How To Upload Your Resume To LinkedIn (4 Options: Step-By-Step Guide)

LinkedIn is an online networking site that helps connect job seekers with recruiters, hiring managers, and advance professional networks. In the digital age, networking is done both in-person and online and LinkedIn is the place to be for the online version.

Your LinkedIn profile is like an online resume– it gives people an idea of who you are as a career professional. It includes job experience details, your education, and it can be completely customized to you.

If you are filling out your first LinkedIn profile or are updating an old one, you may stumble upon this question: “Should I upload my resume to LinkedIn?” The answer is, it depends on where you are uploading it.

Key Takeaways:

• For most cases, it is best not to upload your resume to your LinkedIn profile.

• It’s better to upload an application-specific resume to a job application through LinkedIn.

• If you do upload your resume to your profile, remember to protect your privacy and know that your job search is no longer private.

How to Upload Your Resume to LinkedIn: Featured Media Method

There are two ways to upload your resume to LinkedIn: add your resume as “Featured Media” or upload your resume as you apply for a job using LinkedIn’s Easy Apply feature.

We’ll cover the “Featured Media” method first, although we find it less useful than using Easy Apply. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Go to your LinkedIn profile (beneath your profile picture)

2. Press “Add Profile Section”

3. Select “Featured” and then “Media” from the drop-down menu

4. Select your resume document from wherever it is located on your computer

As we said earlier, we don’t recommend posting your resume to your LinkedIn profile like this. At the very least, you should modify your resume so that the contact information you don’t want publically available is removed. After all, if someone sees your resume on LinkedIn and likes it, they can message you on LinkedIn!

While you can change your privacy settings so random people won’t see this stuff, recruiters and hiring managers who might be interested in you later are just random people right now, which makes this option a bit of a Catch 22.

On top of that, you can list your work experience elsewhere on your LinkedIn profile. The picture of your resume is basically unnecessary and will do more harm than good as a job seeker. Recruiters won’t notice an uploaded photo nearly as much as a regularly updated work history section on your LinkedIn profile.

How to Upload Your Resume to LinkedIn: Easy Apply Method

Method two of uploading your resume to LinkedIn involves using the “Easy Apply” feature. We wholeheartedly recommend that you use this feature.

As its name implies, it’s easy. Not to mention that it allows you to customize your resume for each job application, which is always a good idea. Here’s a step-by-step guide for that process:

1. Press the “Jobs” button at the top of the page

2. Look for a job with the “Easy Apply” tag on the bottom

3. Select that job and then press the “Easy Apply” button below the job title

4. Fill out your contact information and press “Next”

5. Press “Upload resume” and then select your resume document from wherever it is located on your computer; then press “Next”

6. Answer any additional questions about your years of experience and press “Review”

7. Review your information and click “Submit application”

Note that your resume must be uploaded as a DOC, DOCX, or PDF file.

By default, LinkedIn will automatically store recently uploaded resumes. To see these saved files and manage settings related to your resumes on LinkedIn, start by pressing “Jobs” at the top of the page.

Then, press “More” (on the top of the page, below “Jobs”). Select “Application Settings.” From there, you can manage your resumes and saved answers.

How to Upload Your Resume to LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

This option is probably the safest one and makes the best use of LinkedIn. Simply fill out all of the sections of your LinkedIn profile, and almost all of the important elements you’d expect on a resume will be there.

Sure, your work experience and summary won’t be perfectly tailored to the job you’re interested in, but they’ll serve well enough as an introduction for any recruiter who’s interested in you. If you’re having a tough time filling out your LinkedIn profile, we have tips that guide you through the most important parts of the process.

We still recommend coupling this strategy LinkedIn Easy Apply to make the fullest use of LinkedIn and all of its features.

How to Upload Your Resume to LinkedIn: LinkedIn Post

Making a LinkedIn post of your resume is one option to let your network know you’re in the market for a job while also getting feedback. It’s not usually the best method, but it can be a lowkey way of putting out a feeler to all of your connections.

Here’s how to share your resume as a LinkedIn post:

1. Click “Start a Post.” This can be found in the oval box in the top-center part of your LinkedIn feed.

2. Click the “Add a document” icon. The icon looks like a document and is third from the left at the bottom of the “Create a post” screen.

3. Choose where to upload the file from. You can upload directly from your computer, from Dropbox, or from Google Drive. We recommend using a PDF file.

4. Select “Done.” At the bottom right of the screen.

People can now download this file from the post.

Should I Upload My Resume to LinkedIn?

Before uploading your resume to LinkedIn, you should think about what kind of impact that could have on your job search and your privacy.

While it is an option, uploading your resume to your profile may not be the best decision and you should think carefully before you do.

Your LinkedIn profile is a public space — all of your connections (at the very least) will have access to that information. But the information posted on LinkedIn versus your usual resume has one huge difference: contact information.

On your resume, you may have your address, phone number, and other personal information. Do you want that readily accessible to anyone who is a connection of yours on LinkedIn?

For many profiles, if someone has your profile link, they can read everything posted on your profile. Don’t make it easy for your identity to get stolen.

If you upload your resume to your profile, you might come across as desperately looking for a job, which just fuels the question, “if they are such a good candidate, why are they so desperate?”

Your resume should be specific for each job, tweaked to perfection so that recruiters know you are specifically qualified for that particular position. If you put it on your profile, then you don’t allow room for tailoring the resume to job applications.

In other words, it can appear lazy to upload your resume to LinkedIn, especially if you do this instead of building a LinkedIn profile.

You may already have a job and want your job search to be private. If you add your resume to your profile, then your current employer could see that.

If you have your resume uploaded to the profile, then there are fewer reasons for a recruiter to contact you. It makes you feel less human as a candidate.

If you have an amazing profile, then recruiters will be intrigued and will contact you to learn more and to ask for a resume. Then the real conversation begins and it will help them connect you as a person with your skills detailed on your profile and resume.

However, if you want your resume to be as freely available as possible for recruiters, are fine with people know you are seeking jobs publicly, and can keep private contact details off your resume, then uploading your resume to your profile may be a good decision for you.

If you are not sure what to choose, it is best to err on the side of safety and keep it off your profile, but that doesn’t mean recruiters won’t be able to see it easily.

When you apply for jobs directly through LinkedIn, you can upload it with the job application. Then you can make your resume specific to the job application.

Resume vs. LinkedIn Profile

You may be tempted to upload your resume to LinkedIn and call it a day. But LinkedIn serves a completely different function than your resume.

Your resume is a formal history of your professional life that includes work experience, education, accomplishments, skills, and other sections depending on your format and experience level.

It’s perfectly okay to include a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile on your resume, so recruiters and hiring managers can peruse if they’re curious enough about you.

Your LinkedIn profile, on the other hand, is a little less formal. It’s a networking platform, so you’re still self-promoting, but in a more casual way. Use that to your advantage by letting your personality shine throughout your LinkedIn profile.

Hiring managers and recruiters want to see what you’re interested in (professionally), and LinkedIn is a great place to find out what actually makes you tick as a professional. Follow our tips for a perfect LinkedIn profile, and you’ll have no reason at all to throw a picture of your generic resume on there.

Final Thoughts

Applying for jobs can be a hectic time in your life. Knowing what to add to your LinkedIn profile and what to not add is important to make a good impression on future employers.

In most cases, it is best to avoid uploading a resume to your LinkedIn profile because of privacy concerns and the negative impression it can make on employers. However, direct applications for jobs through LinkedIn allows private, job-specific resume uploads.

No matter what you choose, be conscious of what you want to be public and private on the internet. And with these tips, you can be sure that your resume and LinkedIn profiles land you your next job.

Author

Heidi Cope

Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.