LinkedIn Profile Versus CV: Which is More Important?

Did you know that 70% of employers are now using social media profiles to aid with the recruitment process? Many social media platforms are trawled for clues as to the personality and suitability of potential hires, and it is vital to consider what you post online for this reason. However, you can use social media to increase your chances of getting a new job when you make use of platforms such as LinkedIn that are designed to help you stand out professionally.

Digital platforms are increasingly important in the job market since unemployment in Ireland is low and so potential employers are reaching out to those individuals they are really impressed by. This is known as passive recruitment and means that you may be headhunted on the strength of the profile you create. This makes LinkedIn a valuable tool in the recruitment process and can give recruiters and managers an insight into your potential.

LinkedIn or CV?

When you’re looking for a new job, your CV is an essential. Your CV or resume is traditionally included with every job application you make, with details of your experience, qualifications and personal details. However, the contemporary job market also relies on platforms like LinkedIn to promote your digital presence and reach a wider audience.

Your LinkedIn profile gives you an excellent opportunity to showcase your personality and work ethic, and you can use this alongside your CV to build your professional identity and optimise your opportunities to secure a new job. Here, we will explore the differences between LinkedIn and your CV and suggest that both are essential for your job hunt.

What is the Best Tool for Recruitment?

Your LinkedIn profile and your CV offer different benefits, and we believe that it is essential to make the most of both to maximise your chances of securing the job you want. Although a CV must be included in a job application, hiring managers and recruiters tend to use LinkedIn routinely to find talented new hires.

Your LinkedIn profile and your CV are both good places to list your professional experience and your qualifications and showcase the attributes that are likely to get you the job of your dreams. A CV is more formal and should be tailored to a specific job to demonstrate your suitability for the role. This is what will be considered by the recruiter or manager who is vetting applications, and a good CV will dramatically increase your chances of getting an interview.

Your LinkedIn profile, however, is a great way to find new job opportunities and grow your professional network. Recruiters and managers will often use LinkedIn as a tool to identify whether you will be suitable for a role in their organisation, so it should demonstrate your professional background and highlight the most important elements of your experience.

Maximising your Chances of Success

You must take your time to ensure that your CV and LinkedIn profile are consistent, as it will be difficult to restore a positive impression if you have already been red flagged by a potential employer who has noticed discrepancies.

Be aware that Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS, are used by many organisations and recruiters to digitally filter applications, and this can mean that your application is immediately rejected if it is missing key words or formatted incorrectly. On LinkedIn, your profile should be a good fit with jobs you are applying for, or it is likely to be rejected. Using essential keywords is important, including technical terms if these are relevant to your industry. You can score bonus points with digital systems by using clear headings and bullet points as well as exemplary spelling and grammar.

It is imperative to consider your career before you post online, and to be aware that it is likely that your potential employers will seek out more information about you by searching for you online or checking out your social media profiles. This applies to your presence on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok as well. Even simple factors such as screen names that are unprofessional can have a big impact on the way employers feel about you. Photos of yourself in compromising situations, whether from a legal or ethical perspective, are a big no-no, and you may be able to increase your chances of being hired by ensuring that your profile matches your career aspirations and shows off your communication skills.

Top Tips for Your LinkedIn Profile and Your CV

There are some essential factors that are relevant to both your CV and your LinkedIn profile, and these include:

1. Update regularly. You should update your CV and your LinkedIn profile regularly, ensuring that the most recent information is available and making both as relevant as possible to the job roles you are currently interested in. Your CV should be customised for every job you apply to and in this way, it is more flexible than the LinkedIn profile, which gives a broader picture of you and your career experience.
2. Showcase your skills. Both LinkedIn and your CV are useful ways to show off your experience and your skills and you can use them together to create a complete picture. For instance, your LinkedIn profile gives you an opportunity to show your professional persona, while your CV enables you to go into detail and focus on specific accomplishments that are relevant to the position you want.
3. Think about presentation. Whenever you are trying to make a good impression on potential employers, you will need to focus on positive presentation. For instance, your CV and your LinkedIn profile should both show off your professionalism with impeccable spelling and grammar, neat bullet points and concise writing. Your profile photo should be a professional headshot – don’t be tempted to use a photo taken on holiday instead!
4. Optimise your keywords. Your LinkedIn profile will be searchable and using relevant keywords means your profile will be more likely to come up when recruiters are searching for certain terms. Think carefully about the words you use and make the most of the algorithms to give your profile an extra boost. Your CV should also be keyword optimised, to increase your chances of making it through the screening stage, whether this is done by hand or digitally, to ensure you tick all the boxes for your potential employers.

In summary, LinkedIn offers a valuable asset when you are in the initial stages of the job search, growing your network and making the most of the opportunity to build your professional brand. Expanding your professional network is an excellent way to find new roles and increase your chances of making connections that lead to new opportunities on your career pathway. However, your CV is an essential way to highlight your skills and experience for a specific role when you make a job application, and a well-constructed CV can help to secure you an interview for the new job you want.

Are You Looking For A Job In Ireland?

CareerWise is Ireland’s leading specialist recruitment firm, based in Cork, Limerick, Galway, Dublin and Mayo. Our professional team specialises in the Engineering, Supply Chain, Science/Pharma, IT and Accounting industries in Ireland, and we will be happy to talk with you today. Contact us online now or call us on +353 (0) 21 206 1900 to arrange a consultation.

Joe Robbins

(Director) BBS (Hons), MBPICS – Shannon Office

Joe Robbins is co-founder of CareerWise Recruitment. A graduate of the University of Limerick (Degree in Business Studies, 1985), Joe worked in the UK for five years where he specialised in materials management, production management and plant management for a number of companies.

He returned to Ireland in 1992 to become Operations Manager for a Cork-based start-up, FMC Automotive Division which was subsequently taken over by Snap-on Equipment. Joe managed the business re-location of this company to Shannon in 1997 before setting up CareerWise Recruitment in 1999.

He is a committee member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Mid-West region, and a former Director and Vice President of the Shannon Chamber of Commerce. Joe is former Chairperson of the Sixmilebridge Camogie Club and current Chairperson of the Clare County Camogie Board.

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