Mastering the art of a resume is one thing that will help you get far in your career, but mastering a LinkedIn profile and resume can be challenging. Although both are important aspects of a job search, there are ways that the two media should differ to get your best exposure.

The main difference is the way to two are presented. A resume is a hardcopy that you can keep on your desktop, while a LinkedIn Profile is created through a website where there are constant improvements for a better user experience.

While the two pieces are similar and relay the same information, they both do different things that will be discussed below.

•  Length: A solid resume should stay around one page, two maximum, while LinkedIn allows you to add as much info as you want to include. The only area it contains you is the summary, allowing you 2,000 characters.
• Presentation: A resume is more formal, the document should not have first person included. LinkedIn on the other hand, is more social, where people network allowing users more opportunities to mingle with professionals related to their experience, whether it be hiring managers, colleagues or people in the same field. There are no restrictions for how you present yourself on LinkedIn so you are able to express yourself  more freely.
• Wording Structure: Tight wording will be the center of attention in a strong resume, where complex words shorten the size of the paragraph will still having a huge impact. On LinkedIn, the language used is more conversational and less formal. You can show your achievements in a different light with presentations, videos, or any other materials needed to highlight your professional experience.
• Submitting Info: Resumes are used to send to a specific person, whether it be a particular person or recruiter, if you want to be considered for a specific position, while LinkedIn lets people search for you. Hiring managers use LinkedIn to search for candidates with certain skills or qualifications, and your profile can help people discover you.
• Tweaking: One resume will not fit every job so you will need to revamp it for different opportunities. Your LinkedIn profile on the other hand, is simple to add/change info allowing your profile to grow and improve over time as your experience does.
• Photos: You are not supposed to have photos on your resume but you should have a professional profile picture on your LinkedIn. This platform encourages you to meet real people so a photo will only enhance your profile. LinkedIn should also be used to outline your future goals, where as a resume, is more about your experience and what you have done so far.
• One more added bonus for LinkedIn, you are able to communicate one-on-one with recruiters.

While each form of media is an important aspect to a job seeker’s success, LinkedIn gives you the freedom to express yourself and interact with professionals. Resume’s allow people to understand your job history and experience, but many hiring managers will use both to understand who you are overall and where you want to go in your career.