LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 800 million members. When you apply for jobs on LinkedIn, employers can view your profile in two different formats – the application view and the resume download. While both contain the same information from your profile, there are some key differences between the two that job seekers should understand.
In the application view, recruiters see a snapshot of your profile optimized for applying to jobs. This includes your photo, headline, location, current position and company, education, skills, certifications, volunteering experience, and a short summary section. Recruiters can also see your full work experience, but it is collapsed by default.
In contrast, the resume download is a PDF version of your full profile intended to serve as your resume. This contains all the same information as the application view, but in the format of a traditional resume with expanded work experience, education, and summary sections.
Understanding these differences is important so job seekers can tailor their profiles accordingly to put their best foot forward to recruiters and hiring managers.
Key Differences Between LinkedIn Application View and Resume Download
Here are some of the main differences between what recruiters see in the LinkedIn application view versus the resume download:
1. Length and Level of Detail
The application view provides a snapshot of your profile, whereas the resume download is a full, detailed resume.
The application view sums up key details in a few short paragraphs or bullet points. This includes a brief professional headline, current position, 2-3 skills, education credentials, and 3-4 lines summarizing your background.
The resume download contains full paragraphs expanding on all sections of your profile – professional summary, work experience, education, skills, accomplishments, certifications, volunteering, etc. It is as long and detailed as a typical 2-3 page resume.
2. Format and Layout
The application view has more of a visual, webpage-style layout separating different profile sections. The resume download uses a formal resume format with sections divided by lines and consistent fonts.
In the application view, you have a profile photo, headline, current position details, and location prominently displayed at the top. Remaining sections like skills, education, and experience are displayed in distinct visual boxes.
The resume download omits the profile photo and uses a standard reverse chronological resume format with each section separated by horizontal lines. Your name and contact info are at the top with your most recent experience first.
3. Content Organization
The application view organizes content to highlight what’s most relevant for applying to a specific job. The resume download includes your full profile background.
In the application view, you can reorder sections like skills, certifications, and volunteering to appear above your experience if they are most relevant for a particular job. Experience summaries also focus on details relevant to the job.
The resume download uses your experience in reverse chronological order and includes your full background even if not directly relevant. You have less control over content order and emphasis here.
4. Viewing Experience
The application view is mobile-friendly and interactive, while the resume is a static PDF document.
The application view is responsive and recruiters can click or tap to expand sections and view more details. It is optimized for quick screening on any device.
The resume download needs to be downloaded, opened as a PDF file, and does not offer interactive elements. The focus is providing your full background information in a standard document format for more in-depth review.
5. Customization Capabilities
You can customize sections of the application view, while the resume download contains your full profile.
In the application view, you can reorder and select which sections to include, emphasize skills and volunteering specific to the role, tweak your professional headline, etc.
The resume download includes your entire profile background without the ability to customize or tailor content for specific roles. The focus is on providing your full credentials.
Best Practices
Optimizing both your LinkedIn application view and resume can improve your chances of catching a recruiter’s attention and landing job interviews. Here are some best practices:
For Your Application View:
– Craft a strong, keyword-rich professional headline that sums up your background. Include your years of experience and industry.
– Put your best skills and certifications front and center above your experience section.
– Make sure your current position summary focuses on accomplishments relevant to the types of roles you are applying to.
– Tweak the order of sections and content for each application to match what the hiring manager is looking for.
– Use all characters available for summaries to include key details about your background tailored to the job.
For Your Resume Download:
– Expand your professional summary to 2-3 paragraphs going in-depth on your background, skills, and career goals.
– Have at least 3-5 bullet points for each work experience entry describing your role, responsibilities, and quantify achievements.
– Include extensive skills sections with 12-15+ skills separated by type (e.g. technical, transferable) and measurable proficiency levels.
– Add sections for certifications, volunteer work, courses, projects, publications, honors and awards.
– Revise descriptions to use powerful action verbs and industry keywords that get past applicant tracking systems.
– Quantify accomplishments with numbers and metrics like budgets managed, sales volume, productivity gains, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about LinkedIn’s application view and resume download options:
Should I have two different profiles – one for applications and one for my resume?
No, you only need one LinkedIn profile. Optimizing both the application view and resume download from the same profile is the best approach. This allows you to customize each application for the job, while still providing your full background in the resume download.
Which version do recruiters look at? The application or resume?
Most recruiters will briefly screen your application view first, which is optimized for quick scanning. They will then look more in-depth at your full resume download if they are interested in contacting you.
Can I delete certain positions from my resume download?
No, the resume download contains your entire work history and background from your profile. If you want to tailor or exclude certain details, you can only do so in the application view.
Should I still have a separate PDF resume in addition to my LinkedIn profile?
That’s optional. Many professionals use the LinkedIn resume download as their main resume now since it provides a nicely formatted, up-to-date resume based on your profile. But you can still have a separate resume PDF if you prefer.
How can I optimize my profile for both applications and resume downloads?
Use all the character counts available to provide detailed background information. Then selectively reorder and summarize content when applying for jobs to highlight your most relevant qualifications. Keep the full detailed info for the comprehensive resume download.
Conclusion
Understanding the key differences between LinkedIn’s application view and resume download enables job seekers to optimize both formats. While your profile serves as the base, take advantage of the application view flexibility to customize for each role, while your resume download provides your full credentials. By making the most of both versions, you will put your best foot forward and stand out to recruiters and hiring managers throughout the job search process.