longer serving.
I get that Obama is currently unemployed. He is listed on his Obama Foundation website, but it's not clear if this is a paying position.
I messaged Obama through LinkedIn to touch base and found an email address for Caleb Gardner, Obama's former digital director for organizing for action. Unfortunately, the email address is dead.
It's possible Obama simply forgot about his LinkedIn profile. He hasn't posted an article there since Jan. 22, 2013, the day of his second inauguration. And a cursory check of his "Posts" and "All activity" reveal a somber, "Barack's been quiet lately: Check back for any new updates."
Of course, we know that isn't entirely true. Obama has been kitesurfing, donning his cap backwards and sending adorable Valentine's Day cards. He's been the ultimate cool dad, untethered from the daily pressures of a full-time job.
Yet, Barack Obama is only 55. He's got a lot of productive years ahead of him and I'm sure Michelle Obama is wondering when her husband is going to get a new full-time job. They do have two college-aged daughters to support, after all. Updating your LinkedIn page and résumé is the first step, Mr. President, on the road to getting a new job.
I'm sure that notification about your new position is just weeks away!
Topics LinkedIn Barack Obama
Lance Ulanoff was Chief Correspondent and Editor-at-Large of Mashable. Lance acted as a senior member of the editing team, with a focus on defining internal and curated opinion content. He also helped develop staff-wide alternative story-telling skills and implementation of social media tools during live events. Prior to joining Mashable in September 2011 Lance Ulanoff served as Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for the Ziff Davis, Inc. While there, he guided the brand to a 100% digital existence and oversaw content strategy for all of Ziff Davis’ Web sites. His long-running column on PCMag.com earned him a Bronze award from the ASBPE. Winmag.com, HomePC.com and PCMag.com were all been honored under Lance’s guidance.He makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Fox News, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Kelly and Michael, CNBC, CNN and the BBC.He has also offered commentary on National Public Radio and been interviewed by newspapers and radio stations around the country. Lance has been an invited guest speaker at numerous technology conferences including SXSW, Think Mobile, CEA Line Shows, Digital Life, RoboBusiness, RoboNexus, Business Foresight and Digital Media Wire’s Games and Mobile Forum.
