Including your LinkedIn profile on your resume is a common practice that is recommended by many career experts. LinkedIn has become an essential professional networking platform, and featuring your profile can provide additional value to employers reviewing your resume. Here are some key considerations when deciding whether to put your LinkedIn address on your resume.
The Pros of Including Your LinkedIn URL on Your Resume
Here are some potential benefits of putting your LinkedIn profile link on your resume:
- It allows employers to view an online profile with additional work samples, recommendations, and details about your background.
- It demonstrates your professional use of social media and networking platforms.
- It shows you have an established online presence and network.
- It gives employers a way to easily contact you or learn more about you online.
- It allows you to expand on your work history beyond the length-limited resume.
- It provides a way for employers to verify your credentials and background.
- It shows you are tech-savvy and involved in modern networking tools.
Essentially, including your LinkedIn profile establishes your professional brand and gives employers additional insight into your experience and qualifications. For many hiring managers and recruiters, checking out a candidate’s LinkedIn profile is a standard practice when reviewing resumes.
Potential Downsides of Putting LinkedIn on Your Resume
However, there are also some potential downsides to consider:
- It could expose personal details you don’t want employers accessing, like your age, connections, interests, etc.
- It may reveal associations or background information you weren’t prepared to disclose.
- If not updated regularly, it may portray outdated information that doesn’t match your resume.
- It gives employers a chance to see more about you than just your resume credentials.
- It provides a direct avenue for employers to contact your connections and network.
- If managed poorly, it may hurt your professional image and undermine your resume.
Ultimately, you will need to weigh if the risks outweigh the potential advantages of including your profile link. Make sure your LinkedIn presence is robust and professional before connecting it to your resume.
Tips for Listing Your LinkedIn Profile on Your Resume
If you do decide to put your LinkedIn profile on your resume, here are some tips:
- Only include a LinkedIn profile that is completely up-to-date and accurate. Make sure it aligns with your resume details.
- Customize your profile URL to be as short and simple as possible. Use your name instead of random numbers and letters.
- Place your LinkedIn profile in the contact section along with your other professional details like email and phone number.
- Hyperlink your profile so it’s clickable for electronic resumes sent via email or online applications.
- List just your customized profile URL – don’t say “LinkedIn Profile” or “LinkedIn.com.”
- Make sure your entire LinkedIn presence is professional – profile photo, background image, content shared, etc.
By following these tips, you can maximize the value of including your LinkedIn profile link while also minimizing potential downsides.
Should You Include LinkedIn on Specific Kinds of Resumes?
The choice of whether to add LinkedIn to your resume also depends on the type of resume you are using:
Chronological resumes
Listing LinkedIn is highly recommended on this most common resume format that focuses on your work history timeline. It provides employers a way to further verify and learn about your career progression.
Functional resumes
On resumes that emphasize skills over chronology, LinkedIn can give employers a way to examine work history gaps or clarify career changes focused on skills.
Combination resumes
For this popular hybrid resume type, include your LinkedIn profile to leverage both your skills and work history from your profile.
Executive resumes
Hiring leaders and recruiters at the executive level are highly likely to review LinkedIn profiles. Include your profile to establish yourself as an executive brand.
Federal resumes
For resumes in government, military and security fields, consider leaving off LinkedIn due to the formal nature of these positions and tight regulations on personal information.
Student resumes
On resumes for students with limited work history, LinkedIn profiles emphasizing volunteer work, academics, and extracurriculars are highly valuable.
International resumes
Given cultural differences, carefully consider if including LinkedIn aligns with norms and employer expectations in your country.
The Impact of Your Industry
The value of including LinkedIn also depends on your industry or field. Here is an overview:
| Industry | Include LinkedIn? |
|---|---|
| Technology | Recommended – tech hiring managers expect it |
| Marketing/Media | Strongly Recommended – LinkedIn is critical in these fields |
| Finance | Recommended – LinkedIn profiles are standard |
| Healthcare | Optional – weigh privacy concerns in this field |
| Engineering | Recommended |
| Education | Optional |
| Skilled Trades | Not Necessary |
| Government/Military | Not Recommended – formal field with privacy concerns |
As shown, for fields like technology, marketing, and finance, candidates are generally expected to include LinkedIn profiles on their resumes in most situations.
Key Factors to Consider
Weigh the following factors when deciding if putting your LinkedIn profile on a resume is right for you:
- Is your LinkedIn profile robust, professional, and current?
- What are the standard practices and expectations for including LinkedIn in your industry and position type?
- Do the expanded details from your profile help or hurt your resume?
- Does your profile align accurately with your resume details?
- Are you comfortable with employers seeing your full online professional presence?
- Do you have any privacy concerns about connections, background details, or other information?
Carefully considering these factors will help you determine if including LinkedIn helps showcase your strongest credentials or exposes you in unintended ways.
Conclusion
Here are some final best practices when deciding whether to put your LinkedIn profile URL on a resume:
- Include your customized LinkedIn profile link on your resume if you have a strong, up-to-date presence that adds value for employers.
- Weigh risks like outdated information, private details, and connections being viewed by employers.
- Leave LinkedIn off formal resumes like government and military if it doesn’t align with professional expectations.
- Consider industry norms – highlight LinkedIn if employers in your field expect it.
- Carefully evaluate if your profile enhances your professional image or exposes undesirable information.
With careful consideration for your industry, current resume type, and how your profile presents to employers, decisions about including LinkedIn can be made effectively as part of putting your best foot forward in today’s job market.
