It is NOT Okay For Your LinkedIn Profile To Sound Like Your Resume
I think I am going to have to start paying my dogs hazard pay for being in the office. Some offices have office cats, we have office dogs.
I was reading an article about LinkedIn about general advice for all users relative to their profile. All was fine and quiet until I read one tiny statement saying that if you are looking for a job it is okay for your profile and resume to be the same.
“NO it is NOT!” is what I yelled out. At which point the little one I think growled at me, the middle one looked at the biggest one like, “he did it” and the biggest one just sat there with a big goofy grin on his face.
It is not okay, in no way is it okay for your profile and resume to be the same.
Different Conversations
Your resume is an arm’s length, removed conversation; a professional sales pitch for a general audience.
Your LinkedIn profile is a one-on-one conversation with the person reading it; a business casual, professional conversation.
In a resume you used the assumed I: “Manage nine districts”
In your profile you use I and me: “I managed nine districts”
Your resume opens with a sales statement, telling the reader what you bring to the table and answers the question “What can you do for me?” Say that statement out loud, you sound silly. No one talks like that in conversation. In LinkedIn, speak from and as yourself as you were answering that question to a person sitting across from you.
Different Parameters
A resume is normally one to two pages yet there is flexibility as to font type, size, spacing etc. LinkedIn has limits, including:
First Name: 20 characters, Last Name: 40 characters
Professional Headline: 120 characters
Summary: 2,000 characters
Recommendation: 3,000 characters
Position Title: 100 characters
Position Description: 200 minimum and 2000 maximum characters
Different Pieces to the Puzzle
In job searching you are a brand and it is imperative that your branding is consistent. Your brand extends to your resume, LinkedIn profile, networking and interviewing. Each of these are individual pieces that carry the same brand. They should have a similar feel but be fit to the situation and expectations of each one.
Although you use words in your resume and LinkedIn profile that resonate with you in describing your value; the difference is that in LinkedIn you are letting your personality show through a bit more.
If your LinkedIn and resume are the same you sound like a one-trick pony. People read your LinkedIn profile to find out more information, get a deeper feel for you as a professional and person.
The primary purpose of your resume is to sell yourself. The primary purpose of your LinkedIn is to engage your target audience; to begin a conversation that opens the door for you to sell yourself.
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I help people identify and set a path to achieve their career goals by using the V Formula:
Your Value + Your Voice = Visibility
Visibility is the leverage to move in, move up or move on in your career; expand your book of business or territory, grow your company and strengthen your team.
--Lisa
Lisa K. McDonald, Owner and Principal of Career Polish, Inc. is a favorite speaker and seminar facilitator at colleges, professional organizations and companies around the US speaking to leadership, sales and athletic teams; transitioning/downsized employees and networking groups about personal branding, networking, creating executive presence and achieving career movement success. To find out more, visit Career Polish, Inc.
Career Coach on a mission to ensure students discover careers that are meaningful to them, then use my past career in marketing to help them create powerful brands to find deeply fulfilling jobs.
8yThis is really a terrific post! I went into reading it thinking I might disagree with your premise. But it was spot on correct! And thanks for listing the character limits. I have about 10 sources all across the Internet and you grouped them all together so I can come back to your post whenever I have questions. I tell clients to remember that an employer who gets your resume and is interested in you will next go to your LinkedIn profile. I agree with Lee that there needs to be some contextual consistency, but the LinkedIn profile is the place to sell yourself as the best fit for the job. As we are developing a personal brand statement for the client, I remind them that they can use this, with modifications, in their resume and LinkedIn summary statements, at networking events, etc. But you are correct that this brand statement must be conversational on LinkedIn and at a networking event. Practice with a trusted friend or family member. Do you sound stilted, like a robot? Then tweak, tweak, tweak til you sound like yourself.
Social Worker at Sun River Health
8yThis an interesting view point Lisa but I think that it shows consistency to have your resume and LinkedIn profile be quite similar. A good profile on LinkedIn will automatically offer prospective employers more in depth information about you. And a good resume will offer other insights as well about a prospective candidate.
Marketing Strategist | Professor of Marketing at Indiana University - Kelley School of Business
8yTHANK YOU!!! Truly needed to be said.
Innovative & Strategic Career Programming | Workforce Development
8yLisa, this is excellent! I find myself having this dialogue with my clients. Thanks for the post!
Couldn't have said it any better...