Posting a link to your resume online can be a great way to get more exposure for your qualifications and experience. Whether you’re actively searching for a new job or passively open to new opportunities, having your resume accessible with a simple link allows recruiters and hiring managers to easily view your background.
There are a few key things to keep in mind when posting a resume link online: choosing where to share it, optimizing the actual resume file, writing an effective summary, and customizing the link itself. Follow the tips below to successfully post a resume link that makes a strong first impression.
Where Should I Post My Resume Link?
The best places to share your resume link depend on your goals and target audience. Here are some top options to consider:
Job Boards
Major job platforms like LinkedIn, Monster, and Indeed all allow you to post a link to your latest resume. This exposes your resume to recruiters and hiring managers searching those sites for candidates. You can include the link in your profile summary or skills/experience sections.
Your Website
Having your own professional website or portfolio page provides a customizable place to highlight your resume. Make sure the link is easy to find through your navigation menu or a prominently placed button/link.
Online Profiles
In addition to LinkedIn, profiles on sites like GitHub (for developers), Dribbble (for designers), Behance, and AngelList are great for sharing resume links. Include the link in your bio or pinned tweet.
Job Applications
When applying for openings through a company’s website, there is often an option to include a link to your resume. This allows the employer to quickly view your full experience.
Email Signature
Adding a link to your resume in your professional email signature passively lets everyone you email know your resume is available. This can be especially effective when emailing recruiters, hiring managers, and networking contacts.
How to Optimize Your Resume
Before widely sharing the link to your resume, make sure the resume itself is optimized for applicant tracking systems and recruiters. Here are some key tips:
Keywords
Incorporate relevant keywords throughout your resume, especially in the job titles, skills section, and work experience descriptions. This helps recruiters find you when searching those terms.
Easy to Scan
Break up text with bullet points, headers, sections and clear formatting so the layout is easy to quickly scan. Recruiters spend just seconds reviewing initial resumes.
Quantify Achievements
Use facts and data to quantify your responsibilities and accomplishments for each role. This could include metrics like department size, sales volumes, traffic metrics, budgets managed, etc.
Consistency
Keep verb tenses, style conventions, and formatting consistent throughout the resume. Small inconsistencies can look sloppy.
Review for Errors
Carefully proofread to fix any spelling, grammar, or formatting errors. Recruiters will toss resumes with obvious typos.
PDF Format
Save and share the resume file as a PDF rather than a Word doc. This maintains consistent formatting on any device.
Following resume optimization best practices helps ensure your resume makes the best first impression possible when viewed through your link.
What Should You Include in the Summary?
When sharing your resume link online, it’s important to accompany it with a short, compelling summary. This summary gives context and highlights your top qualifications.
Here are some tips for writing an effective resume link summary:
Tailor to the Platform
Adapt the tone and details to align with the platform. A summary on LinkedIn can be more formal than a pithy tweet.
Focus on Relevant Strengths
Emphasize credentials, skills, titles, and achievements that align with roles you are targeting. This showcases your fit.
Be Concise
Keep the summary tightly written with no fluff or unnecessary words. You want recruiters to actually read the full summary.
Use Keywords
Work in keywords from the target role to show your relevant experience and get through resume screening systems.
Add Personality
Inject some personality and human voice to make your summary engaging rather than overly formal or stiff.
Pairing a compelling resume summary with your resume link provides critical context that makes your resume more likely to stand out in a positive way.
How to Customize Your Resume Link
Rather than just sharing a basic link to your resume, you can customize the link itself to make it more memorable and searchable. Here are some ways to optimize your resume link:
Use Your Name
If possible, incorporate your full name or initials into the actual link. For example www.johnasmithresume.com or www.jasresume.com.
Add Keywords
Work in relevant keywords like your industry, job title or location. This can improve SEO and search visibility. For example www.marketingdirectorlondonresume.com.
Choose an Easy Domain
Opt for a short, simple domain without odd characters or hyphens. This makes it easy to say out loud and remember.
Make it Mobile Friendly
Use a link shortener or write out the full link to avoid complex URLs that are tough to open on mobile.
Use Your Brand Name
If you have an established personal brand name, incorporate it into the link for consistency.
While a basic resume link works, taking the time to customize and optimize the link itself can increase visibility, memorability, and professionalism when sharing your resume.
Should You Use a Link Shortener?
Rather than directly linking to a PDF resume hosted on a site like Dropbox or Google Drive, you can use a link shortening service like bit.ly. Here are some pros and cons to consider:
Pros
- Creates a short, clean link that’s easy to share
- Obscures the underlying file hosting site
- Lets you track click metrics
- Easily redirect later if needed
Cons
- More dependence on the link service staying up
- Hides the source which looks less professional
- Need to manually update if you reupload resume file
For most use cases, the pros outweigh the cons for using a branded link shortener. Just be sure to use a reliable, established URL shortener that’s unlikely to go away anytime soon.
Top Resume Link Tips
To summarize, here are some top tips for successfully posting links to your resume online:
- Share the link prominently on major job platforms like LinkedIn.
- Make sure your resume is ATS and recruiter friendly before sharing.
- Write a strong resume summary that highlights relevant qualifications.
- Customize the actual resume link with keywords and your name.
- Use a trusted branded link shortener for a clean, professional link.
- Include the link prominently in online profiles, email signatures, and job applications.
- Periodically check your links and update as needed.
Posting your resume link smartly takes some upfront effort but can significantly expand your job search reach. Use the guidance above to maximize your resume’s impact. Soon you could land more interviews and have recruiters reaching out about exciting new roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about posting resume links online:
Should I post my full resume or create a one-page summary?
Most experts recommend sharing a full resume with all your key qualifications rather than a shortened summary page. Summaries often leave out important details. Just be sure your full resume is concise and scannable.
What if I don’t have my own website to host my resume?
Free sites like Google Drive, Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive work fine for hosting your resume file to link to. The focus should be more on optimizing the actual resume content rather than where it’s hosted.
What’s better – posting a PDF resume or plain text?
PDF is strongly preferred as it maintains your ideal formatting and layout. Plain text loses your careful design and structure. Just be sure the PDF formatting translates well to mobile screens.
Should I add “Resume” in my anchor text and onsite headers?
Yes, including “resume” prominently helps search engines and users understand the nature of your content. But avoid over-optimization or spamming the word resume throughout.
Can I use a QR code to link to my resume?
QR codes are a clever idea if you’ll be sharing your resume in print. But most online applications don’t lend themselves well to scanning QR codes – plain links are simpler.
Conclusion
Posting a link to your resume online makes it easy for potential employers and recruiters to view your qualifications and experience. But simply throwing up a basic resume link isn’t enough. You need to strategically choose where to share it, optimize your resume itself for scanning, write an engaging summary, and customize the link for maximum impact.
Use this guide to take your resume sharing strategy to the next level. A well-posted resume link can dramatically expand your job search reach and introduce exciting new role options. Just don’t forget to periodically review and update your links and resume file to keep them current. Happy job hunting!
