LinkedIn is Not Your Online Resume
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LinkedIn is the premiere online business networking site. As such, it is tempting to see your profile there as your online resume. There are a few key reasons why that thinking is off target and will prevent you from getting the most out of LinkedIn.

Your resume and LinkedIn profile both speak about you, but they do so in different ways:
  • Resumes are limited in length; there is no such constraint on LinkedIn. Generally, a resume should be two pages at most. On LinkedIn you can offer a personal summary statement of up to 2000 characters. Plus there is no overall constraint for the total length of your profile.
  • A well-crafted résumé will be tightly worded, conveying a story in just a very few lines and bulleted points. Although you might include a link to something online, your resume is largely a text document.
    • LinkedIn is a business site, but it is social. It is beneficial to be personable, if not personal, and that includes commonly speaking in the first person. Demonstrate your accomplishments by including multiple forms of media both in your profile summary and tied to any relevant position you list. Links can be to any online work products, including PowerPoint presentations, portfolios, pictures, and videos.
  • Resumes are generally sent out to people you want to consider your qualifications. Your LinkedIn profile is viewed by anyone seeking to develop a targeted candidate pool of people like you. Positions which you had no idea existed can thereby be brought to your attention. Unlike a resume which is a document created for a specific job, your profile can be a more rounded view of your accomplishments, knowledge, and activities.
    • Your profile grows organically each time you include a new skill, add an accomplishment, share information, or engage with others. Unlike a static resume, your profile will have something new every time someone visits if you take care to keep it up to date and are actively engaged on the site.
Keep in mind that the status updates that you post on LinkedIn become a part of your profile. They can include insights into what you are working on right now, articles you find of interest, references to events you plan to attend, and more. This gives your connections a much richer real-time sense of you as a professional than can be conveyed on a resume.

Even recruiters or human resources professionals who have your resume in hand will still check out your profile to learn more about you. When they get there, if you have used LinkedIn to its potential, you’ll be able to demonstrate very clearly the value you bring to any employer.

I’ll be talking more about LinkedIn and its value to your personal brand with my colleague Barbara Ellis on July 24 at noon. Join us! Register and save your spot today.

This article was first featured on OnlineCareerTips.com