In today’s digital age, LinkedIn has become an essential platform for networking and showcasing your professional profile. With over 722 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform. This raises an important question for job seekers – should you include your LinkedIn profile on your CV?
There are compelling arguments on both sides of this debate. Including your LinkedIn profile on your CV can demonstrate your professional connections, endorsements and recommendations. It also allows employers to view a more detailed and constantly updated profile. However, some argue that it is unnecessary or even distracting on a concise CV.
So what should you do? Here is a complete guide examining the pros and cons to help you decide if you should put your LinkedIn profile on your CV.
The Case For Including Your LinkedIn Profile on Your CV
Here are some of the main benefits of including your LinkedIn URL on your CV:
It Shows You Have an Online Presence
Simply having an established LinkedIn profile demonstrates basic digital literacy and the ability to navigate professional social networks. In an increasingly digital world, showing you understand how to leverage online platforms is becoming an essential skillset.
It Highlights Your Professional Connections
Your number of connections gives immediate insight into the breadth of your professional network. Recruiters can also click through to see the types of companies and job titles your connections have, giving them a sense of the level you are operating at.
It Provides Further Evidence of Your Skills and Endorsements
Your LinkedIn profile displays key skills, achievements and endorsements from your connections. This provides added verification and detail to complement the briefer overview on your CV. It essentially acts as a live reference page.
It Shows You are Tech-Savvy
Including new technologies like LinkedIn on your CV signals that you are adaptable and comfortable leveraging the latest online platforms. This demonstrates valuable familiarity with digital tools used in the modern workplace.
It Offers Employers Addition Insight Into You
Your LinkedIn profile provides a detailed professional snapshot with information, experience and evidence that is impossible to fully capture on a 1-2 page CV. It also humanizes you.
It Keeps You Top of Mind
If an employer is interested in learning more after reviewing your CV, they can easily click your link right away to be taken to your full profile rather than having to search you up separately.
The Case Against Including Your LinkedIn Profile on Your CV
However, there are also some potential drawbacks to including your LinkedIn on your CV:
It Can Be Distracting
You want a hiring manager focused on your tailored CV content, not clicking external links. Including your LinkedIn could divert their attention.
It May Expose Politics or Controversial Opinions
Depending on your privacy settings, your LinkedIn feed and Groups may reveal political stances or contentious views that could hurt your job prospects with certain employers.
It Could Show Connections to Competitors
Displaying you are connected with or follow competitor companies on LinkedIn could make some employers skeptical about your motivations and loyalty.
It Adds Clutter
Some experts argue LinkedIn should be kept off a clean, streamlined CV because it appears cluttered and unnecessary.
It May Be Redundant
Many recruiters will still look you up on LinkedIn separately, so including it may not provide additional value in their eyes.
It Diverts Focus from Your Core CV
You want a hiring manager’s attention on your key skills, achievements and qualifications in your CV – not on external sites.
Key Considerations When Deciding If You Should Include Your LinkedIn
If you are on the fence about including your LinkedIn on your CV, here are some key factors to consider:
Your Industry and Location
Adding LinkedIn may be expected in tech-focused or digital marketing roles where showcasing your online presence is highly valued. It also varies geographically – in tech-savvy cities like London or New York it may be more common.
The Type of Role
Junior and less experienced candidates may especially benefit from including LinkedIn to highlight their connections and online presence. For more senior applicants it becomes less crucial.
The Company Culture
Research the hiring company. If they seem digitally innovative, embracing sites like LinkedIn on CVs may align well with their culture. More old school companies could view it as unnecessary.
Your Personal Branding Strategy
If you are actively trying to develop your online personal brand in your industry, including LinkedIn reinforces this. If you prefer separation between work and social media it may not make sense.
Customization for Each Application
Consider tweaking your CV and whether to include your LinkedIn for each specific role based on the above criteria. It need not be all or nothing.
Presentation Tips If You Do Include Your LinkedIn
If you do decide including your LinkedIn on your CV is right for you, here are some top tips for presentation:
– Only include the LinkedIn URL – not the full hyperlinked logo. Visually this looks cleaner.
– List it in the contact section, under your email and phone number. This keeps things consistent.
– Use a customized LinkedIn URL if possible, not just the generic profile link. This looks more professional.
– Ensure your employment history, skills and education on LinkedIn align with your CV details. Discrepancies will stand out.
– Set your profile to public viewing mode so any employer can access it.
– Double check your profile image, background photo and posts – anything inappropriate could cost you.
– Remove any politically divisive content from your Groups and feed to remain professionally neutral.
– Be highly selective with Skills endorsements – only accept those relevant to the roles you are applying for.
Conclusion
In closing, there are compelling arguments on both sides of the LinkedIn on your CV debate. In many cases, the advantages of including it outweigh the potential drawbacks. However, it also depends on your personal circumstances and the specific roles you are applying for.
Consider the relevant factors like industry, job type, company culture and your own personal branding before deciding if including your LinkedIn URL on your CV is right for you. If in doubt, keep a master CV both with and without your LinkedIn profile link so you have options when needed.
And if you do include it, be sure to optimize your LinkedIn profile so it puts your best professional foot forward. With careful positioning and presentation, including LinkedIn on your CV can give employers valuable additional insight into you as a candidate.
