LinkedIn Profile or Résumé?

As a coach, I often get asked if a LinkedIn profile is more relevant than a resume. As with so many things - it depends. Both are only as good as the person they maintain it. There are many ways to evaluate the relationship between given and received recommendations, contacts, and other parameters, but unless you hire a social media manager they may or may not be relevant as they mostly represent the past. Then there is the discussion about doing versus talking and all you see is the talking/writing that is all about what happened. As a coach, I support people in their presence and that's what headhunters look for. Your track record is relevant only to the extent as it can show what you DO. What you DO, not what you did, have done, will do, or could do.

As a recruiter, a manager, and as a candidate ask what's important to you and to the person you interact with. How does the world show up for them? Listen deeply and with attention. And trust your gut. This is harder than just looking at numbers “Sold $1bn in refrigerators on the North Pole last year” or success stories “Sold a milking machine to a farmer and took the only cow as payment”. You will meet, engage, hire, interact with people you enjoy being with and be successful with. No matter whether they work for you in sales or you work for their company or you build a startup or a family.