Don't leave your network in the dark when you leave a job. Here are the dos and don'ts for announcing a career change on LinkedIn and other social networking sites. Earlier this month, news broke that Microsoft CIO Tony Scott had left the company. But it wasn’t Microsoft that made the announcement. It leaked first on LinkedIn. Scott updated his LinkedIn profile to list his employment dates as February 2008 to May 2013, and that update was visible—and broadcast—to everyone. Social media expert and author of “Social Media in Business” Steve Nicholls says that using social media to announce your departure is a necessary step, but also one that you need to approach carefully. Here are four tips for doing it the right way. DO finalize details with your company first. Nicholls says that as soon as you and your company have wrapped up the details of your departure, you can announce it to your networks over social media. “It’s very important to make sure all decisions, such as resignations or new employment, have been made official between you and the company before announcing anything at all on any social media platform,” Nicholls says. DON’T say too much. It’s not necessary to explain your reasons for leaving or the details of your new job, Nicholls says. “Giving too much information on such big decisions could lead to intricate situations,” Nicholls says. “It’s a matter of balancing what needs and needn’t be said.” [Want more LinkedIn tips, tricks and analysis? Check out CIO.com’s Guide to LinkedIn.]DO cover your bases. Nicholls says it’s important to make sure you update your professional information across all your social profiles: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and especially LinkedIn. “Update your social media accounts by adding your new job details, including the position that you now hold, the company name and your key responsibilities in your new organization,” Nicholls says. “Your account details online define who you are. Updating and changing them accordingly is important for your network to identify your new position and skills. DO connect with new colleagues. Connecting virtually with new colleagues is a good way to get to know your team—and let them get to know you—before you start, Nicholls says. “Connecting with future colleagues before actually starting to work with them can provide a virtual space to get to know your environment, familiarize with colleagues and perhaps even get introduced to some key issues within the company,” Nicholls says. “This can facilitate your entry to the new organization.” Kristin Burnham covers consumer technology, social networking and social business for CIO.com. Follow Kristin on Twitter @kmburnham. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Kristin at kburnham@cio.com Related content feature Key IT initiatives reshape the CIO agenda While cloud, cybersecurity, and analytics remain top of mind for IT leaders, a shift toward delivering business value is altering how CIOs approach key priorities, pushing transformative projects to the next phase. By Mary Pratt May 30, 2023 10 mins IT Strategy IT Leadership opinion Managing IT right starts with rightsizing IT for value While there are few universals when it comes to saying unambiguously what ‘managing IT right’ looks like, knowing how to navigate the limitless possibilities of IT is surely one. By Thornton May May 30, 2023 6 mins Digital Transformation IT Strategy IT Leadership brandpost Designing the campus of the future starts with high-quality 10Gbps connectivity By Huawei May 30, 2023 4 mins Network Architect Networking Devices Networking feature Red Hat embraces hybrid cloud for internal IT The maker of OpenShift has leveraged its own open container offering to migrate business-critical apps to AWS as part of a strategy to move beyond facilitating hybrid cloud for others and capitalize on the model for itself. By Paula Rooney May 29, 2023 5 mins CIO 100 Technology Industry Hybrid Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe