Lots of jobseekers wonder why they need a resume if they have a LinkedIn profile or vice versa. They seem like they are the same thing, but from the employment side they serve different purposes.
Looking at LinkedIn first:
One of the biggest reasons is that LinkedIn is a third party application; it is a business and as such you are never 100% guaranteed to have control over it.
It is a PAID service.
Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT an Applicant Tracking System. It is a job board.
Not every employer uses LinkedIn, and lots of industries are sparse on LinkedIn (ie front line health care, education/academia, blue collar roles).
Security concerns (going back to first bullet point). Lots of websites are getting hacked, including personal information, payment information, business connections, etc.
Photos and content can lead to bias.
LinkedIn is used for lots of different reasons includes business development, job search/hire, collaboration (ie video, instant messaging, audio chats).
LinkedIn is using user content to train its AI models
Your LinkedIn data has value and can be sold. (Have you noticed the increase in ads recently?)
Resumes are still the traditional document to use for job seekers.
They have one basic function – to help you get a job
Your resume contains generally uniform information (contact information, your employment history, education/professional credentials)
It is concise and easily read for the purpose of job search/hiring.
For those employers that use an online Application Tracking System (a significant percentage) it is easily ingested and can be secured – the employer owns access to the information
The information in the ATS directly ties in to the Human Resources Information System when you are actually hired (the HRIS is for employee functions like managing payroll, benefits, performance management, finance/budget for tracking positions)
Data privacy is absolutely paramount -and is covered by various employment laws around the world
LinkedIn can absolutely be a valuable tool for job search, but it is just that: a tool.
You should have both in your job search arsenal because you never know which one you might need.
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