When it comes to any job transition, the missing link for most is not placing their LinkedIn Uniformed Resource Locator (URL) right under their name, phone, and email within the first part of their resume..
LinkedIn does a great job of helping everyone get a custom URL. By clicking on this link, every user can add that custom link to their profile. I tell my students to put the search terms “custom URL and LinkedIn.” That effort will get you this link.
Meg Guiseppi, one of my LinkedIn connections, recently posted “What is the Perfect Executive Resume?”
For every job seeker, I would put this article into your “must read” file.
“Space is limited in a resume, so you may need to exclude some things,” she wrote about two weeks ago.
And, that’s where LinkedIn can come to the rescue. It can add more details, recommendations and other data to a resume.
Think of LinkedIn as that classic sourdough starter that my wife uses to make baked goods. By adding a well-crafted URL to the resume, this simple addition can motivate some people to find what one of my students termed the “gold nuggets” of their story.
Adding the LinkedIn URL on a resume provides one way to share this resource. If you’re speaking at a conference, I’d put that LinkedIn URL at the start of your slide deck. This allows people to capture your profile. Even better, you can download the slides through LinkedIn's SlideShare and ask that your audience follow along with your talk.
I also place my LinkedIn URL as part of my email signature and on my business cards. That's a pretty simple way to encourage people to find those amazing attributes of your career.
Finally, if you have a high school student who is competing for scholarships, adding the LinkedIn URL will encourage those on the scholarship committee to want to review their volunteer experiences and work history.
The scholarship applications like the resume are somewhat limited in space. I have spent five years reviewing requests for college funding for my Catholic parish scholarship fund so I know the space limitation. I have yet to see one request with that time with a LinkedIn URL.
Not using the URL within a resume, business cards, a professional speech or in a scholarship application reminds me of the classic Bible verse about the bushel basket and one's candlelight. "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house," wrote St. Matthew in the Gospel.
Here's hoping that you find the opportunity to expand your outreach by following these simple tips to convey your goals and value statement.