The LinkedIn Resume
Resumes and Cover Letters Social Media in Job Search
Question:
How do I upload my resume to my LinkedIn profile?
Answer:
You don’t.
Well, you can, but you shouldn’t. A resume is a very different creature from a LinkedIn profile.
Resumes are written in resume language: sentence fragments, bullet points, bits and pieces of information. LinkedIn profiles are more of a conversation: friendlier, and also with real English sentences and grammar.
Resumes should be targeted to one particular job in one particular company. They should use the keywords, form of those words, and order that the job lead uses. The more your resume resembles the job lead, the better. But you can’t do that on LinkedIn. You don’t know who might look at your profile, or what interest they might have in you. Your profile has to be more general.
Your LinkedIn profile can give a lot more information about you, because it’s less limited in the amount of space it can use. You can tell a story about your greatest accomplishment. You can write about your philosophy of what you do. You can (and should) describe the ways you help people, and the benefits that your very fortunate next employer will gain when you are hired.
If you must, you can add your resume to your profile by clicking on the blue pencil in the Experience section, clicking Upload, and opening your resume. But don’t put it there by itself. Take the time to write a great profile. It will serve you well!