Resumes are a pain in the behind to write, and so many people have anxiety about doing it right that I’m going to let you in on a big secret: There isn’t a “right” way to write a resume.
Oh sure, there are plenty of wrong ways. Huge text blocks, grammar errors, and listing tasks rather than accomplishments are the wrong things. But, there are many right ways to do a resume that can reflect your own personal style.
And including links is a good way to do it.
This isn’t appropriate for every resume and every person, but here are some good reasons to add links to your resume.
- Your name is common, making it difficult to find you on LinkedIn. Many recruiters and hiring managers will want to see your LinkedIn profile, and it’s easier to add a hyperlink. Like this: LinkedIn Profile. Note, I didn’t write out the URL; I just put the hyperlink in. You can do it like this as well: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannemlucas/, but make sure you turn it into a clickable hyperlink.
- You have publications or a portfolio. If you’re looking for an academic job and you have a zillion publications, continue to do your resume (or CV, as is often done in academics), as the stuffy people at the top expect. For everyone else, a nice link to your portfolio will help. For instance, I just coached someone through a resume rewrite who did a lot of professional blog writing. Putting in a link allows the hiring manager or recruiter to check her out quickly.
- The job you are applying for involves social media. There’s no way to convince me you’re good at social media if I can’t see what you’ve done. I want to see for myself what you’ve been tweeting (professionally), your (professional) Instagram pages, and (shudder) your professional TikToks. I don’t want to see your personal stuff, but if you’ve done social media professionally, I want to see samples of your work.
Do you have to include links in your resume? Of course not. (Remember, there’s no one right way to do a resume!) And will some recruiters hate it if you do? Yes, of course. But some recruiters check your right heel to see if it’s scuffed, which is supposed to be an indication of your attention to detail. I wish I were joking.
I asked recruiters what they thought, and the response was overwhelmingly in favor of links. Here’s a sampling:
Absolutely yay. Since most resumes are opened electronically I like having the links to get to their LinkedIn profile, personal web page, portfolio, or other document that I don’t need to search for or print.
— Carol Albert (@PeopleSideOfBiz) April 15, 2021
I use links for patents or publications
— Erik Burd (@erikburd) April 14, 2021
Hi Suzanne! I would have 2 separate resumes. One that is plain & Applicant Tracking System (ATS) friendly that will avoid any issues (there’s a free template in my bio you can use for it) & then transferring your info to a more creative, graphical one to share in emails
— David Paykin (@davidpaykin) April 15, 2021
I’m thinking it’s time to treat candidates as the grownups they are, who are seeking a mutually beneficial work contract. If this was a vendor we would likely be impressed
— Amanda @ The Conscious Inclusion System (@AmandaKnightEQ) April 15, 2021
Yup I find it drives engagement easier for recruiters
— Adam Karpiak (@Adam_Karpiak) April 14, 2021
Think about whether it makes sense for you to include links in your resume. It just might.
You say, “There isn’t a “right” way to write a resume.”
Now you will probably start getting hate mail from a certain segment of your readership, and emails from a certain number of job seekers starting with, “But I was told my resume has to….”
Well, I’m here to give you 100 “attaboy’s” (or in your case, “attagirl’s”) for this comment.
Oh, that more people would adopt this view.
The link to my portfolio is on my resume and on the letterhead in my cover letter. A lot of online applications include a field for you to post your LinkedIn profile link. If the application only has a general website field, I paste the portfolio link there. I want them to see it, I don’t always have space in the cover letter to point it out, and my LinkedIn is at the bottom of that page anyway.