The targeted resume is the tool you use for a specific job. It’s crafted to connect your experience to the needs laid out in the job description. It includes the standards—your contact information (now including your LinkedIn® URL), your education, your professional experiences—as well as your summary or objective, qualification summary, and whatever the job posting requires.
The targeted resume takes time. It requires job posting analysis as well as resume revision to turn your professional self into the ideal candidate for the job.
It is accepted anywhere and everywhere (after you reenter it into the Applicant Tracking System).
But here’s the thing, it’s not the only tool in your toolbox.
The LinkedIn® Profile
I like to think of the LinkedIn® profile as an expanded targeted resume, or perhaps a targeted master resume.
Not all jobs are created equally, and if you are in a hurry to submit an application, but
not so committed as to spend the time targeting your resume, you can often submit
your LinkedIn® profile through the Applicant Tracking System. So long as your
LinkedIn® profile is targeted to the general job or industry, it gives you a good chance.
It’s not the same as a specifically honed and targeted resume, but if it’s the eleventh
hour and you just don’t have it in you to revise your resume, this is a good option.
If you have submitted the targeted resume to your dream job, your LinkedIn® account still has a role to play. (continued on next page)
The Targeted Resume & LinkedIn® Profile Go Hand in Hand