Include your LinkedIn profile URL on your job-search documents

But only if your profile will help you, not hurt you.

I often get this question during an Advanced Résumé workshop, “Should I include my LinkedIn address on my résumé?” My answer to this is, “Sure, as long as your profile will serve you well.” This is to say, your LinkedIn profile must impress prospective employers, not turn them away.

Here are 8 rules to adhere to if you’re going to list your LinkedIn public profile URL on your résumé, personal business cards, cover letter, or even your Twitter handle.

1. Customize your URL. LinkedIn provides a default address that includes additional numbers and letters behind your name. In Edit Profile, click on the cog icon next to your default URL and remove all the additional numbers and letters by simply typing your whole name in the field provided. A public profile URL that is clean tells employers you’re LinkedIn savvy, not a babe in the woods. (One of my customers showed me one of the 250 business cards she had printed, and on them she had failed to customize her URL. Oops.)
2. Your profile must be complete. You’ve probably read many articles about the importance of a complete profile. The bottom line is that a barren profile shows a lack of effort, at the very least, in 1) posting a professional photo; 2) displaying a powerful Branding Headline; 3) presenting a creative, story-telling Summary; 4) including a full Employment section; and 5) utilizing LinkedIn’s added marketing tools.
3. Think about your profile as a compliment to your résumé. In other words, your profile is not your résumé; it is more dynamic. To make your profile more exciting, you can add additional sections to it, such as Skills and Expertise, Certificates, Projects, Languages, Media, and more. LinkedIn aficionados can spot when someone simply copies and pastes their résumé to the profile–not impressive.
4. Be strategic with the layout. Some people don’t know that you’re able to move sections of your profile around. The common layout begins with your Summary, followed by your Experience, then Education. Add additional sections and move them around to indicate what you want employers to see first. Perhaps, like me, you want them to see your Skills and Expertise before Experience. Students may want to place their Education below their Summary.
5. Make it easy for people to find you. If you’re in the job search and prefer not to list your phone number and home address on your profile, I might accept that as an employer. However, if you also don’t list your e-mail address, I’d be on to the next profile. Don’t play hard to get and make it hard for potential employers to find you.
6. Participate. Participate in what? you may wonder. Show employers that you update on a regular basis and that your updates are related to the work you’re pursuing, not about how Big Kitty is doing well after her surgery. Save that for Facebook or Twitter.
7. Show off. I’m not saying go overboard, but make use of the media section as your online portfolio. You can post PowerPoint presentations, videos, audio clips, your résumé, photos of your architectural work (one of my customers did this), and more. Make your profile truly dynamic by doing this.
8. Publish on LinkedIn. Everyone now has the capability to publish long posts on LinkedIn. If you enjoy writing and write well, take advantage of this feature by posting articles on LinkedIn. Simply click on Publish a Post on your homepage and write pertinent information from which your connections will benefit. Oh, you may want to write it first in Word and edit it before publishing. 

If you haven’t followed the above suggestions, sending employers to your profile (via your résumé, business cards, and other written communication) will cause more harm than good.  

Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 17 job search workshops at an urban career center, as well as critiques LinkedIn profiles and conducts mock interviews. Jobseekers and staff look to him for advice on the job search. In addition, Bob has gained a reputation as a LinkedIn authority in the community. Bob’s greatest pleasure is helping people find rewarding careers in a competitive job market. For enjoyment, he blogs at Things Career Related. Follow Bob on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bob_mcintosh_1; connect with him on LinkedIn, https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/bobmcintosh1; read his blog,https://www.thingscareerrelated.com