How to Add Resume to LinkedIn [+ Cautions to Consider] | Teal
Using LinkedIn during your job search is a smart move. One thing you may be wondering is how to add your resume to LinkedIn. But first you might want to ask: should you put your resume on your LinkedIn profile in the first place? Will it help you land a job, or is it overkill?
If you’re new to LinkedIn or refreshing your profile and wondering how to upload your resume to your Linkedin profile, keep reading. In this article, we’ll share some tips for how to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile and resume—as well as how to include your work history in the most streamlined, functional way possible.
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Why You Should Leave Your Resume Off Your LinkedIn Profile
One way to add your resume to LinkedIn is to upload it in the “Featured” section of your LinkedIn profile. But, the nice thing about having a LinkedIn profile is that there’s really no need to upload a resume at all. That’s because a strong LinkedIn profile should already include the major details that a hiring manager or recruiter will want to see when doing a quick review of your credentials. Adding a resume as an uploaded document can be one step too many in trying to create a streamlined, straightforward profile.
Application Scenarios on LinkedIn
We’ll get into more reasons we suggest leaving your resume off your LinkedIn profile below. For now, let’s walk through three common scenarios you might encounter while job searching on LinkedIn, and how your resume document fits into each.
1. Recruiters getting in touch with you
There’s an option in your LinkedIn “job settings” to list yourself as “open to work.” This way, you can let recruiters know that you’re open to their incoming communications about roles you might be interested in. If recruiters see enough information in your LinkedIn profile to lead them to believe you’re a fit for a certain position, then that’s often your entry point to a conversation. You might be offered an interview or at least an informational phone call without even sending a resume. Most likely, you’ll send your resume once you land an interview.
2. You apply for a job within LinkedIn
Another common scenario is that you find a job that you want to apply for, and follow the application instructions through LinkedIn. With these jobs, you’ll see an “Easy Apply” button on the job description page, which lets you fill in your contact information and then upload your resume.
Here’s how a job description with an “Easy Apply” button might look:
3. You apply for a job through the employer’s webpage or a third-party platform
Another scenario is that you find a job you want to apply for, and there’s an “apply” button on the job page. However, these buttons usually link to the employer’s website or through a third-party site.
Here’s what that looks like:
And when you click that “Apply” button, you’re redirected to the employer’s own website.
In these scenarios, you won’t be doing yourself any favors but having your resume uploaded onto your LinkedIn profile page. In fact, we suggest you leave it off your profile completely and simply use LinkedIn’s profile prompts to build your profile in a way that showcases your work experience, education, achievements and “about” section.
4 Factors To Consider
1. Security
For one, your resume may have some personal information on it, such as your home address and phone number. It’s wise to limit the amount of personal information you post freely to the internet. Best to keep this information private until you’re having a direct conversation with a hiring manager.
2. Redundancy
For the most part, a lot of what’s included on your resume will already be listed on your LinkedIn profile. Adding another document for potential employers to search through will just look redundant. When it comes to your LinkedIn profile, you want it to look as streamlined and straightforward as possible.
3. Poor quality
Sometimes, uploading your resume to LinkedIn can result in a blurry-looking PDF. This can happen if the document isn’t high-resolution enough. Instead of dealing with this headache, we recommend avoiding the issue altogether and keeping your resume off your profile.
4. Lack of customization
When applying for jobs, you want to stand out as much as possible from the large volume of other candidates in the pool. Creating a tailored resume according to a job’s requirements can help you achieve that. Uploading your resume to LinkedIn means you’ll be promoting a single resume that won’t be customizing for each job. Thus, your application may be less effective.
For example, let’s say you want to make changes so your resume fits a particular job better. You’ll already want to submit a new version for every position you are applying for. If you have a standard resume attached to your profile already, it might confuse hiring managers who have to sort through multiple versions of your resume.
How Your LinkedIn Profile Helps Your Job Search
Finding a job is no easy task. Of course, you’ll need a resume, but having a solid LinkedIn profile is next on the priority list. With 850 million users, LinkedIn is a reputable platform to post your credentials, search for opportunities, connect with recruiters, and network with others in your field.
Your LinkedIn profile serves as a digital resume of sorts, with all the major parts and pieces of a traditional resume document. That includes your name, your title and a roster of your work experience and educational background.
A LinkedIn profile is essentially an online version of your work background. The best part? It’s an updated, real-time window into your professional self.
By taking a quick look at your LinkedIn profile section, employers can quickly review:
- Your connections and professional network
- Your current position
- A biography section about yourself and your skills
- Your work and education history
- References and recommendations from past employers and colleagues
There’s so much information that can go on your LinkedIn profile, and in many ways it provides a living, real-time document of your work life. It’s very much like a resume.
So, you might be wondering, how do I make my LinkedIn profile and resume work together?
Put Your LinkedIn Profile on Your Resume
Instead of uploading your resume to your LinkedIn profile, we recommend you do the opposite—add a link to your resume that goes to your LinkedIn profile.
Here’s why that’s helpful. When you send a resume, you probably can’t be totally sure whether the recipient has viewed your LinkedIn profile or not. To cover your bases, it can help to link to your LinkedIn profile on your actual resume document. This way, there’s an opportunity to share even more about your work experience than one can see on your resume.
So, how do you include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your professional resume? We suggest listing it just below your contact information. It might look something like this:
Your name
Your address
Your phone number
Your email address
Your personal website or portfolio (if you have one)
Your LinkedIn URL
This is a nice way for the hiring manager to have a record of your contact information as well as a reputable way to get to know more about you online. And since it’s just one extra line on your resume, it won’t take up much space at all.
LinkedIn URL
One note here is to consider making your LinkedIn profile URL as simple and straightforward as you can. It might look like this:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname/
To edit your LinkedIn URL, simply click on the “edit intro” button on your profile (it looks like a little pencil). Then scroll down to the “Edit contact info” link. Here, you can navigate to a page that lets you edit your custom URL.
Video: Should I Add My Resume on LinkedIn?
Additional Benefits of Using LinkedIn
Wondering how else LinkedIn can help your job search? LinkedIn has many options for helping job seekers connect with their next career opportunity.
- LinkedIn bolsters communication with a broader audience.
LinkedIn is THE place for digital networking. If you want to reach a hiring manager, research other employees, stay connected with colleagues or job search the world over, LinkedIn is one of the best tools out there. With LinkedIn, you can send a message, request to connect or even just follow people or companies to stay in touch and stay informed.
- LinkedIn lets you add a little color while keeping things professional.
Want to add a fun headshot? Or maybe inject a little humor into your headline or “about” section? LinkedIn is a great place to do that. You can add more details about yourself as a person on LinkedIn, whereas with a professional resume you’ll likely want to keep it more buttoned up—depending on the job, of course.
- LinkedIn helps you use keywords to your advantage.
LinkedIn is a social media platform, and as such, you are still subject to “the algorithm” when it comes to popping up in search results. Make sure you include keywords for your position (or designed position) on your LinkedIn profile so that when hiring managers search for a related term (such as “B2B content writer” or “customer service manager”) your profile actually shows up in the results.
- LinkedIn can improve your reach—and your reachability.
LinkedIn is a great platform for sharing your achievements, highlighting recent projects, publishing thought leadership content and even joining groups with more specific purposes. Plus, it’s another way people can get in touch with you outside of phone or email. It’s very common for new connections or recruiters to start conversations through LinkedIn messaging, which can just increase your chances of finding meaningful connections.
Go Digital Without Going Overboard
During this digital era, adapting is a must, especially in the corporate world where fast communication is the new norm. You can improve your reachability and showcase your skills by using LinkedIn as a functional part of your professional profile. We suggest using all the tools LinkedIn has to offer, but keeping your resume as a customizable document that lives on your laptop — not your LinkedIn profile.
Ready to level up your LinkedIn game? Get started with Teal’s free LinkedIn Review Tool.
