With so many more people using LinkedIn as a way of finding jobs, finding recruits and connecting with like minded businesspeople, having a good, up to date profile is essential, and so is knowing what to have on it. Many people treat their LinkedIn profile as a second resume, thinking they can switch from one to the other seamlessly and with few alterations.
LinkedIn and your resume are certainly very closely related. They both include your experience, employment history, education and other bits and pieces, but there are some things that you wouldn’t want to include on your resume that you really should have on your LinkedIn profile. Here are 4 of the most important.
1. Every last detail of your experience
Everyone knows a resume should be kept to a minimum number of pages, so by the time we are in post graduate employment we tend to leave off things like the part time work we did whilst at high school and the work experience placement we went on. All this can be included on a LinkedIn profile, as it does no harm by being there and can actually help us connect with people from the past more easily. When it comes to building your CV, think of your LinkedIn profile as your ‘master’ copy, and use it to extract the most relevant information for the job you are applying for to put on the resume you send in.
2. Publications
Many employers do now ask to see a portfolio of work when they are thinking of hiring someone. Because of this, it can be useful to include a link to some examples of your work in your resume, although you wouldn’t want to take up pages and pages linking to every piece you’ve ever published. Instead, use your LinkedIn profile as a hub of the things you are most proud of, and keep your favourite pieces of work there. That way you can just include a link to your profile either in your resume or your email signature, and your potential employer can have a look through in their own time.
3. Recommendations
Everyone loves getting recommended on LinkedIn, and it’s a good feeling to proudly display references on your profile for all to see. Do not be tempted to put these on your resume, however. Despite the thought that these might save time when it comes to collecting references, your future employer would rather do this for himself than have your greatness thrust upon him before he has even met you.
4. Interests
LinkedIn is all about networking, and you should be aiming to build yourself a network of people who share interests with you, both in and out of the workplace. Because of this, including your sporting and personal interests on your LinkedIn profile is highly recommended, but unless you are 16 and trying to bulk out a resume for your first job, leave them out of your CV. If you have interests that are directly relevant to the post for which you are applying, then that will be all well and good, but for the most part, the IT company who you are writing to about that software developers job will have absolutely no interest in your flair for culinary excellence, so leave it out.
Globalserve is an advisory and fiduciary firm in Cyprus, providing Company Formation services for International Clients looking for business opportunities in Cyprus