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What is the appropriate amount of time to wait before updating professional sites (SO Careers, LinkedIn, etc.) regarding a new position, assuming that I have already made the switch?
The goal is to avoid any kind of disenchantment from my past and new employer.
I don't want my new employer to believe I am searching for a different position, which I am not. I don't want my previous employer to believe that I couldn't wait to leave, which isn't true.
The professional social media sites are a way for you to to stay in contact with the current and former coworkers. Because most people don't use it the same way they use the non-professional sites, most companies don't have a policy about posting your resume on the site.
Your previous company knows you left. They either fired you, laid you off, or you resigned. The new company knows you joined them. I have yet to see somebody bad mouth a former company via LinkedIn, most just update their current employer, change the date for the most recent company and move on.
I wouldn't use these sites to let your manager know you are leaving, but I don't see a problem with updating the information after the last day with the old company, or on the first day with your new company. Why would you want your employment history to be months out of date? If I knew you left one company but didn't update the info, I would assume you were no longer using the site.
If those sites have means to leave personal notes. You could write something along with the update like 'Had a greate time @ X, Now starting a new stage @ Y'.
I see similarities to updating your relationship status on social networks. There are people who update the status on the same day, others who wait some month and the third type that never updates these information.
If you want to keep the world informed, I would always tend to option 2. Wait till you are certain of the job/relationship and then share it with the world. Because not everybody needs to know, e g. if you quit a week after.
If you are comfortable with people knowing everything, and do not think about loosing your face, then you could even post it on the same day.
But make sure to write along some conciliating personal notes like mentioned above.
If your 'new' employer encourages social media, put something out as soon as you get settled. If they don't care, three to six months is reasonable. Figure out whether you intend to stick around, then tell people your situation.
I worked for a company at one point that prohibited any personal mention of the employer in social media, good or bad. I could see valid reasons for them to want that, and I've always respected it.
