How should my LinkedIn profile differ from my resume? I thought I was basically just copying and pasting the resume on the profile but recently heard that is not correct, why not?
The primary difference is that with LinkedIn you have a much smaller amount of space to make an impact as opposed to a resume.
For LinkedIn, I would focus on bullet points for job accomplishments as opposed to your resume where you can and should go into a little more detail. On LinkedIn focus on making an impact. With the limited space, and since you only have so many characters to make a point, choose those words wisely. Focus on keyword phrases that hiring managers and recruiters would be looking for. If you have credentials, or specialized training, be sure to put them in there. Max out listing degrees, certificates, etc., and then fill out the rest with general titles and bullet points.
They really should not follow the same format and you do yourself a disservice if you don’t approach your online profile differently than you do your resume. An online profile is more of a high level brand statement where you can narrow down from your unique value statement to examples of what you can do for an employer. It’s a bit of a marketing “document.”
Ask Ann,
Have a question you’d like a recruiter to answer? Write to me at AskAnn@execunet.com
