How to add your resume to LinkedIn, and which way to choose

“Adding your resume to LinkedIn” can mean three different things, and they do different jobs. A resume you upload while applying with Easy Apply goes to that employer only. A resume you add to your profile is public: anyone who opens your profile can download it. And LinkedIn can also turn your profile itself into a PDF.

Pick the way by what you want the file to do. The steps below follow LinkedIn’s own help pages; LinkedIn renames buttons from time to time, so if a label on your screen differs slightly, look for the nearest match.

Before you upload: get the file right

Whichever way you choose, the file is what people will open, so check it first:

• Use a PDF, unless the employer asks for Word. A PDF looks the same on every screen.
• Name it after yourself, for example “Maria-Lopez-Resume.pdf”. “resume_final_v3.pdf” is what the recruiter sees in their downloads.
• Make sure the text can be read by software. Many companies load the resumes they receive into an applicant tracking system, so a PDF that is one big image, or a two-column layout read in the wrong order, can lose your experience on the way in. Our ATS guide explains what to avoid.
• Decide what a public copy should show. For a copy on your profile, leave out your phone number and home address. An email address and your city are enough.

Way 1: Upload it when you apply with Easy Apply

This is the way to use when you are applying for a job. It sends your resume to that employer and nobody else.

On a computer:

1. Open a job that shows the Easy Apply button.
2. Click Easy Apply and fill in the required fields.
3. In the Resume section, upload your file, or select one you used recently.
4. Click Submit application.

The steps are the same in the mobile app. LinkedIn keeps your four most recently uploaded resumes so you can pick one again next time, and you can upload or delete them on the Job application settings page.

Two things to know:

• Only Easy Apply jobs use these files. If the button says Apply with an arrow icon, or Apply on company website, LinkedIn sends you to the employer’s own site, and you upload your resume there.
• LinkedIn may use what is in your resume. After you apply, LinkedIn offers to share your resume data with recruiters, and that setting starts switched on. With it on, your profile can come up in recruiter searches that match what is in your saved resumes; recruiters do not get the file itself unless you send it to them, for example by applying. LinkedIn says it tries to hide this from recruiters at your current employer but cannot guarantee it. To turn it off: Jobs › Preferences › Resumes and application data › Share resume data with recruiters. LinkedIn’s help page on uploaded resumes also says saved resume data may be used to improve its AI models, and that you can opt out of that in your settings.

Way 2: Add it to your profile

A resume on your profile sits in the Featured section, near the top, where visitors can open and download it. On a computer:

1. Click Me at the top of LinkedIn, then View profile.
2. Click Add profile section, open Recommended and choose Add featured.
3. Click the Add icon at the top right of the Featured page and choose to upload media.
4. Select your PDF, give it a clear title such as “Resume, Maria Lopez, Data Analyst”, and click Save.

In the app: tap your profile photo, then View profile, Add section, Recommended and Add featured, and choose the file.

Before you do it, be clear about what it means:

• Everyone who views your profile can download it, and LinkedIn says it may be visible off LinkedIn too. That includes your current manager and colleagues. If you are looking quietly, skip this way.
• It is not used for applications. A resume in Featured is a display copy; Easy Apply still asks for its own upload.
• It goes out of date. Each time you update your resume, replace the copy here, or the profile and the file will disagree.

This way suits freelancers and consultants, students and graduates who are openly job hunting, and anyone whose employer already knows they are looking. For everyone else, a well-written profile does the same job without a file anyone can download.

You can also share your resume as a regular post. It then shows up in your network’s feeds and in your profile’s activity, where anyone who can see the post can read it. That is the loudest of all the options; use it only if being seen looking is the point.

Way 3: Save your LinkedIn profile as a PDF

LinkedIn can export your profile as a document. On a computer, open your profile (Me › View profile), click More (or Resources) in the top section and choose Save to PDF.

It is a quick way to get your career history on paper, but it is not a resume:

• It only works on a computer, and only when your profile and your LinkedIn language are both set to English.
• You cannot choose what goes in, so it contains everything in the order LinkedIn uses, with LinkedIn’s layout.
• It is not written for any particular job.

Use it as raw material. Copy the parts you need into a proper resume and shape them for the job you want. With Pro or the 30-day pass, AlderCV’s Import resume can also read that PDF with AI and split it into sections; check the result before you use it.

Which way to choose

You want to…	Use	Who can see the file
Apply for a job on LinkedIn	Easy Apply upload	The employer you apply to
Let anyone who visits your profile download it	Featured	Everyone who views your profile
Get a document of your profile quickly	Save to PDF	Only you, until you send it

Most people need only the first. The other two are for specific situations.

How to put your LinkedIn on your resume

The other direction is just as useful: a recruiter who likes your resume will often look you up. Make that easy.

1. Set a custom profile address. Click Me › View profile, then the edit icon next to Public profile & URL on the right. Under Edit your custom URL, type the part after linkedin.com/in/ and click Save. It can be 3 to 100 characters, with no spaces, symbols or the word “LinkedIn”. You can change it up to five times in six months, so pick one you will keep, such as linkedin.com/in/marialopez.
2. Add it to your contact line, next to your email and phone. Write it without “https://www.”: linkedin.com/in/marialopez is shorter and reads cleanly.
3. Make the two agree. A recruiter who opens both will notice if your job titles or dates differ. Update them on the same day.

In AlderCV, open your personal details, choose Add link, label it “LinkedIn” and paste the address. The link stays clickable in the PDF. If your resume will also be printed, turn on Write links as their address in the design settings, so the address itself is on the page rather than the word “LinkedIn”.

Common mistakes

• Putting a resume in Featured while quietly looking. Your manager can open your profile too.
• A public copy with your phone number and home address. Anyone can download it, not only recruiters.
• An old file left on the profile. After you update your resume, swap the copy or remove it.
• Sending the Save to PDF export as your resume. It is a printout of your profile, not a document written for the job.
• Expecting the Featured resume to go with your applications. It doesn’t; Easy Apply asks for its own upload.

FAQ

Can recruiters see the resume I upload with Easy Apply?

The file goes to the employer whose job you apply for. If Share resume data with recruiters is on, LinkedIn can also show your profile in recruiter searches that match your resume, but recruiters do not get the file itself unless you give it to them.

How do I delete a resume from LinkedIn?

For Easy Apply resumes, go to the Job application settings page, click the three dots next to the file and choose Delete; applications you already sent are not affected. For a copy in Featured, edit the section and remove it. LinkedIn does not let you restore a removed Featured item, so keep your own copy.

Should I upload a PDF or a Word file?

A PDF, unless the job ad asks for Word. It keeps your layout exactly as you made it. If an employer’s form only takes Word, a plain, single-column file is the safest.

Is it enough to have a good LinkedIn profile instead of a resume?

For applying, usually not. Employers outside LinkedIn ask for a resume, and many Easy Apply forms do too. The profile and the resume work together. For the profile side, see LinkedIn headline and About section examples.

Make the PDF you will upload

You can build the resume you upload in AlderCV without creating an account: pick one of the templates, fill it in and download a PDF without a watermark when you’re ready (downloading needs a free account; every template is included). If an employer asks for Word, you can download a plain Word version too. Before uploading, run it through the free ATS checker, and if your LinkedIn headline still just repeats your job title, the free LinkedIn headline generator drafts a better one.