Business

How to Write a Professional LinkedIn Resume That Will Help You Stand Out?

By Ryan Bradman | November 9, 2022

Table of Contents

Competing on LinkedIn is a challenging task. The platform organizes professionals from different areas and specializations. Each of them wants to land the right job. So, applicants need impressive resumes to help them stand out among other candidates. A straightforward way is to apply to a LinkedIn writing service and get the job done. Professional writers can create a proper presentation out of any resume and make it work on LinkedIn.

This article will explore tips and advice on creating a professional resume to help any specialist shine in their niche.

LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn profile is a professional resource that a job seeker should use with caution. The profile should be clear for the sake of attention attraction. The profile briefly describes a person’s professional life and expertise. However, a profile is only an introduction to the expertise, and a resume is a primary document for a job seeker.

Professional Look

A hiring manager spends six seconds on a resume on average. Therefore, a resume has to grab the hiring manager’s attention in less than six seconds. Otherwise, it will end at the bottom of the pile and never get attention. Therefore, a polished look is one of the criteria of a professional resume.

A professional look implies the usage of proper formatting and layout. In addition, the composition has to be readable and clean looking. The following settings will work for most cases,

Professional font: Helvetica, Calibri, Georgia;
No more than one and a half pages;
1.15 line & paragraph spacing;
1-inch margins.

Professional formatting is a part of a resume being ATS-friendly. In addition, many hiring companies use automated applicant tracking software, and this software discard resumes that do not meet the formatting requirements.

The layout choice plays a vital part too. A candidate must show the most prominent career development and achievement at the top of their resume. Therefore, the reverse-chronological order will fit the best for a LinkedIn resume. A resume should clearly distinguish sections and show the most relevant ones atop.

Experience and Skills

When candidates show their expertise in a resume, they should demonstrate relevant achievements. For example, a simple list of performed duties may indicate that a candidate fulfilled specific tasks. Yet, accomplishments will speak louder and will help stand out.

For example, managers may note that they increased the company’s monthly profit. An accountant may say about the optimization of the budgets, etc. The point of the experience section is to demonstrate how previous workplaces benefited from the worker.

Naturally, a resume should mirror the information from a LinkedIn profile. A certain level of customization is available, but candidates should stay within the primary source. It would be wise to spend some time and make sure that the resume and the profile align.

In the reverse chronological layout, the most recent job positions should be at the top, while the beginning of a career should be at the bottom. If a candidate changes many occupations, only the most relevant to the desired position should be on the list.

Skills section

The skills section should come after the experience in reversed chronological order. Generally, skills have two sections: hard and soft, and both are relevant and should have their place. A candidate should consult a job description for the exact wording for skills.

ATS bots scan resumes for keywords from a new job description or on the company’s website. For example, a candidate may have the necessary specialization, but the wrong wording may need to be clarified for the bot. Therefore, finding matching points in a resume and job description is essential to increase the chances of landing the job.

Entry-level resume

A skill-focused layout will be ideal if a resume does not have a long list of job positions.

The skill-based layout places the candidate’s skills at the top of the resume, then the experience and job positions. The most important rule for a resume is that the experience section should not be empty. Even entry-level positions require at least some amount of work experience.

Volunteering, passion projects, or industry internships are valid options for mentioning in the experience section.

Education

Education is a background for skills and experience. Usually, this section is short and shows only critical information: high school degree and GPA, if it is high enough. A candidate may include additional information, such as achievements from university life. However, they should be strictly related to the position in question. If there’s nothing else except the diploma information, this section should only take up a little space in the resume.

Additional Information

A section with additional information is an excellent chance to stand out among other candidates. Usually, this section includes hobbies, additional certifications, and other activities. The key idea behind this section is to show that a candidate treats the given position seriously. Therefore, they spend their free time in activities related to the desired job position.

For example, a personal blog related to the industry and a creative portfolio linked to the job requirements is great ways to show your contribution to the company. Attended seminars and additional certificates should be listed in this section as well.

A candidate should list only activities and hobbies related to the job position. A hiring manager will learn about a candidate as a person during work hours. In the resume, additional information should emphasize the qualification and expertise and solidify the professional image of a candidate.

Bottom Line

A professionally-looking resume is the best way to stand out among all other job seekers. A resume should reflect the same information as the LinkedIn profile, and minor customization to the desired position is possible.

Reverse chronological layout and professional formatting are the best options for the resume. They show the most recent applicant’s achievements. In addition, this approach allows ATS bots and hiring managers to immediately notice the most crucial information.

Qualification should be supported by concrete examples in the experience and education section. Finally, personal information should show a candidate’s dedication to the chosen job position and interest.