Sending a LinkedIn Profile Instead of a Resume

Sending a LinkedIn Profile Instead of a Resume Q: When applying for a job, why can’t we send a link to our LinkedIn page rather than a traditional resume? There’s more information on my page than I could ever fit on a one-page resume, and it looks great. A: Well, because they’re not asking for that. And they’re not asking for that for many reasons: * Most employers want your resume in their applicant tracking system, and most systems aren’t set up to take LinkedIn pages. * Most employers find it easier to have things in the format that’s easiest for them, rather than in whatever format applicants prefer to provide. When you’re screening hundreds of resumes, it’s a lot easier to have a consistent format. * The traditional resume format gives employers the info they want quickly. When you say that there’s more information on on your LinkedIn page than you could ever fit on a traditional resume, that’s not necessarily an advantage. Hiring managers don’t want loads of info at this stage; they want to see very specific categories of information distilled down to the key points, so they can get what they need quickly. A resume gives the amount of information they want at this stage. (That said, since you mentioned a one-page resume, do note that you’re allowed to have a two-page resume as long as you’re not just a few years out of school.) Read More: This is a resume and cover letter that work * People often put different types of information on LinkedIn than on a resume. For example, your might have accomplishments that your company would be fine with you listing on a resume but wouldn’t want publicly posted on LinkedIn (for example, because it’s a semi-confidential or at least not blare-to-the-world type of project, or because it involves working on some area of company weakness). * Many employers still print paper copies of candidates they’re phone-screening or interviewing, and LinkedIn doesn’t print well. * You can tailor a resume for a particular job posting, which you can’t do with LinkedIn. Ultimately, I think you’re falling into a relatively common trap of thinking about more about what you’d like to be able to send rather than what employers prefer to receive. And at the very start of the process, when they know nothing about you other than that you’re one of possibly hundreds of candidates, they want you to use the system that works best for them. Read More: How long can your resume be? Q: My coworker announced all the reasons I shouldn’t get a promotion, in front of our coworkers At my work, we are currently in-between team leaders, and the position is being advertised. I have been performing many of the functions of this role for some time now, as we had a part-time person who was only “acting” in the role. I decided to put my name forward, but haven’t been very vocal about this to the wider team. My reasons for this are both that I don’t think they need to know at this stage, as well as wanting to save face, should I not be successful (having to explain it to everyone while also dealing with the disappointment, etc., no thanks). Anyway, today one of the more vocal team members asked me point blank if I had applied for the role. They did so very loudly in a room full of other colleagues. At that point, it felt like my options were to fess up or point-blank lie to them and say no. I chose to acknowledge that I had applied, and this person then proceeded to list off reasons why they thought I wouldn’t be suitable. I felt I did a reasonable good job at responding, but I’m feeling quite annoyed to have been put in that position in the first place. Am I overreacting, was my colleague out of line, should I say something, and could I have handled the situation better? Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  Playback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions and subtitles off, selectedAudio TrackFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window. A: Your coworker was definitely out of line. The initial question in front of others â€" well, not great, but sometimes people are really thoughtless about this kind of thing. But then listing off all the reasons why you weren’t right for the job? Really rude and really inappropriate. It sounds like you handled it fine. You were put on the spot, and you don’t want to say you didn’t apply when you did. He put you in an awkward position, and then behaved like a boor. Read More: How much do resume gaps matter? I wouldn’t do anything further at this point though; I don’t think there’s anything to gain by bringing it back up with him. These questions are adapted from ones that originally appeared on Ask a Manager. Some have been edited for length.