It would be great if you could get away with using a hard copy of your LinkedIn profile as your resume, wouldn’t it? You’d avoid the stress of writing a resume, the difficulties of getting started, the cold feet that often come with writing about yourself. Take the recommendation of the largest resume writing services in Arizona, DoMyResume.NET and create a powerful LinkedIn profile that wows employers.
Sadly, LinkedIn profiles are still too general to be used in this way. But you MUST have one.
Most professional resume writers that you meet will tell you that, in these times, you need a LinkedIn profile to add to the Contacts section of your resume.
Where should you paste your LinkedIn profile link on your resume? After your have your LinkedIn profile professionally updated, you should then copy your profiles URL website link and paste it at the top of your resume somewhere in the "Contact" section of your resume. Hiring Managers can click your link and get taken directly to your profile.
Why does it matter? Let’s see. Because the grapevine tells us most recruiters and HR managers are on LinkedIn looking for job seekers. If the hiring manager is prowling LinkedIn, he’s not looking at the job applications piled on his desk.
Sometimes, companies may not even post on a job search site like Indeed, Glassdoor, or Monster. The hiring manager may go straight to the LinkedIn job board. And if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, you won’t turn up on job searches. You could be the right fit for a job, but the hiring manager won’t even know you’re looking for one!
Sometimes, a recruiter may want to find out more based on your resume. When they find the LinkedIn contact details, they may make their way to your profile for a corroborative look.
Having a LinkedIn profile gives HR managers social proof of their talents and skills. Testimonials and endorsements from those you’ve worked with will enhance your profile and give your resume a boost.
That’s why it’s important to carefully draft your LinkedIn profile and know how to use it to your advantage.
Tips To Draft A LinkedIn Profile
Nothing on the Internet is free of the demands of search engine optimization these days. If you want to be seen, you’ll have to do things right. This means making sure to optimize every bit of text on your LinkedIn profile.
Optimize The Headline
If you’ve been using LinkedIn, even sporadically, you’ll notice the website takes your current job and uses it as a headline. That’s not what you want. The headline is where HR managers and recruiters will look the most. So you’ll need to optimize your headline for the job you’re seeking.
For instance, if you’re looking for a job as a tax advisor, you may want to customize your headline separated by a straight slash: Tax Consultant | Corporate Tax Preparer | Certified Income Tax Preparer.
If you never knew you could optimize your LinkedIn headline, you know it now and can use it to your advantage.
When adding a new job to your profile, make sure to uncheck the box to automatically change the headline to your new job.
Introduce Yourself With ‘I’
Yes, it’s hard to sum yourself up in a line or two for the Summary. But the opening lines of your About Us section needs all your best skills of representation. Those first lines are what recruiters will see when they come to your profile before they hit Show More. So you’ll need to catch their attention right from the get-go.
This means putting what you want to emphasize right on top. Is there something impressive in your background that you want to share? Put that on top. How would you introduce yourself to a new colleague? Frame your Summary as if that’s what you were doing, in the first person.
What you write in these lines should make it immediately clear to an HR manager exactly what value you’re able to offer. And it helps to write this section in a friendly tone.
Plug-In A Call To Action
Once you’ve grabbed the attention of your readers with your opening About lines, you’ll want to lead them to a Call to Action. Your CTA could be asking readers to connect with you. Or you could mention the kind of job you’re looking for.
Collect Recommendations
Hirers love the Recommendations section of LinkedIn profiles. It’s easy to forget about this section and not update it for years. But it’s time to sit down and think about all the people who could have good things to say about you – coworkers, business partners, bosses, coworkers, etc. If you can collect five recommendations, you’re good to go.
You could do a favor for someone and win favor in return. If you write a recommendation for one of your connections, they’ll receive a notification about it. They’ll also be asked if they fancy returning the favor by writing a recommendation for you. You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours. This is a great way to gather some recommendations that will give social credence to your resume.
Other Tips To Make LinkedIn Work For You
There are many ways to make LinkedIn help in your job search. Here are a few productive ways to do this.
Join LinkedIn Groups To Show Off Your Expertise And Grow
LinkedIn Groups are great for connecting with like-minded people and having the opportunity to stand out with your leadership skills and expertise. You can connect with others in the same industry, professionals with whom you can have discussions and ask questions. You can also forge new connections and start conversations with key people in your industry.
Use The LinkedIn Job Board
You may have already sent your resume out to job boards around the Internet. But don’t ignore the LinkedIn job board. It often carries jobs that you won’t find anywhere else on the Internet. There are new opportunities for you on LinkedIn. You can apply for jobs here, save your searches for later, and even reach out to recruiters showing that you’re interested in new opportunities.
The Bottomline
LinkedIn is an amazing social media platform for professionals that job seekers must have a presence on. After you create your profile, you can add it to the Contact section of your resume and let recruiters see how you’ve added value to other companies and people on your network. Your profile will say more than your resume can, though it won’t replace your resume.
If you need LinkedIn help, DoMyResume.NET is available. We have been writing resumes for 35 years, and we understand what hiring managers are looking for and how to tell a story that conveys everything you bring to the table. Contact us for more information about optimizing LinkedIn profiles, resume reviews, resume writing, career coaching and other career services.
Currently the #1 Rated Career Services Company in the Southwest: www.domyresume.net
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