Does LinkedIn replace a personal website?  Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

There is no question that hiring managers will review an individual’s digital footprint prior to scheduling an interview, and LinkedIn is likely the first place they will look.  Likewise, a growing number of internal and third party recruiters use LinkedIn’s Recruiter Package to source candidates.  Therefore, until the next “bigger and better” networking platform comes along, the majority of candidates must have a LinkedIn presence. 

Some individuals have fully developed and engaging LinkedIn profiles, however, that is the exception.  LinkedIn is widely considered a “fill in the blanks” platform, which has resulted in the majority of profiles appearing as long, boring regurgitations of the resume and otherwise non-descriptive.  With more than 300 million LinkedIn profiles, it is hard to stand out with restrictive formatting. 

From a business standpoint, LinkedIn produced a brilliant business model for the masses.  Open a free account, complete the form, make hundreds of connections (aka useless), and wait for employers and recruiters to start their bidding for your services.   Sure, sometimes it works, but for most individuals the results are less than stellar. 

For these reasons, we believe personal websites still provide a competitive advantage for individuals seeking a polished platform to highlight presentations, videos, awards, patents, and bottom-line contributions.  Also, using more contemporary methods to market oneself during a job search separates the perception of an “old school" or "follow-the-crowd” mindset to an enhanced image that represents a more progressive and polished image.

We will give LinkedIn the edge as the best platform for candidates to set up a blog to publish articles that positions them as subject-matter experts in their field.  The more articles published and the more followers one can secure, the higher the profile’s ranking (SEO) on major search engines.   Jump in and publish!

It isn't necessary for personal websites to be complicated and difficult to manage.   Websites for business professionals or individuals conducting a job search must be professional in appearance and easy to navigate.  Below are a couple examples of websites that provide more engaging profiles of candidates that, in our opinion, would not be possible on LinkedIn.  Let us know if we may be of assistance.

Senior Professional

Mid-Level Professional