How to Add a Resume to LinkedIn or Upload Your Own in 2023

The numbers speak for themselves:

Every month over 3 million jobs are posted on LinkedIn in the US alone.

If you really want to get a job, you have to be there. But don’t treat your LinkedIn profile as an online resume. Recruiters check your profile to find info you wouldn't normally put on a formal document.

You need both—

This guide will show you:

• A step-by-step guide to adding your resume to your LinkedIn profile.
• Advice on how to upload a resume when applying for a job through LinkedIn.
• Tips for using LinkedIn Resume Assistant.
• Instructions on how to convert your LinkedIn profile to a resume.

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To get a job you need a strong resume and a strong LinkedIn profile. Discover job-winning LinkedIn profile tips in our guide: 99 LinkedIn Profile Tips

1. How to Upload Your Resume to LinkedIn

The good ol’ “Import resume” feature. But it’s not the end of the world. Though uploading resumes to LinkedIn has become less intuitive, you can still do it.

Follow the steps below and you'll post your resume on LinkedIn in no time:

How to Add a Resume to LinkedIn

1. Go to your profile.
2. Open “Me” dropdown menu in the top right corner and click “View profile.”

3. Click on the pencil icon on the right-hand side of your profile picture to enable edits.

4. Scroll down to Media and click “Upload.”
5. Choose the resume file you have saved to your computer and click “Open.”
6. Add a professional name to your resume file (because the file name and description fields are blank by default.)
7. Click “Apply,” and then “Save.”

It’s that simple.

If you want to update your resume on LinkedIn later, just follow the procedure above.

Pro Tip: Protect your privacy when uploading your resume to your LinkedIn profile and remove all sensitive data from the file (e.g., your address and telephone number).

Your LinkedIn profile is part of your online presence—along with your other social media profiles. Recruiters will check it, so make sure you control what they’ll see: How to Check Your Online Presence Before Recruiters Look You Up

2. Applying for Jobs on LinkedIn? Here’s How to Attach Your Resume to a Job Application

When applying for a job via LinkedIn and not through the company’s website, you can attach your resume directly to your application.

On one condition:

The job ad on LinkedIn has to have an “Easy Apply” button. (And not the “Apply” button that will redirect you to the company’s website or external recruitment software.)

Here’s how to do it:

How to Add Your Resume to a Job Application via LinkedIn

1. Find a job that interests you using the LinkedIn job search.

2. Click on the job description to see the details.

3. Click “Easy Apply” button at the top.

4. Fill in all the required fields.
5. Under “Resume,” select “Upload resume” and upload your resume file.

6. Click “Submit application” when ready.

Attention—

• If you aren’t logged in to LinkedIn, uploading a resume to a job application will be mandatory.
• After you attach your resume to your LinkedIn job application, the job poster will see it and can share it with others within their organization.

This is helpful:

LinkedIn stores your four most recently used resumes submitted to LinkedIn.com or the LinkedIn Mobile App so you can reuse them for your future applications.

However—

If you submit your resume file through the LinkedIn Job Search App, it won’t appear on your Recent Resumes list.

Pro Tip: Keep your resume consistent with your LinkedIn profile—and vice versa. Make sure the dates worked, company names, and responsibilities are the same everywhere. If there are differences, your application will look suspicious.

Trying to follow the trends but not really sure what a good resume should look like in 2023? Check out our guide: What Should a Resume Look Like

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3. How to Download Your LinkedIn Profile as a PDF Resume [+ Pros & Cons]

Downloading your LinkedIn profile as a PDF may feel like the quickest way to create your resume.

After all—

If you’re considering this, it means you already have your profile there.

Indeed, it takes only a few clicks to convert your LinkedIn profile into a PDF:

How to Download Your LinkedIn Profile as a Resume—Step by Step

1. Go to the “Me” icon at the top of the LinkedIn page.
2. Click “View profile.”
3. Click the “More” button in the profile introduction card.
4. Choose “Save to PDF” in the dropdown.

But—

Don’t treat a hard copy of your LinkedIn profile as a ready resume.

Reasons?

Your LinkedIn profile data is rather general so it lets you create a generic resume only. This is bad because to boost your chances of getting hired you should always apply with a resume tailored to a specific job ad.

Plus, if you have lots of text in your LinkedIn profile sections, your generated resume will be way too long and the final PDF file might have a broken layout. This will disqualify you.

Finally—

Truth is LinkedIn profiles and resumes serve different functions:

• Your LinkedIn profile shows your career history but paints a rather semi-formal picture of your professional self. Why? The purpose of LinkedIn is networking. It lets recruiters check your network and browse your activity on the platform (including posts you’ve shared or commented, profile updates, etc.) so I’d recommend to treat it as an addition to your resume—not a substitute.

• Your resume is meant to be a formal overview of your work experience, education, achievements, and career goals. This makes this document more professional—especially when you’re applying for a job in a more traditional industry. Of course, you can still add your LinkedIn profile handle to your resume.

By now, you know these two should live their own lives.

Looking for a quick and effective way to make an appealing resume? Don’t convert your LinkedIn profile. Use one of our 14 best resume templates to download.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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Key Takeaway

So, now you understand how uploading a resume to LinkedIn works. Keep these points in mind when using the platform functions:

• You can still upload your resume to your LinkedIn account in 2023 but you have to do it using your LinkedIn profile edits panel.
• When applying for jobs directly through LinkedIn, you can use the “Easy Apply” button and upload your resume as an addition to your LinkedIn profile handle.
• Resumes submitted to LinkedIn.com or the LinkedIn Mobile App will be available for your future applications, but the ones added through the LinkedIn Job Search App won’t.
• You can convert your LinkedIn profile to a PDF, but don’t treat it as your resume. Your LinkedIn profile and resume are two separate entities that serve different functions.

Have you shared your resume on LinkedIn? Got some more questions on how to add your resume to LinkedIn? Want to share your LinkedIn job application experiences? Drop us a line in the comments below. We’d love to talk!