Do I Still Even NEED an Executive Resume? Doesn’t my LinkedIn Profile Now Serve That Purpose?

Prognosticators have been predicting the demise of the resume for literally decades. According to a recent post on the Glassdoor blog, some career experts think that LinkedIn’s value is quickly surpassing that of the resume, and on its way to replacing it completely.

I agree with the article’s author that this is not a likely scenario. Some reasons are that LinkedIn is far too public… Is everyone going to want to publish the level of detail contained in their executive resume for all the world to see? No matter what your privacy settings, if you publish your resume to LinkedIn, you are essentially broadcasting it.

Also, the content and language used in your resume is quite likely going to be unsuitable for general public consumption. For example, while you might talk about operational or financial issues addressed for your current or previous employers in your executive resume, you could offend or even be deemed to have breached confidentiality or trust if you mentioned those things in a public forum such as LinkedIn.

There are practical considerations as well. LinkedIn’s format and template place extreme limitations on volume of content, design, fonts, etc. Your resume suffers from no such restrictions.

My opinion is that you will likely need a resume for some time to come. Virtually every employer or recruiter will still ask for your resume early in the hiring process. Your LinkedIn profile will of course be an extremely valuable and virtually indispensable part of your career portfolio–as either a venue to be found initially, and as corroborating and expanded material for consideration in the hiring decision. But the executive resume is not down for the count just yet!

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