LinkedIn has become a winning platform for employers and employees alike over the last couple of years. Having an up-to-date LinkedIn profile with current information on your experience highlights your online presence. It is as essential as any other social media account you are using. It’s important to make sure you paint the picture you want the recruiter to see and study, because that is definitely what they will do!
It helps to present your experience from the right point of view—one that helps you build a career in a way you want to grow. At the same time, this helps the employer ensure they will get a motivated worker willing to grow and learn in a particular niche.
Indeed, a strong resume should always match the story on your LinkedIn profile. However, via LinkedIn, you can do more than just send a cover letter (which is not mandatory for entry-level positions); you can also store your resume. We are going to highlight the right way to upload your resume and open yourself up to thousands of vacancies, whether you are actively or passively looking for new opportunities.
How to Upload Your Resume to LinkedIn
Professionals’ LinkedIn profiles are often used by recruiters while headhunting. They use profile information to study potential employees’ previous experience and find the best fit for the company and the team.
How to Add CV in LinkedIn
There are three ways to tie your resume to your personal LinkedIn profile. The choice of how to add CV in LinkedIn depends on what results you want to get in the end.
Choice #1: Upload a resume to LinkedIn.
The most logical place to put your resume on your profile is in the headline and a part of your summary. The platform has an option to attach files in this section. Professionals may link their resumes, portfolios, and other public materials via external links.
Please note that everyone who looks at your page can download an attached resume. The only disadvantage is that this file does not function as your resume when applying for jobs. If you are okay with this, use the following steps to upload your resume:
1. Log in and click on your profile picture to view your profile.
2. Hit the “Add a profile section” button.
3. Choose “Media” at the bottom of the “Features” menu.
4. In the pop-up window, choose your resume file and click upload.
5. Save it.
Choice #2: Add a resume for job applications.
LinkedIn also has the option of saving resume versions online. This feature on LinkedIn allows you to keep all versions at hand to send directly to recruiters. It’s worth noting that these files are not publicly visible. Use the following steps to add this type of file:
- Click “Me” on your homepage, then “Settings and Privacy.”
- Go to the “Job seeking preferences” menu and choose “Job application settings.”
- Hit the “Save resumes and answers” button.
- In “Default resumes,” select your file(s) and upload them.
Choice #3: Use the “Easy Apply” button.
This is a great option that helps one save tons of time, makes the job search faster, and drastically increases the number of job applications you can submit. The “Easy Apply” option automatically sends your information to the potential employer. To use this feature to the full, use the following steps to prepare the basic package to be sent out:
1. Find a job posting with the blue LinkedIn logo and the Easy Apply button. Be careful, since some postings only have the standard “Apply” option that takes you to external websites.
2. Fill in the required fields. If you already have a pre-saved resume, you can select it; if not, upload your resume in .doc, .docx or .pdf format.
3. Check the information and click submit.
How to Attach Your Resume to a Job Application
“Easy Apply” is the leading job search approach and is considered to be the most effective one among Careerist graduates because it has fewer mandatory fields and is more optimized.
When you click the Easy Apply button, there are three fields: email, phone number, and a place to upload your resume. After your first application via this option, your information is saved for future use. Please note that the resume you attach shouldn’t differ from the information stated on your LinkedIn profile, since the platform connects a copy of your entire profile along with the information you have indicated in the pop-up “Easy Apply” window. Your resume and LinkedIn versions shouldn’t be exact copies, but the events and numbers should match.
Recruiters scan profiles first and then go to resumes. There is no point rushing the job search if something still needs further rework. Make sure both your application and profile look well-structured and attractive.
Here are a few final notes on uploading your resume to the platform:
- The platform saves recently submitted resumes, whether you use the mobile or desktop site. You can reuse old versions whenever you need them for future job applications. If using the LinkedIn Job Search App, however, the files won’t appear on the list of recently used resumes.
- When you submit your resume, the author of the job post isn’t the only person who can see it. The recruiter can share it within their company.
- If you weren’t logged in to the platform, uploading a resume becomes a mandatory field; however, one may skip it, although we do not recommend it.
- Don’t forget to double-check the information on your resume and LinkedIn profile. Any mismatches will look suspicious and might be considered a lie. This is a red flag and many recruiters ignore such candidates. If you aren’t hearing back from job applications, it may signify something is wrong with the information you are sending to recruiters.
- A professional resume isn’t only about the structure, though. A resume should also be free of mistakes and typos. Use built-in grammar and spelling checks or those available on the internet.
How to Download Your LinkedIn Profile As a Resume
Once you’ve completed your LinkedIn profile, we can now get you introduced to the quickest way to get your resume done and have it at hand any time you need. Converting your whole profile story into a PDF resume just takes a few clicks.
The quick instructions on how to download a PDF copy of your profile are:
1. Hit the “Me” icon.
2. Go to “View profile.”
3. Select “More” below the profile opening.
4. In the dropdown, hit the “Save to PDF” button.
Can I use the PDF version of my LinkedIn profile for a job search?
No. It’s not ready to be a resume for a specific job; it’s a generic resume. And if you have a lot of text in your profile, the file will be long and won’t look attractive because of a broken layout. These kinds of issues don’t motivate recruiters to take a better look and usually simply disqualify the candidate.
Neither does this resume highlight particular skills that may show you as a perfect fit for the position. You should make a separate resume tailored for each job you’re interested in because it boosts your chances of getting hired.
So how do my saved LinkedIn PDF and resume differ besides their layout?
LinkedIn was never meant to be a resume generator. It’s a networking tool that helps connect both parties—the candidate and the employer. The downloaded PDF copy of your profile is a semiformal picture of one’s career. It’s more of an attachment to your resume, where an employer may dive deeper into your experience and prove out certain facts. There is no need to convert your LinkedIn profile into an improvised resume, since that isn’t its function.
Your tailored resume file is a formal picture of your work experience. It highlights main events, such as your education, career achievements, and goals.
Why You Shouldn’t Upload Your Resume Your LinkedIn Profile
For any active job searcher and true careerist who may want to reach for the stars, it might seem like a good idea to publish their resume everywhere possible. Uploading one to your LinkedIn profile, however, might not always benefit you while searching for a job via online tools.
Adding your resume makes your contact data publicly available, but it doesn’t save you from being contacted by unwanted companies. So before adding your resume to your profile page, ask yourself if you want your information to be published this way. LinkedIn can show your experience in as much detail as you want.
What can go wrong after uploading my resume to my public profile page?
Your LinkedIn profile and resume should have overlap. However, the main thing that draws attention is your resume. It’s your personal decision to make an uploaded resume publicly visible or keep it in the background for job applications. Here is a brief list of things to consider before attaching a resume that’s visible to everyone.
1. Your private information becomes public.
In brief, you lose control of your data. Anyone will be free to view and download your data. Things like your address, phone number, and other information add nothing to your personal work history.
If your previous contracts let you share information about the job, then that is fine, but remember, things published on the internet are not easily erased! So be attentive and consider what data you publish about your previous employers. Recruiters may take any sort of sensitive financial or work information as an inability to keep information provided confidential.
2. You shout to the world that you are job hunting.
It’s a common belief that only unemployed people can talk publicly about their ongoing job search. For many, your current manager may not be happy if they find out you are looking for a new job. On the other hand, if a person is unemployed, the reason doesn’t matter; the mere fact that you are unemployed will not help you with the job search. Unemployment looks bad to recruiters because they tend to assume there was a reason to fire that person.
If there is an upcoming layoff at your company, try to start looking for new opportunities beforehand.
3.It’s a non-tailored resume.
When you apply for a particular position, you generally need to make some minor changes to your resume to highlight your best qualities in light of that job. This means you have two choices: either ignore this fact and hope for an attentive recruiter who will read between the lines of your resume and see the candidate with great potential who will fit their company, or withhold publishing it until you make some final changes, and only then click apply.
4.It lacks a final review.
We don’t think often enough about how rapidly our career changes. A published resume is often lost out of sight and gradually becomes outdated.
Our team of Careerist coaches always show their graduates how to add CV to LinkedIn and share lots of LinkedIn profile tips to help their full profile look great and catch the eye of potential employers.
Please note that a well-composed resume isn’t a substitute for a well-arranged LinkedIn profile. Adding CV to LinkedIn is a personal choice. A proper description of your work experience in multiple formats (profile and resume) is a worthy time investment that can lead to greater offers and career opportunities if done right.