Many people are under the impression that as LinkedIn is a professional networking site, they should make their profile on the site as close as possible to their resume. There are some who just copy their resume as LinkedIn profile which is incorrect. There are lots of differences between your resume and your LinkedIn profile that will be highlighted in this article.
These can be many valid reasons for your resume to be different from your LinkedIn profile. For one they are seen by different audiences. A resume is a piece of paper that you forward to HR of a company to be considered for a particular post. It is seen for a brief time period (may be a minute). Then it is seen by those who are part of the interview process. Your resume is used by these people to prepare questions to know you in a better way. On the other hand, your LinkedIn profile is seen by countless people of varying backgrounds. Of course it is seen by those who may be thinking of hiring a person like you, but it is also seen by your friends, colleagues and people you do not know. Give them something to bite on, and not just your resume.
A resume is paper, where as LinkedIn profile is in electronic form and dynamic at that. You can change or modify your profile as many times as you want whereas resume is something that is more or less permanent and you change or modify it only when there is a change in your career achievements or when you have joined or left a company. In fact, LinkedIn profile gives you an opportunity to let others know the sort of person you are which is not possible in a resume.
If you have distributed your resume to prospective employers, they naturally look up to your LinkedIn profile if they are interested. If your resume is all they see as your profile on LinkedIn, their enthusiasm is somewhat dampened. They want to know more about you as a person which is why your LinkedIn profile must be much more interesting than your resume.
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In brief: • Many people commit the mistake of copying their resume as their LinkedIn profile which is wrong. • Resume is solely for the purpose of applying for a job, whereas LinkedIn profile is meant for friends, colleagues and others who do not know you. Of course it is read by prospective employers also, but they read it to know you more as a person that your credentials alone.
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