How to Easily Upload / Download Your Resume on LinkedIn
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Are you on LinkedIn?
You most likely know the benefits of being on the network and that’s why you joined. From the millions of job opportunities to the availability of quality connections from whom you can learn and grow your career, this network has a lot to offer.
One of the things we always recommend to users is to ensure that they have a great LinkedIn profile. Your profile on LinkedIn is your primary way of introducing yourself to other professionals on the network.
If you know that first impressions are important, then you need to get this one right.
Moreover, did you know that employers look you up on LinkedIn before deciding whether to call you for an interview? This is why our resume templates make provision for a LinkedIn profile link. However, even if you don’t provide one, you’ll still be checked out.
LinkedIn provides you with many different tools to help you easily land a job or even rank highly on the radar of a potential employer. In case you didn’t know, employers usually check out people on LinkedIn so they can see who can fill a vacancy even before it comes along. They then build a database of potential hires who they contact when the opening is available.
Watch this video for tips and tools to get your LinkedIn profile to the next level.
For you the current or future job seeker, things have been made relatively easy for you too. If you’re interested in using the network to its maximum, you’ll realize that there is so much that LinkedIn offers.
In this post, we want to show you one of the ways LinkedIn helps you in your job search and application process.
Since there are jobs on the network, it means that when applying, you have to send your resume.
LinkedIn provides you with a means of uploading your resume into your profile. This comes in handy when making quick job applications as you don’t have to get to your email or mobile device to access it.
At the same time, from your profile, you can easily download all the content you shared and use it to generate a resume. This can save you lots of time instead of writing a resume from scratch.
Since there are different ways of doing these things, we want to show you how to go about it. Each method has its own pros and cons. Whichever method you prefer, keep going with it. You can also change to a more convenient one depending on your specific needs.
Let’s look at these methods and see how much LinkedIn can make your professional life easier.
HOW TO UPLOAD YOUR RESUME ON LINKEDIN
One of the most important documents for your career is the resume. How can you maximize the use of LinkedIn as far as your resume is concerned?
We’ll look at three easy ways of uploading your resume onto LinkedIn. These will help you be able to apply for jobs and even showcase your qualifications and professional experiences.
Here are the three ways of doing it.
1. Uploading your resume via settings
This is an easy way of getting your resume onto LinkedIn. And more than that, it probably gives you the most convenience when it comes to applying for jobs on the site.
In using this option, you choose to take advantage of LinkedIn’s feature of storing up to four of your recently-uploaded resumes. In other words, you can upload up to four different resumes which you can quickly use to apply for a job.
Obviously, these four resumes shouldn’t be the same. They should be different and tweaked to fit certain job types.
Despite this convenience, we’ll tell you this: having four resumes to choose from for jobs isn’t the best way to go about job hunting. Every job is unique and if you’re to increase your chances, you have to tailor your resume to every job.
All the same, you might have a situation where you’ve seen an ad and need a quick application. One reason might be that the deadline to apply is almost due. In such a case, using one of your resumes already on the site becomes useful.
So how do you get your 4 resumes onto LinkedIn?
Visit the Job application settings and ensure that the setting for saving resumes and answers is on. If the setting is currently off, use the toggle button to the right to switch it on.
Once that is switched on, scroll down to the section labeled Manage your resumes. Here you’ll see a button for uploading your resume. You can upload up to four resumes and they can only be in either Microsoft Word or PDF format.
There is also a file size limit which you must observe. Any resume file you seek to upload must not be more than 5MB. In most cases, your resume won’t be anywhere near 5MB. This is because resumes are mostly text.
However, when you include a picture of yourself in the resume, and the picture is high resolution enough, the size can be an issue. But this isn’t really likely to be the case since such images are usually headshots. Just to be safe, keep your resume’s size well below that limit.
2. Uploading your resume during the job application process
The second way you can upload your resume onto LinkedIn is when you’re applying for a job on the site. As a networking platform for professionals with over 30 million companies and 20 million job openings, obviously there must be a way to get your resume on the site for job applications.
Yes there is a way, because LinkedIn works hard to ensure they make it easier for companies to get the talent they want and for job seekers, the jobs they seek.
The first thing you do is search for a job on LinkedIn.
Once you spot a job you believe you qualify for, go ahead and click or tap (if using a mobile device) on the job title.
Next, click or tap on the Easy Apply button. This is your gateway to uploading your resume during the job application process. Below is an image showing a job opening with the Easy Apply button.
After clicking or tapping on the button, you’ll be taken through some fields which you’re required to fill.
Under Resume (optional), select Upload resume. This will enable you to upload the resume you want to use to apply for the job. Take note of the recommended file size.
Once the resume is uploaded, click or tap the Submit application button.
The best way to go about such job applications is to get the details from the job post, crafting your resume accordingly, then embarking on the actual application process.
While using this method to upload your resume, it’s possible to find yourself making the application outside LinkedIn. This will happen if the job has an Apply button, and not an Easy Apply one.
When a job has the Apply button, you’ll still be able to apply but not from within LinkedIn.
When you click or tap the button, you’ll be routed to the website of the company having the job opening or the job board hosting the opening. It is here that you’ll complete the job application process.
Essentially, that means that you’ll not have uploaded your resume to LinkedIn. This is because the application process didn’t take place on the site.
Such a job application will be subject to the company’s or job board’s terms. For such a case, LinkedIn only served to popularize the job so as to help increase the number of applicants. This is good for the company as they’ll be utilizing different avenues in looking for the right candidate.
3. Uploading your resume using the Featured section
The last method of uploading your resume onto LinkedIn is using the Featured section. This is possible because LinkedIn provides you with an opportunity to upload different kinds of documents to showcase on your profile.
Although we’re looking at using this option to upload your resume, this method enables you to do much more than that. Other things you can add include links to external websites like your personal blog, LinkedIn posts you’ve created, articles you authored and published on LinkedIn and even photos and presentations.
This is the primary way of sharing such material, and in our case, your resume, with your network. Before showing you how to do it, here are a couple of things to keep in mind.
- Anyone who can view your profile will be able to download your resume from your profile page. This is meant to be a convenience for employers though it can also pose a risk. If you want your resume on your profile, consider removing your personal information from it, mostly your mobile number and physical as well as email address.
- The resume you upload using this method is going to be part of your LinkedIn profile. As such, you can’t use it to apply for a job. When applying for jobs, you’ll have to make use of either of the above methods.
- When featuring posts, you won’t be able to feature posts from LinkedIn events which you’re attending. The same applies to LinkedIn groups which you are a part of. This is for the purposes of maintaining the privacy of the LinkedIn members in those events or groups.
That said, here’s how to upload your resume.
Click the Me icon at the top if your LinkedIn homepage. From the drop-down list, select View profile.
From your profile page, click Add profile section and from the drop-down list, select Featured and then click Media or the “+” sign in the Media box.
A pop-up window will open from which you can navigate to where you’ve saved your resume. Select it and click Save, Open or Done, or whatever option you have for confirming your selection and closing the pop-up window.
This will upload your resume onto LinkedIn and you, as well as other LinkedIn users, will be able to see it on your profile.
HOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR RESUME FROM LINKEDIN
We’ve seen how you can upload your resume onto LinkedIn. What about downloading it?
Well, if you can upload a resume, it only makes sense to be able to download it, right?
Yes, and LinkedIn has ensured that you can do that. In fact, there are two ways through which you can get your resume from the site.
Technically speaking, you cannot really download your resume from LinkedIn. What you’ll actually be doing is either saving your profile in a resume format or creating a resume using the information on your profile.
It’s more or less the same thing in the sense that at the end of the process you’ll have a resume from LinkedIn.
The first method we’ll look at is that of saving your profile is resume format, followed by the second method.
1. Save your profile in resume format
This is probably the most common way of getting a resume from LinkedIn. It’s also the fastest.
As soon as you click the button to get your resume, your browser immediately starts working towards it. You’ll be asked to either download it or open it so you can see how it looks like first.
Also note that you can use this method to download other LinkedIn users resumes. All you have to do is navigate to their profiles and follow the same steps.
Here’s how you go about it.
Go to your LinkedIn homepage and click the Me icon at the top and select View profile.
On your introduction card, which is the top part of your profile, click the More button and select Save to PDF.
Immediately upon selecting the option, a pop-up window will appear asking you whether you would like to open the resume or download it.
If all you want to do is take a look at it and gauge its suitability, then you can choose to open it. You’ll be able to view but not edit it.
If you’ve checked it our before and are satisfied with it, then select the download option. Having an offline copy also allows you to print it in case you need a physical one.
Downloading the resume can provide a very quick way to apply for jobs outside LinkedIn as long as the resume is reflective of your qualification. You can be sure that it reflects your qualifications and thus use this convenience if you’ve worked on your profile and made it attractive enough.
We have written many articles on LinkedIn and you can check them out on our Cleverism blog. You can start by reading how to create a powerful LinkedIn profile.
When using this method to get a resume from LinkedIn, there are some things to keep in mind:
- In case you’re downloading another LinkedIn member’s profile as a resume, you can only download up to 200 PDF resumes per month. This limit doesn’t apply to your own profile though.
- Whereas the PDF format is used everywhere, there are chances that some characters might not display properly. It is only the English language characters that you can be sure will display properly.
- The resume you download through this method will not be editable. You’ll not be able to choose which sections should be included and which ones shouldn’t. If you want this ability, then the next method is the solution for you.
- Although LinkedIn supports many languages and continues growing, the Save to PDF option isn’t available in some languages. These include Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Arabic and Thai.
2. Create resume using LinkedIn’s Resume Builder
LinkedIn provides a more robust method of creating a resume then downloading it in PDF format. If you want to make changes and tweak your resume to fit the needs of a specific job, then this is the option to use.
Previously, the option of using the LinkedIn Resume Builder was not available to every member. Only the premium accounts had access to it. LinkedIn has however made this available to everyone and so you can enjoy the feature for free.
Here’s how to go about it.
At the top of your LinkedIn homepage, click on the Me icon and select View profile.
On your introduction card, click the More button and select Build a resume.
You will then be guided through the process and get the chance of editing the resume.
It’s important to note that this resume will have only as much information as is available on your profile. And whereas the resume sections will be on the document, if your profile doesn’t have anything in the corresponding sections, the sections will be empty.
All the same, you’ll be able to make changes, including adding information to the resume as though you were writing a fresh resume. This is what makes this method the best between the two. The final document you download will be good enough for making an application with.
Still, on the resume editing page, you have the opportunity to preview the file, make a copy of it or even delete it.
To crown it all, this resume is completely separate from your profile. Whatever changes you make to it will not reflect on your profile. You can therefore fully customize it for the job you’re applying.
Also note that the LinkedIn Resume Builder is currently only available on the website’s desktop version only. You can’t access it via mobile device.
CONCLUSION
There you go. You don’t have to lose any opportunities or waste time crafting a new resume every time you’re applying for a job.
Go ahead and make use of these features and maximize on LinkedIn’s power to grow your career.

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