With LinkedIn being one of the most popular professional social networking sites, many job seekers wonder how they can leverage their LinkedIn profile to create an effective resume. The good news is that LinkedIn provides ample data and information that can be used to build a robust resume, without needing to start from scratch.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk through step-by-step how to extract the key details from your LinkedIn profile and turn it into a polished, professional resume document. Whether you are actively searching for a new job or simply looking to update your resume, this guide will equip you with a simple process to transform your LinkedIn presence into a powerful resume.
Step 1: Export your LinkedIn data
The first step is accessing all of your profile data from LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows you to request an archive of your account information, which will be available to download as a ZIP file.
Here is how to download your LinkedIn data:
- Go to your LinkedIn account settings
- Select “Get a copy of your data”
- Choose which data you want to download – at a minimum, select “Profile”
- Enter your password and click “Request archive”
- LinkedIn will email you when the archive is ready to download (usually within minutes)
- Download the ZIP file provided in the email
This will give you access your entire LinkedIn profile data, including all information you have added to your LinkedIn account over time.
Step 2: Review your LinkedIn data
Once you have downloaded your LinkedIn archive, open the ZIP folder and review the key information available:
- Profile details – current position, education, skills, certifications, volunteer experience
- Positions – details on your work experiences, responsibilities, accomplishments
- Education – schools attended, majors/minors, graduation dates
- Skills and endorsements – skills listed and who has endorsed you for those skills
- Recommendations – written recommendations from colleagues and managers
- Accomplishments – honors, awards, publications, courses, projects, languages, test scores
- Interests – interests listed on your profile
Review each section closely to identify which details are most relevant for your resume. Think about your target job and which information will help you stand out.
Step 3: Craft your professional summary
Your LinkedIn professional headline and summary are a great starting point for creating the introductory profile section of your resume.
Here are some tips for crafting a strong professional summary:
- Open with your professional title or current job title
- Summarize your top skills, years of experience, and industries worked in
- Emphasize relevant keywords for the positions you are targeting
- Tailor the summary to each application rather than using a generic objective
- Keep it concise – 2-4 sentences or 3-5 bullet points
You can pull key details from your LinkedIn headline, summary, and positions to create an engaging overview of your background.
Step 4: Add your work experience section
The work experience or professional experience section is one of the most important parts of your resume. This is where you can demonstrate your career progression and responsibilities.
Pull the following details from your LinkedIn profile for each position listed:
- Company name
- Position title
- Employment dates
- Key responsibilities and achievements
Tailor the descriptions for each role to match the target job. Lead with strong action verbs to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments. Use numbers and metrics to quantify your achievements where possible.
List your positions in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent job. Go back 10-15 years at most.
Step 5: Add your education section
Your LinkedIn profile has your academic credentials from the education section. Make sure to include on your resume:
- School name
- Location (city, state)
- Degree earned
- Field(s) of study
- Graduation year
- GPA, honors, study abroad – if relevant
List in reverse chronological order. You can also include coursework, research projects, published theses, or dissertations that strengthen your candidacy.
Step 6: Include relevant skills
A skills section helps showcase your specialized abilities. Select your top skills from those you have listed on your LinkedIn profile.
You can highlight both:
- Hard skills – technical skills and abilities specific to the industry or job (e.g. JavaScript, Project Management, Accounting)
- Soft skills – transferable skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving
Back up your skills with tangible examples and accomplishments from your work history. Avoid simply listing soft skills – demonstrate them.
Step 7: Add other LinkedIn sections as appropriate
Beyond the main elements above, review the additional LinkedIn profile sections to identify anything else worth highlighting on your resume:
- Licenses and certifications – Include any professional credentials
- Courses – List relevant coursework and training
- Volunteer experience – Unpaid work and leadership roles
- Honors and awards – Prizes, grants, merit scholarships
- Projects – Relevant academic or professional projects
- Languages – Fluency in other languages
- Publications – Published papers, books, articles
Choose details that show expertise in your field or transferable skills applicable to the target role.
Step 8: Identify resume gaps
Once you’ve pulled all relevant information from LinkedIn, look for any gaps in your resume that need to be filled in:
- Is relevant work experience from early in your career missing from your LinkedIn profile? Add it in.
- Do you need to expand more on responsibilities and achievements under each position? Beef up descriptions.
- Are you light on quantifiable results and metrics? Add numbers.
- Do you need to customize more for the target industry or job? Tailor content.
Filling in gaps results in a more well-rounded and compelling resume, even if you start with your LinkedIn profile.
Step 9: Format your resume
With the content fleshed out, the final step is formatting your document to create a professional resume layout. Consider the following formatting best practices:
- Use a standard resume font like Cambria, Garamond, Calibri, or Times New Roman
- Font size 10-12 points
- Include your contact information at the top – name, phone, email, LinkedIn URL, city
- Reverse chronological order for work history
- 1-1.15 inch margins on sides
- Consistency in bullet points, bolding, italics throughout
- Section headers in larger bold font to divide content
- Easy to scan with clear section divisions
- Remove LinkedIn branding and style elements
Proofread closely and run spell check. Ask a friend or career coach to review and provide feedback before sending your resume to apply for jobs.
Conclusion
With the wealth of information available via your LinkedIn profile, you can expedite the resume writing process significantly. Follow the steps outlined here to extract your key credentials from LinkedIn and compile them into a polished, professional resume document ready for job applications. Keep your content focused, compelling, and tailored for each opportunity for best results. With this approach, your LinkedIn network can become an invaluable asset in moving your career forward.