Are CVs becoming obsolete?
Are CVs becoming obsolete?
The professional world has reached a point where the importance of a good LinkedIn profile doesn’t need to be discussed. On the other hand, the significance of a professional CV hasn’t even been put under question, yet.
Comparing the two of them is no new endeavour. It’s well established that a CV and a LinkedIn profile are two different tools that are supposed to highlight different aspects of your professional character. However, as consultants, we have been able to notice how CVs and LinkedIn use have developed over the years. We’ve also been able to notice how plenty of people looking for jobs are still not using LinkedIn properly, nor CVs.
So, how are you supposed to use them?
When you look at someone’s LinkedIn profile and their CV, it is quite understandable how someone can think they are pretty similar. They both have your name, your current job, your previous job, some of your most relevant skills, and a short description of you as a professional. The only difference appears to be that you can post on LinkedIn, and you can’t do that on your CV, obviously. So if you’re not that active on social media platforms, including LinkedIn, doesn’t that make it just a Digital CV?
Actually, yes it does, technically. Even when used improperly, your LinkedIn covers all the same points as your CV, and when one realizes that 97% of recruiters use LinkedIn to screen candidates, the use of a CV is put more under question.
Why CVs at all?
The main reason not to neglect CVs is their practical use and presentational benefit. Its value lies in what it lacks compared to a LinkedIn page. LinkedIn is there to present a story, while your CV is ultimately a profile and a portfolio. Commonly a CV would contain bullet points about your professional experiences, some of your personal details, your relevant skills and maybe your motivations. Your LinkedIn has all the same points, but you can add far more content to your LinkedIn profile than you can in your CV. We mentioned earlier that without being active on LinkedIn, it is not much different from your CV, but you should absolutely be active on your LinkedIn.
Like any social network, LinkedIn has a specific culture to it (that we’ll discuss another time), and this culture stimulates and allows you to open up about every tiny detail of your professional experiences that you would like to highlight. An active LinkedIn prevents an overstuffed CV, and the amount of attention LinkedIn gets nowadays gives those looking for work absolutely no excuse not to regularly update their page. Your CV essentially then becomes the “contents” page of a brilliant book.
Moreover, even though LinkedIn has many options for customization, you cannot tailor your page to every single job you apply for. Your LinkedIn presents everything, but not everything is relevant to recruiters or potential employers who are looking for something specific. Your CV on the other hand, can have different skills, highlight different past experiences, and have a different “motivation” for every job you apply to. Then, anyone looking at your CV first will be looking for very specific things on your LinkedIn that they will be able to find more easily.
Main Takeaways
In conclusion, we think it’s safe to say that, for now, CVs are far from obsolete. Their format and rigidness allows it to present you in a different light than your LinkedIn does, and they also completely compliment the content you have on your LinkedIn page. However it is still important to know that:
- In order for your CV to work, you should be regularly active on your LinkedIn
- Your LinkedIn shows everything, your CV can be tailored to any open position
- Your CV is a lens through which recruiters and potential employers can view your LinkedIn
If you have a job position in mind that you’d like to aim towards, give us a call and we can help package you and your professional experience to the top employers you could think of.
