Is LinkedIn taking over the traditional resume?

When we think about the job search today, what do you hear about the most? Some of the topics are self-branding, applying online, LinkedIn, networking, social media and online presence. They all have some relation to LinkedIn and its ever progressive presence in our lives. Now we can literally connect with employers anywhere, at any time, from our phones and computers.

So, how to use LinkedIn to find a job?

Does this mean that traditional resumes are becoming outdated? Not necessarily, LinkedIn offers a new platform for employers to get to know us before they hire.

LinkedIn is becoming a one-stop shop for both candidates and employers alike. Think about it; you can connect, write and showcase all of your work instantly on LinkedIn. According to a report in Forbes, employers are finding that they don’t have to spend nearly as much time screening candidates on LinkedIn as they would on the traditional job board.

Employees, including HR, are facing ever-increasing workloads and they want to do anything they can to save time. You can make it easier for them to notice you by being active and having a flourishing LinkedIn profile. Employers also have a chance to see more of your skills on LinkedIn than they would on a focused resume.

While the LinkedIn profile is a great tool, the website still presents a lot of challenges, such as the inability to preview many profiles without a paid subscription and people not being active on LinkedIn—this makes it hard for a recruiter to reach you. Along with the overload of information that the internet can give.

The traditional resume is still a viable tool for the job searcher; employers sometimes just want to see the information that is relevant to their posting. The resume is very much a focused tool which will allow you to give a perspective employer a targeted idea of what you can offer them.

According to PayScale.com, keeping a balance is key when writing a resume and a LinkedIn profile. Keep your personal branding the same; don’t go from one extreme to the other when writing your LinkedIn profile and resume. Make sure they both reflect you and your direction. The resume should be more inclusive to what the employer is seeking. LinkedIn content will typically have more variety, whereas the resume will be more to the point. When pointing out your accomplishments, make sure they are relatively the same on both documents; just rephrase it.

For now, the resume is here to stay; it has been a long-standing part of the job search—the internet and social media are still in their birth stages and people still have to catch up with the changes that social networks provide us. It is important to keep both the resume and LinkedIn profile up to date because employers and recruiters will still be using both tools to look for qualified candidates!

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