How a LinkedIn Profile Differs from a Resume, and How to Write Each

A resume is tailored to one role, LinkedIn is the storefront people find you through. See the differences, how to write each part, and how to keep them consistent.

Many people finish updating their resume and paste the whole thing into LinkedIn, or the reverse, assuming they are the same document in different places. The result is a LinkedIn profile that reads like a form and a resume that is too long for the role. The two do different jobs. Once you understand each one's purpose, you get more out of both.

The main difference in one sentence

A resume is a document you send to a company to apply for one role. A LinkedIn profile is a storefront where recruiters, people in your field and clients find you on their own, even when you are not applying for anything.

Comparing them point by point

Purpose

• Resume: get an interview for the role you applied to
• LinkedIn: help people searching find you, understand what you do and want to reach out

Readers

• Resume: HR, the hiring manager and that company's ATS
• LinkedIn: recruiters from many companies, peers, clients and people you just met at an event

Tone and length

• Resume: concise, formal, no first-person pronouns, usually one to two pages
• LinkedIn: more conversational, I is fine, longer storytelling, and you can add work samples, links, images or documents

Tailoring

• Resume: adjust it every time for the role you apply to
• LinkedIn: there is only one version, so it should convey your overall career direction, not a single role

A resume answers why you fit this role. LinkedIn answers who you are in this field.

Write LinkedIn to do its job

Headline

Do not put only your title and company. Say what you do and for whom. Example: Performance Marketer | Helping e-commerce brands cut ad costs with data | Meta Ads, GA4. The words here help recruiters who search find you.

About

Write three short paragraphs. The first says what field you work in and what you are good at. The second gives two or three results or projects you are proud of. The last says what opportunities interest you and how to reach you.

Experience

You can include key results as on your resume, but choose ones that show the big picture of each job rather than tailoring to one role, and add links to work in the Featured section.

Write your resume to do its job

• Start from the job description and select only the most relevant experience.
• Use key terms from the job posting naturally so both the ATS and people pick them up.
• Write results using: what you did, how, and what came of it.
• Cut unrelated sections, even work you are proud of.

Keep both consistent

Many recruiters open your LinkedIn after reading your resume. If the information does not match, credibility drops immediately. Check these three things.

1. Company names, titles, months and years match everywhere.
2. Your current role on LinkedIn is up to date.
3. Your LinkedIn link is in your resume's contact details, with a short, readable custom URL.

The level of detail can differ, as long as the facts match.

Watch out for

• If you are employed and job hunting quietly, be careful with public job-seeking signals. Use the setting that shows only recruiters instead, and read the setting details before turning it on.
• Do not include confidential company or client information in your results, on LinkedIn or your resume.
• If AI helps you write your About section, rewrite it in your own voice. Text that sounds like everyone else's will not make anyone remember you.

How to start

1. Write a master resume that contains all your experience.
2. Create a LinkedIn headline and About section that show your overall career direction.
3. Check that company names, titles and dates match in both places.
4. Each time you apply, tailor a resume from the master version for that role.
5. Update LinkedIn whenever you have a new result or role, not only when job hunting.

Continue with Optimising your LinkedIn profile for recruiters and Writing a LinkedIn headline, and let Resume Lab check your resume before you send it.