Employers Compare Resume With LinkedIn Account

If you use LinkedIn to make industry contacts and keep in touch with past colleagues, be careful what you put in your profile. It's not unusual for a hiring manager to do a resume comparison with your social media accounts, so the content of your LinkedIn profile should match what you say in your resume. If it does not, you run the risk of developing a bad reputation and losing out on great job opportunities.

Smart managers often check LinkedIn to see if they know any of the same people you do. If you have mutual connections, it's easy for the manager to ask those connections about your skills and professionalism. Hiring managers like using LinkedIn because the social network often helps them get around the reference-checking rules imposed by some companies. If your former manager isn't allowed to give you a formal reference, he can still share information about you via LinkedIn.

The jobs and skills listed in your LinkedIn profile should match the ones listed on your resume. You also need to be careful about listing employment dates; if you say you spent five years at an employer, but your LinkedIn profile only lists an employment period of three years, hiring managers are likely to wonder why there is a discrepancy. Your profile should contain endorsements and recommendations that show you are a valued member of your industry. If your resume says you have a decade of experience, there's no reason you shouldn't have at least one or two recommendations.

You also need to make sure the educational information listed on your resume matches up with what is in your LinkedIn profile. If your resume says you have a degree, your profile should say you have the same degree. Your LinkedIn profile should also list every educational institution you have attended, along with the degree, diploma or certificate earned at each school. If you are working toward a degree, write "Degree in progress" or list an anticipated graduation date on your resume and in your social media profiles.

Finally, your resume and your LinkedIn profile should contain similar keywords. LinkedIn has a search tool to help recruiters and hiring managers find the best candidates. Many hiring managers search by keyword, so your profile needs to contain the right words and phrases. Insert keywords based on your job title, professional skills and certifications to ensure hiring managers are able to find you.

LinkedIn is a valuable tool for professionals at any level, but you need to use the social network properly. If you think a hiring manager plans to do a resume comparison with your LinkedIn profile, go through your profile and correct any inaccuracies. Print out the text of your profile, and compare it to the text of your resume. If you notice any discrepancies, update your LinkedIn profile immediately.

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