With all of the uncertainty going on in the world, it is more important than ever to manage your career and keep your resume and other career documents up to date.
Since we are on the topic of resumes, many people ask if their LinkedIn should match their resume or not. The correct answer to this question could be NO, MAYBE, YES, or YES BUT. It’s really a matter of your own personal philosophy.
Be mindful that if you ask 10 people how to write a resume and LinkedIn profile, you will get 15 different answers.
We are all entitled to our own opinions, so below is mine, as one of the YES BUTs. I think everything that is on a resume should go on LinkedIn, but LinkedIn should be embellished even more.
No matter what, you should have well written content that has white space in between the bullet points so it is skimmable and scannable. So let’s compare some of the basic sections of each document.
| Item | Resume | |
| Headline (key titles and keywords) | 120 characters; don’t waste a line for the words “Summary Profile” | 120 characters on a desktop but more on mobile |
| Value Proposition | Written in 1st person implied “I” | copy in About Section |
| Core Competencies (keywords) | Alpha order | copy in About section |
| Career Highlights (Accomplishments) | Bullet pointed list | copy in About section |
| Sentence that shows you are likeable and relatable, and have some hobbies or interests | No | write in About section |
| Professional (or Work) Experience | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Yes | Yes |
| Honors & Awards | Yes | Yes |
| Community Service | Yes | Yes |
You can see that when you compare some of the standard resume sections to those in the LinkedIn profile, you can utilize all the verbiage you have prepared. However, in LinkedIn, here are a few more things you can do.
- add a friendly and charismatic photo
- customize your URL
- create meta tags for your images
- embellish job titles
- connect with your alumni
- add skills and endorsements which are keywords
- join groups and follow companies
- and more!
Although the “To DO” list goes on for LinkedIn, this is a good solid start.
NEXT STEPS
- Subscribe to my newsletter on LinkedIn™ for bright ideas on how to manage your career.
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- Join as a member at https://greatcareers.org/membership of the #1 business networking association on the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Book of Lists four years in a row!
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- Follow #GreatCareersPHL
AUTHOR BIO
Lynne M. Williams is the Executive Director of the Great Careers Network, a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides career development and networking connections for 1) job seekers in career transition, including veterans, and 2) employed and self-employed for career management.
Aside from writing keyword-focused content for ATS resumes and LinkedIn™ profiles, Lynne is writing her doctoral dissertation on LinkedIn™ for Job Seekers. She is a contributing author on “Applying to Positions” in Find Your Fit: A Practical Guide to Landing the Job You Love, along with the late Dick Bolles, the author of What Color is Your Parachute?, and is also a speaker on career topics.
