If you're looking for a job, you'll know that many employers use LinkedIn to reach out or screen candidates before calling them for an interview, so your outdated information on the platform could be what keeps you from getting your next job.
LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft in 2016 for a whopping $ and has seen steady growth every year. It clearly has great value to job seekers.
But keeping the information up to date is often a hassle. Job seekers often have to maintain the classic version of their resume, as well as manage their LinkedIn presence, constantly updating both.
Resume Lab surveyed 1,001 workers in the US to find out how often Americans are updating their LinkedIn and resumes during the pandemic.
The survey revealed that almost all (99.1%) of respondents have a resume, but only two in three (65.1%) have a LinkedIn profile.
Workers whose salaries were the highest ($80,000 or more) reported updating their LinkedIn profiles more frequently in the past year.
Managers report that they update their LinkedIn profiles more frequently than their traditional resumes (3.6 times per year compared to 3.4 times per year for their traditional resume).
And managers update their resumes more frequently than people in non-management positions who update their LinkedIn profiles only 2.2 times a year and traditional resumes 2.5 times a year.
Although 54.3% of individuals reported that they have updated their resume in the last three months, 45.4% reported that they have not updated their LinkedIn information and 33.3% reported that they have not updated their resume .
Over 50% said the reason for not updating was specifically due to the pandemic.
If two out of three Americans are actively looking for work, why do they have so much outdated information on their LinkedIn profiles?
There are many strategies that can be used to improve your resume. You can tailor your resume to each job application, which 46.3% of respondents reported doing.
Alternatively, you can optimize your profile formatting or hire a professional to help you with your resume. You can also add graphs or charts to your resume, which helps a lot.
But does LinkedIn really help you land a new job? A quick poll showed that almost no one had been approached for a job through LinkedIn. Most simply reported being bombarded with friend requests from people they didn't know.
So it seems that the traditional resume and old-fashioned networking will ensure you more success than an outdated LinkedIn profile.
