Are You LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is the professional social media styled site and is very useful for job hunters and employee seekers. I have written other posts looking at the importance of using sites like this to build a professional network and that is one aspect worth your time. There is another aspect of LinkedIn that also needs considered, and that is the connection to your resume and the benefits it can bring.

Discussions with employers have revealed that they often check the contents of job seekers resumes to their online LinkedIn profile. In doing so, it can quickly reveal discrepancies between the written resume and the online profile – which is a negative. However, it can also add additional depth and additional accomplishments not found on the resume – a positive thing.

It is almost always assumed that resumes will contain a bit of exaggeration in places, but online profiles like these tend to contain a bit less of this exaggerated content. A lot of these sites connect the profile to groups, employers, etc. and are connections with sometimes close friends and colleagues, so exaggerating claims tend to be more easily spotted and called out, so most tend to keep their profiles factual. Having various recommendations on your profile also adds an additional amount of validation to you claims. So, comparing a resume to a profile and finding consistency and possibly additional information can make enough of a difference to an employer that they would keep your resume in consideration rather than just toss it.

LinkedIn offers discussions and group question areas where professionals can communicate with others in the field, and can offer and seek assistance on tough issues. These types of conversations can be and are often monitors by employers. By doing so, the employer can see a potential candidate “in action” to see if they know their stuff when speaking with colleagues, or are they just blowing a lot of hot air into their resume.

A well-oiled LinkedIn profile will contain quite a bit more information than would ever be considered for inclusion on a resume, things like blogs and publications (books, ebooks, etc.) which can add a whole new dimension to a potential employee. So work on adding as much as possible to your profile, and get involved in things to show real activity in a professional type setting.

 Lastly, having a well formatted LinkedIn profile shows the potential employee that you understand and are active in the online world. It doesn’t necessarily prove you are “cutting edge” but it does show you understand the importance of the online community, and aspects of doing business online. Having this type of online profile can be en enormous help to employers – but can also be a negative aspect if you have not kept it and your resume synced and in order. So, be sure to use this and other similar online services to your full benefit.  It can make a difference.