Should I put my résumé on LinkedIn when applying for a PhD?

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I don't think it really makes any difference.

Admissions committees are not in the habit of doing social media searches for applicants. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard an academic talk about using LinkedIn at all. (Maybe it is more commonly used in certain fields that are more closely related to business.) Even if they did, there's no particular reason they should come across your profile, and no particular reason why finding a resume there or not would influence anyone's decision.

The only possible benefit of posting I can imagine is that if, somehow, one of the admissions committee happened to see it and form some favorable impression of you, that might help their opinion when they read your application. But that seems like an unlikely coincidence to hope for.

On the other hand, I can't imagine any possible way in which having your resume on LinkedIn could be a disadvantage in the application process. So from that point of view, you probably might as well post it.

On a related note, I would not recommend trying to add LinkedIn connections to faculty members at the university where you are applying. Since most probably don't use LinkedIn, this will just result in them getting annoying emails. And you don't want them to read your application and think "Hey, I remember that name - this is the guy who's sending me all that LinkedIn spam. What a jerk."

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Updated on August 01, 2022

Comments

  • M R R
    M R R over 1 year

    When I apply to a university for acceptance to their PhD program, I send my résumé with the application. When I want to apply for a job outside of academia, I also send my résumé to them. In both cases they also read my résumé at the interview stage.

    But I am not sure whether it is advantageous to also upload my résumé to LinkedIn. Will people visit my LinkedIn profile and read it? Is it likely to help?

    • xLeitix
      xLeitix about 9 years
      "So What is the usage of put your resume on liknedin at least on academia.when you want to apply." There is none. I know not a single professor that looks at LinkedIn profiles when searching for PhD students.
    • Anonymous
      Anonymous about 9 years
      Warning: Faculty members don't care at all about LinkedIn, but they care a lot about correct grammar, spelling, and capitalization. If I got a cover letter written similarly to your question, I'm afraid I would have a very strongly negative initial impression.
    • Mad Jack
      Mad Jack about 9 years
      A data point on LinkedIn usage in academia: when I applied to assistant professor positions last year, I noticed that anonymous users from several schools that I applied to viewed my LinkedIn profile. I do not know if these people were faculty or not as their names were not revealed to me, only the institution name was listed.
    • enthu
      enthu about 7 years
      @xLeitix I have always thought that LinkedIn profile and person's connections in it play significant role in easing one's way towards a PhD position, finding positions, presenting himself, etc.
  • M R R
    M R R about 9 years
    +1 for great answer, and +1000000 for "Hey, I remember that name - this is the guy who's sending me all that LinkedIn spam. What a jerk"
  • Moriarty
    Moriarty about 9 years
    "I don't use the face book" - said a majority of professors when asked about social media.