How A LinkedIn Account Can Improve Your Resume

The world of social networking has become very important to many people. The websites can help you find new people, stay in contact with friends, and pass the time. One major aspect of the social networking realm that has become vital to workers is job seeking. On sites like LinkedIn, you can not only post your resume and garner recommendations, but also network with others as you search for opportunities.

You may wonder if your resume should include a link to your LinkedIn account, as the website has become so important for hiring managers and job seekers. It’s definitely not a bad idea. It’s a great way to set yourself apart and give a possible employer more information about you. It’s vital to spend some time making sure you’re not actually harming your chances, however. So if this idea has also crossed your mind, consider the following tips …

Your Resume and LinkedIn Page Should Match

Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you sent your resume to a prospective employer with your LinkedIn link, only to realize later that day that a date was incorrect on your profile, or you forgot to add a former position to your resume? It’s bad enough to have an error on your resume, but if there are inconsistencies between your LinkedIn page and resume, you will undoubtedly look bad in the employer’s eyes.

Make Sure You Enhance Your LinkedIn Profile

What’s great about LinkedIn is that you have options to enhance your profile that can’t be achieved with a resume. For example, build on your recommendations by getting personal references from your connections. Giving employers this virtual reference lists can cut down a lot of work for them. If you can get more than a few references on LinkedIn, you’ll be providing employers with a whole lot of great feedback about your job performance as opposed to a few personality devoid references on your paper resume.

Leave the Dirt on Your Private Profiles

There’s nothing wrong with having a fun Internet life, but as you know, there are always risks involved. If an employer sees pictures of you slumped over with your drinking buddies, this may very well work against you in the application process. Most people don’t use their LinkedIn accounts to show unprofessional pictures, but pay attention to the contacts and references you post and think about how a hiring manager will perceive them.

Be Prepared for Employers to Follow Up with Your Connections

If you have 100 connections on your LinkedIn page and you offer your link on your resume, be prepared for any employer you apply with to try to follow up with any one of those connections. If you feel leery about this possibility, you may want to think about leaving the link off your resume because it could occur.

Adding your LinkedIn page to your resume can be a great idea as long as you have covered all of your bases in the process. Once you take a bit of time to make sure everything’s up to speed, including a link can definitely help you get the job that you want.