Should Your LinkedIn Profile and Resume be the Same?

Before the internet, job seekers would only have a paper resume and cover letter to send to a potential company. It was an easy way to get a sense of someone’s work history at a glance and it provided people a way to highlight their greatest career achievements. Fast forward a few decades and resumes are still a must for any job seeker, but now they can be seen in a variety of formats. One of the most popular ways to share your work history is through the career website LinkedIn. While the website essentially acts as a digital resume, there has been some confusion about sending a LinkedIn profile and sending a resume. So what’s the difference (if there is one)? Should your LinkedIn profile and your resume highlight the same things?

Should Your LinkedIn Profile And Resume Be The Same?

The short answer: NO. According to Erin Kennedy, a professional resume services founder, your LinkedIn profile should be written in a more informal way.  Your LinkedIn profile should also be more detailed than a resume. We’ll go into more detail below:

What Should The Content On My LinkedIn Profile Be Like?

Writing in an informal way doesn’t mean you’ll come off as unprofessional. In fact, having an informally written LinkedIn profile can make it stand out and let some of your personality shine through. You don’t want to sound stiff and boring!

In addition, you want to make sure that you’re striking a nice balance between general skills and more focused specialties. With resumes, you need to tailor it to the specific job you’re applying to, but with LinkedIn, it’s important to not get to niche, otherwise you’re missing out on potential opportunities. Some good advice is to include some highlights that will appeal to a wider audience and then some points that show your more detailed interests.

How Detailed Should I Get?

Many career coaches are always saying to keep your resume to one page. “Cut out the irrelevant experiences. Don’t include anything that’s older than 15 years.” While this can be good for resumes, LinkedIn profiles are actually better when they’re more detailed and include a lot about your past work experiences. LinkedIn allows you to really go into details regarding each experience and talk about the job in a way that resumes limit.

Another benefit to LinkedIn is that you can also include attachments. Think about projects that you were proud of or some documents from your portfolio. While it has no place in your resume, it will definitely make your LinkedIn profile stand out.  Having a media rich LinkedIn profile can help recruiters get a sense of you and your skill set.

We hope that you found this post helpful. If you have other questions about your career, building a resume, or finding a job, check out Signature Source. We’re your premiere partner for recruiting in the global mobility industry so that both employers and professionals feel fulfilled and valued in their work.