LinkedIn, the new Resume & Cover Page

I recently read a LinkedIn post where a new college grad asked for feedback regarding if cover letters are really necessary in addition to resumes. My response was I guess it really depends on the company you’re applying for and what’s their recruiting/hiring process. Is it an automated keyword text searchable recruiting tool? Does the company print hard copy resumes and cover letters? It also depends on the hiring managers. Do they like stacks of hard copy resumes on their desk? Many managers today don’t have desks, or cubes, so digital formats are preferred. With tablets, and mobile technology, it’s really easy to view a resume/cover letter anywhere.

Being a little longer in the tooth, I was able to experience reviewing both hard copy and digital resumes/cover letters over the years as a hiring manager. I’ve also provided career coaching advice (mainly from the law enforcement community looking to transition to the corporate world www.coptocorporate.com). The majority of people that paid for professional resume services tell a similar story: They were instructed to provide a cover letter and a resume in a fairly standard format. There seems to be a strict protocol on resume creation from professional resume services. I recommend anyone who pays a professional service is to ask the person they are paying “how many people have you hired in your lifetime, and how many for the industry that I’m applying for?” If they are unable to provide details on their experience with hiring, then they are really basing everything on industry past practice and theory. Part of my job is to review resumes and make hiring decisions, so my opinion may carry a little more weight on this topic.

I prefer to look at candidate's LinkedIn profiles and really like when candidates embed a link within their resumes as I rarely look at hard copies anymore. I've done this years before the Microsoft LinkedIn acquisition - so no shameless plug here :-). I also look at how consistent candidate’s resume are to what they have on their LinkedIn profile since many update their profile regularly. LinkedIn profiles provide much more information on candidates such as their current work experience, network, interests, posts, endorsements, and there are times the hiring managers may be connected to some of the candidate's connections.

I know it's difficult for new college graduates to have a deep body of work, but even while in college, you can build a nice, professional profile on LinkedIn. On a personal note, I urged my son Ivan (who recently graduated from college and is a freelance fashion professional in NYC) to use LinkedIn in addition to other social media. He didn’t really see LinkedIn as cool and declined to. I gently persuaded him to get a profile, and he finally took my advice and even with his limited work experience (mostly internships), he was able to articulate his body of work in his industry and able to successfully compete for contract freelance work.

Will LinkedIn be the new cover letter & resume of the future? I think so, and I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on this.

*Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of Microsoft.