How To Put LinkedIn on a Resume

When a hiring manager has reviewed your resume and is interested in you as a candidate, checking your LinkedIn profile is typically the next step. This platform offers a different experience for the reader. It will showcase potential common connections and other aspects of who you are as a professional that you would not include on your resume. You want these two aspects of your professional portfolio to complement one another. A poorly written LinkedIn profile may be off-putting to the hiring manager even if you have a strong resume. Using our guide will help you feature your LinkedIn profile on your resume and ensure consistency across both mediums.

Why include LinkedIn on your resume?

• It is beneficial to include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume, as many employers will want to review your profile online before considering your application.

• Your LinkedIn profile is a great way to complement your resume, and it can be updated or modified quicker and easier than your resume. LinkedIn lets you add media, work samples, links to a website or portfolio, and more.

What employers look for on LinkedIn

• When a recruiter is looking to source a candidate, they will typically search by the job title they are hoping to fill and maybe a few top-related skills. Profiles with photos also get looked at more often than those without. Recruiters also tend to look at your current or most recent employer.

• An updated and professional LinkedIn presence is important because recruiters are seeking candidates as well as hiring managers and others, and you never know what influence they may have. An employee at a company may know of an upcoming position and may be connected to you.

Where To Place LinkedIn on Your Resume

• One of the easiest ways to add LinkedIn to your resume is to include it at the top with your contact information.

• You can also (and should) personalize your profile link to make it easier to read and use. The hyperlink option should allow employers to easily click on it from your resume and be directed to your Profile.

Including LinkedIn in a professional summary

• Your resume summary should be related to your LinkedIn About Section and Headline but not be the same description word for word.

• Integrating LinkedIn and your resume will enhance your visibility and credibility, and showcase a consistent and professional self.

Customizing Your LinkedIn Profile URL

How to create a custom LinkedIn URL

When you log into LinkedIn you will see your URL at the top in the browser bar. It typically looks like: linkedin.com/in/first-last-random numbers/. To edit the default URL, follow these simple steps:

• Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
• Click View Profile.
• On your profile page, click the pencil icon for editing next to Public profile and URL on the right pane.
• Under Edit your custom URL on the right pane, click the Edit icon next to your public profile URL.
• Type or edit the last part of your new custom public profile URL in the text box.
• Click Save.

Another way to customize your LinkedIn URL as it appears on your resume is to go to your LinkedIn page and copy and paste the URL into your resume. Next, select all the text of the URL, right-click (if using Microsoft Word), and select Link on the menu. When the new dialog box opens at the top, it will say “Text to Display.”

Edit the link from there and save it on your document. Ideally, you’re only editing after your name. You can end after your name or add a job title to make it more eye-catching. If you ensure that it is hyperlinked, when someone clicks on it, it will go to your Profile.

Enhancing Your LinkedIn Profile

A professional-looking photo or headshot is recommended. Profiles with photos get more views.

When you enter your information into LinkedIn, it will create a Headline based on your most recent work or academic experience by default. It is a best practice to edit this. Your Headline, approximately 200 characters, is what will most likely grab someone’s attention. Consider this your branding statement and tagline. It should encompass what you do and how you do it.

• Sample headlines: Economist/Keen Management and Analytical Acumen/Financial Model and Forecasting Guru

• Sales and business development executive: Delivering revenue, profit, and market-share gains for the telecommunications industry

The LinkedIn summary, also known as the About section, is another opportunity to tell your story. Many people do not fill the section out so it does not appear on your profile. Your About section is similar to your resume summary (if you have one), but allows you to expand and add a personal touch. You can even use the pronoun “I.” A best practice for creating the About section is to think about what makes you a qualified candidate and answer that question.

Describe your top five elements that illustrate who you are and why you are well qualified. Include keywords that cover a wide range of functions in the area you are interested in. By searching through several job postings in your field, identify the most commonly used terms for each of the roles, even if they differ, and weave them into your section.

You have 2,600 characters to tell your story. The beginning of the section needs to have a hook because readers can only see the first few lines until they click “read more.” Discuss your accomplishments and have a call to action at the end. Do not regurgitate your resume.

For example: I am currently a software engineer at XYZ company with over five years of experience managing teams of 50 to 100 members. I oversee over 30 projects with budgets ranging from $100,000 to $1.7 million. Before joining XYZ company, I have:

• Founded two startups currently valuing XYZ
• Been a machine learning engineer at ABC company
• Worked on projects utilizing IBM Lotus Notes Domino, IBM WebSphere, and Microsoft .NET technologies. Please contact me for any new opportunities.

Many people are tempted to simply copy and paste their resume into the Experience section. LinkedIn can be more engaging than a resume in that you can add visuals. Your experience here should give viewers of your profile a taste of your value and showcase your most salient achievements. Consider your target audience and what they might be looking for.

• LinkedIn allows you to add Skills, but you can also assign skills to your roles. First, add your Skills to the section. Once you have added information, LinkedIn helps you populate this section as well. Then include Skills to each role by going to your Skills section, clicking the pencil icon, and then the second pencil beside the skill to assign to one or more roles. Check the roles where the Skill applies and hit ‘Save.’

• Assigning skills to a role is helpful because the actual Skills section on LinkedIn is rather far down the profile page. This helps highlight them within the roles that viewers are likely to see first, even if they are doing a quick scroll.

• Endorsements indicate that someone in your network has vouched for your skills, which validates and adds credibility. However, recommendations are even better. You can request recommendations, and if accepted, your connection will hopefully write some kind words about your work abilities, performance, ethics, and compatibility.

Synchronizing your resume and LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn complements your resume, and the total package should consistently brand you as a professional. Be sure the dates of employment, jobs, schools, and degrees listed on your resume match what you say on LinkedIn. The two should be uniform in overall messaging and style but distinctly their own thing.

If an employer sees different job titles or descriptions that are too varied under a role, it could raise a flag. For example, if your resume said you led and managed a team of 12 as a supervisor, but your LinkedIn said you served on a team of 12 and your job title was coordinator, that would be a discrepancy.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Using an incomplete or outdated LinkedIn profile

The most common negative impact of an outdated or incomplete profile is that people will not seek to connect with or accept your invitations. Recruiters likely will not find you, or if they do, reach out.

LinkedIn is easy to update. Anytime you win a new account, break a sales record, implement a new system, or learn an additional skill, update your LinkedIn. It enriches your profile. Also, some items will show up in your network’s newsfeed, such as if you complete a certification through LinkedIn learning or do a LinkedIn assessment to prove you have a skill.

If nothing new has developed lately, review your Profile every four to six months and double-check. Additionally, LinkedIn often updates the platform, so checking in and updating your profile to ensure your favorite feature is still intact is a good habit to get into.

Overloading your resume with too many links

You can embed some links into your resume, most notably, LinkedIn and perhaps a portfolio of work samples if you are an artist, writer, or work in certain aspects of technology. Some roles in technology or consulting are project-based. It may be tempting to include links to each on your resume but this can be overwhelming and appear cluttered. Showing you have solid editorial and communication skills is imperative for every job, and not including a laundry list of links on your resume, and even your LinkedIn is a good start. Curate the picture you desire.

Frequently Asked Questions About Putting LinkedIn on a Resume

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).