Can social media profiles replace traditional CVs?

In this digital era of social and professional networking, amidst all the free and readily available networking sites and facilities that are within our grasp now, it is not unusual to ask: does the relevance of sending CVs/resumes to apply for jobs still stand true?

LinkedIn, an employment-oriented service that functions through websites and mobile apps, is catering specifically to this need. It is used for business networking. To put it in simple terms, it is a platform where employers post job opportunities and job seekers keep their credentials to find jobs that match those credentials. Ever since its inception, traditional job finding procedures have been revolutionised, and now, more and more, its database is being scoured to find employees with the right credentials, leading to the question: over time can it completely take over traditional resumes?

First, let us try to look into what this networking site provides that makes it essential for every job seeker to set up a LinkedIn profile side by side with traditional CVs.

Regular maintenance of credentials and keeping them up-to-date is made easier

A LinkedIn profile is an active document that can be regularly revised as one adds status updates, receive and provide recommendations and interact with others. Typically, when writing a CV, one has to prepare different CVs intended to cater to different job requirements and employers. A LinkedIn profile contains all information related to a person's career and achievements regardless of the job one is trying to get at the moment, if any. Structured with proper keywords, recruiters can easily find the job seeker without the applicants seeking to reach them first.

Strong online presence increases the likelihood of getting discovered by employers

A vibrant social media profile rises visibility under headhunters' and corporate recruiters' periphery. In other words, social and professional networking sites act as a different kind of resume database- searchable with keywords similar to other resume databases.

Lack of adequately set LinkedIn profile shows lack of sincerity

Being on LinkedIn means it can be used as part of job searching strategy, seeking out job posts, doing research, and so on. In other words, LinkedIn opens up many opportunities of being discovered by recruiters, that are all nipped in the bud for the ones who have not put effort into setting up a proper LinkedIn profile, and employers take this as a hint that the applicants are not committed enough for the job even if he or she actually is highly qualified.

However, despite having all these perks, LinkedIn cannot be solely depended on while choosing employees for one reason.

LinkedIn profiles are not tailored to different employers' specific needs

A person's LinkedIn profile is the total of all achievements, experiences and credentials. All of them are not required for one particular job. Employers want applicants to present their credentials and qualifications in their desired criteria, not their lifetime achievements. But a LinkedIn profile fails to fulfil these criteria and as a result, employers often do not find LinkedIn profiles suitable enough to find people who are sufficiently qualified for the job's requirements. Therefore, very often they prefer traditional CVs over LinkedIn. That does not mean they do not value LinkedIn at all; rather they prefer evaluating both to make sure they are getting the absolute right candidate. But for initial screening, it is easier for them to ask for the CVs first, shortlist some people and then look into their LinkedIn profiles.

And also, it is not always CV first, LinkedIn second. Often a candidate can be found on LinkedIn first and asked for a CV later only if the reader likes what they see online. Sometimes they get interested in people from their LinkedIn profile and to see if he or she is indeed a perfect fit for the job, they then demand a CV too.

The verdict

Are the recruiters now searching for potential candidates more and more through LinkedIn? Chances are, this trend will only keep going up. At the same time, the demand for traditional resumes has not subsided yet. Instead, recruiters are now willing to see both and then decide if the candidate is right for the job or not. So on one side, there is no point in not being found online leading to one's application not being approved even after being a strong candidate and on the other, relying solely on LinkedIn ignoring traditional resume is not advisable as well.

CVs and LinkedIn complement each other. There is an interconnection between the two that very often gets overlooked. All interested candidates need to keep this in mind and put their efforts in both forms equally to ensure they get maximum leverage in securing a strong position in the job field.

The writer is a first year student of BBA programme at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka. He can be reached at [email protected]