In this day and age, having a strong professional presence on social media is more important that ever. For management + senior-level professionals, a well-crafted LinkedIn profile can be the key to unlocking potential opportunities.

Despite this, many professionals make the mistake of simply copying their resume and pasting it into their LinkedIn profile. However, this is not the best practice when it comes to optimizing your professional online presence.

Why You Shouldn’t Copy & Paste Your Resume onto LinkedIn

In the same way your cover letter provides you with another opportunity to align your value and expertise with a company’s pain point, your online profile (LinkedIn) allows you to weave in more of your personality, value, and expertise.

When creating an effective online profile, it is essential that you customize your content to fit the platform and its audience. This means a more conversational presentation of your expertise that still highlights why you are the perfect candidate for the job or opportunity you are pursuing and shining a light on your successes in a way that will stand out from other candidates who may have similar experiences.

In contrast, your resume is a more structured presentation of your work experience, qualifications, and success stories, providing the employer with an accurate picture of how you can contribute to their organization.

 

If you choose to copy and paste your resume into LinkedIn, be careful not to expose raw numbers of company data that shouldn’t be made public.

How to Optimize Your Online Profile

The best profiles focus on showcasing value and achievements instead of just listing work history.

A great way to start doing this is by adding a headline that captures who you are professionally and emphasizes keywords for potential employers or recruiters who may be searching for someone with specific skills or industry experience.

Bring your profile to life by adding context to your success stories and adding multimedia elements such as videos or thought leadership articles. These additions give recruiters or hiring managers even more insight into why they should consider bringing you onboard!

Update regularly with any changes in job titles, new skills, career accomplishments, and more. This way you stay top of mind for potential employers or recruiters looking for someone with your qualifications.

Keeping your LinkedIn profile aligned with rather than copying and pasting from your resume ensures that potential employers get the most accurate picture possible of who you are and the value you deliver.

Mid-Management professionals, reach out  to discuss how I can help make sure your LinkedIn profile is getting the attention it deserves