Do you need a CV in the age of LinkedIn?

Category: Tips and Advice Publish date: 24/04/2017

LinkedIn is currently used by over 467 million professionals around the world. With statistics showing that up to 92% of recruiters now use networking platforms such as LinkedIn to find qualified candidates; your online presence is more important than ever.

As a result does this mean CV’s are now extinct?

Simply put, absolutely not! Having a targeted CV is still very relevant and an important tool in the job finding process.
As a Service leaver, dipping your toe into the job market for the first time can feel overwhelming and perhaps even confusing. Therefore having the confidence and ability to utilise every tool and resource at your disposal is vital to assist with successful job finding. These tools can include your Career Consultant or Employment Advisor; completing relevant CTP workshops and training courses, our dedicated job site RightJob, and utilising your network of contacts, as well as social media platforms such as LinkedIn.

Utilising the support and resources available to you will most definitely help focus your resettlement in a constructive way, reassure you that your plan is viable and, ensure that by your discharge date you are already competent with job applications and interviews (that’s if you haven’t already landed your ideal job!).

It's important to understand how CVs and LinkedIn are different job search tools.

Understanding LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media site where professionals can connect, and your profile is tailored to a different audience than that of your CV. In today's era of social recruitment, your LinkedIn profile often becomes a first point of contact with a recruiter / employer.

It is an active document that can be regularly revised as you add status updates, receive and provide recommendations from managers and colleagues, and interact with others. You are not constrained by how much you can fit on a page. Used properly, LinkedIn can be a very effective way of raising your profile and marketing yourself. It's less about a list of what you have done in the past and more focused on letting people know what you can do and how you can benefit their business.

Think of LinkedIn as your full-bodied personal branding vehicle. This is your chance to tell your career story in an interesting way, NOT just a copy and paste of your CV!

You can use this platform as part of your job search strategy, seeking out job posts, doing your research, and identifying people for fact-finding interviews for example.

Recruiters and employers think LinkedIn is a great way of finding candidates. LinkedIn is a huge database and by using relevant key words they can quickly find the people they need. If they look you up what will they find? A partly completed profile or nothing at all? If you are not found at all, what message are you giving to the recruiter? Perhaps that you are a techno-dinosaur, or other negative impressions?

In addition to its networking function, LinkedIn is a publishing platform. Users can share their knowledge and insights on their LinkedIn wall, on their Pulse blog, or in LinkedIn groups. Since LinkedIn is also searchable and user profiles can be found by others searching for specific key phrases, company names, job titles, and other search criteria, it's a great way to be found by people who may be looking for a professional with your skills.

The Importance of a Targeted CV

Whilst LinkedIn provides you with an interractive marketing tool to showcase 'brand you', your CV is still the document with which you will apply for a specific job. Your CV is vital as a career overview and introduction to employers, recruiters, and network contacts.

Your CV will be much more specific than your LinkedIn profile, and should be targeted directly against the essential and desirable criteria for the role you’re applying for. This will be different for every job application and therefore updating your CV to reflect this is absolutely essential!

LinkedIn is a great place to attract attention to your professional skills and qualifications, but it may not land you a job interview. Many recruiters and hiring managers still want to see a CV. If your LinkedIn profile does get you the interview, congratulations! However, if a CV is requested and you don't have one, you could miss out on some opportunities.

For this reason, you should polish your CV and keep it up to date. When networking, point potential employers to your LinkedIn profile, but keep a CV on hand so that you demonstrate initiative, drive, and a master over soft skills that are critical to getting the job.

LinkedIn Top Tips

• Write in the first person, not the third; include insight into your personality and character, not just what you have done; emphasise key words and accomplishments.
• Include key words throughout your profile. For example, 'project management' or 'NEBOSH'.
• Take account of your company confidentiality policy, and do not include any confidential details. If currently in work don't tick the looking for job opportunities box - you will still be found, don't make it obvious you are looking.
• Aim for five to eight recommendations but get as many as you can, it's far more effective to have other people write a recommendation than you talk about how good you are.
• Improve your visibility by asking questions, providing answers and joining relevant groups.
• Join groups related to your background and desired goal so you can identify relevant jobs.
• Include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your CV and email signature to encourage people to find out more about you.

Don’t forget your Career Consultant or Employment Advisor can help with reviewing your CV and LinkedIn profile - plus, check out the CTP Enhancement Webinar: Social Media, for a 1.5 hour online workshop on social media networking.