The article "How to Include Links on Your Resume" provides guidance on effectively incorporating clickable links in your resume. It emphasizes the importance of including relevant URLs, such as personal portfolios, LinkedIn profiles, to showcase your skills. The article also highlights best practices for formatting and organizing these links to enhance the overall presentation of your resume.
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Adding links to your resume allows you to provide more information and examples of your work to potential employers. LinkedIn profiles, online portfolios, personal websites, and more can give extra context and backing for the claims you make on your resume.
Used properly, links on a resume can strengthen your candidacy. However, you need to be careful only to include relevant, professional links that add value for the reader. Filling up your resume with unnecessary links can hurt more than help.
This article explains everything you need to know about including links on your resume, with tips on the best types of links to include and how to format them properly.
Links on a resume allow you to direct the person reading your resume to online content and information related to your candidacy. This includes:
A personal website or online portfolio allows you to showcase examples of your work in greater depth. This gives employers additional insight into your skills and experience.
For creative positions or jobs related to web design, online portfolios are especially valuable. However, anyone can benefit from featuring their work samples online.
Your LinkedIn profile provides a place to showcase your background, accomplishments, recommendations from past managers and coworkers, and more.
Linking to your profile allows hiring managers to get more detail about your candidacy quickly without having to conduct a formal background check.
You can include links directly to writing samples, slide deck presentations, spreadsheet projects, artwork, and other content you have created. This shows tangible examples of what you can produce.
For certifications that can be verified online, you can include links directly to the webpage that shows you hold that certification. This allows employers to instantly verify certifications and learn more about what each one entails.
Adding links on your resume is easy once you know what content you want to link to. Here are some best practices to follow:
Carefully consider which links will add the most value for each specific job you apply to. Avoid including irrelevant links that do not strengthen your candidacy and could even hurt it.
For example, linking to personal blogs or social media profiles is typically not advised unless the content is entirely professional. Blog posts about your last vacation or Instagram photos from a wedding probably will not help your candidacy.
Do not link directly to content hosted on a company website or online portal from a previous job. If that content gets taken down or becomes inaccessible, your resume link will break.
Instead, link to a copy of that content hosted on your personal website or LinkedIn account. That way you maintain control no matter what happens with your previous company’s website.
Hyperlinks can get jumbled and ugly-looking if not formatted properly. For each link on your resume, include descriptive text stating what the link connects to so it is clear at a glance.
See the section below for exactly how to format links on your resume.
Read Latest Resume Format
Before sending off your resume, carefully check every link you have included to confirm they all still work and take the reader to the intended landing page. One broken link can mean the difference between a potential employer looking at great content you have created versus not.
For landing pages and portfolios that will live online for a long time, ideally you should have the URL formatted with your name to develop your personal brand.
For example:
www.YourFullName.com
YourFullName.portfolio.comIf you later let domains lapse, future readers will have a harder time locating your great past content if that old link spreads. Purchasing yourname.com domains whenever possible prevents this issue.
Consistently formatting the links on your resume makes them easier to identify and access.
For example:
Online Writing Portfolio (www.YourName.com/writing-samples)
Data Analyst Certification (www.CERT.org/data-analyst-certification)Then, when you convert your resume to an actual clickable online document, turn each URL into a working hyperlink. Just highlight the URL, click the hyperlink button in your word processor toolbar, and the link will become live.
List each link on its own line under the appropriate experience, education, certifications, or skills section where it is most relevant.
You can also call out links to impressive credential in your resume summary section if they are highly relevant to the position. Just make sure not to overwhelm the reader with too many links upfront.
If you have long, complex URLs in your resume, you may want to shorten them using TinyURL or a similar link contraction service.
For example, this long URL:
www.yourname.com/portfolio-samples/data-analytics/customer-lifetime-value-analysisCould shorten to:
tinyurl.com/yvqm5clrHowever, only do this if necessary. Employers often mistrust shortened third-party URLs in resumes unless you label them appropriately, as they wonder what content lives behind that link.
Instead of just posting the cryptic TinyURL link, you can label it like this:
Customer Lifetime Value Analysis Project
(TinyURL link to online portfolio: tinyurl.com/yvqm5clr)Now it is clear a shortened link is being used specifically to point the reader to part of your online portfolio.
While compressed links have their place when a very long URL would display messily, use them judiciously with clear labels indicating where they lead.
Should you include links on your resume? In most cases, yes – as long as you follow best practices and link to relevant professional content not available elsewhere on your resume.
Craft your links carefully, ensure they work, and explain the context around why each one matters through your bullet points. Used properly, links provide excellent opportunities for you to strengthen and back up claims about your skills, experience, and credentials. Just don’t go overboard and overwhelm employers with too many links all at once. Feature your best content first, then allow anyone interested to explore further on their own.
With a strategic, professionally curated mix of resume details and links, you can produce a strong candidacy package that showcases all you have to offer. Recruiters and hiring managers will have all the information they need at their fingertips to evaluate if you may be a great fit for their team.
Adding relevant links to your resume has many advantages if done properly. Links allow you to provide concrete evidence to back up your claims about your skills, experience, and credentials.
This article explores the benefits of resume links and offers guidance on what types of links help versus hurt your candidacy. Includes easy-to-understand examples you can model.
Work samples for artists, designers developers, and other roles often consist of images, videos, and interactive content. These are difficult or impossible to showcase properly within the confines of a standard resume document.Links allow you to display such work digitally through portfolios and websites.
Anyone can claim anything on their resume. Links allow you to quickly back up key claims with concrete evidence that yes indeed, you possess certain skills, credentials, and experiences.A resume bullet point claiming advanced graphic design skills means little on its own. However, linking directly to a professional portfolio with many examples of brochures, logos, and ad designs you have created offers proof.
Given the recommended resume page length limits, you cannot possibly explain every project and accomplishment over your career in detail.
Helpful links route readers to websites, portfolios, or file uploads where they can self-explore as much or as little added detail as desired about your background.
Links enabling instant verification of certifications and credentials can satisfy some of what a formal background check would uncover, saving employers effort while giving you more control over the information presented.
Of course, employers will still background check finalists, but links help pre-verify information upfront.
Creating portfolios, content-rich websites, and other impressive online content takes skill itself. Including links demonstrates you possess vital digital marketing, content creation, design, and technical abilities.
Even simple things like properly formatting hyperlinks in resumes require proficiency many candidates lack. Stand out by doing this right.
In short:
Now that you know why resume links help, what kinds should you include versus avoid?
Carefully choose which links boost your candidacy without going overboard on quantity. Stick to these major categories:
An online portfolio offers the best way to showcase work samples including designs, photos, writing clips, completed projects, and more.
Make sure your domain name includes your full name for personal branding. Only include your absolute highest-quality work samples that align with the target job or industry.
Good Example:
JenniferSmithPortfolio.com
Bad Example: MyOldStuffFromCollege.wixsite.com/portfolio
The latter seems amateurish plus showcases irrelevant academic content versus professional work samples.
Your LinkedIn presence offers a snapshot of your professional background and accomplishments. Make sure to customize your profile URL using your name.
Good Example:
www.linkedin.com/in/Jennifexxxx
Bad Example:
www.linkedin.com/default1w2345
The customized URL looks much more professional.
For writers, developers, designers, and more, links enabling downloads of actual work product samples make your experience tangible.
Upload slides, images, writing samples, project reports, code snippets, and design files to free cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox. Generate shareable links and highlight the best content on your resume.
Just be sure you own the rights to anything you share publically.
Good Examples:
Bad Example:
You likely signed over rights to company brand assets and portals often expire post-employment. Re-upload a generic version to personal cloud storage instead.
Many advanced certifications link to digital credentials making them verifiable with just a click. Share these links then briefly describe the certification in your resume bullet points.
Good Example:
Just make sure the confirmation page clearly shows your name as the credential holder.
If you write professional blog posts related to the target job, links can help showcase your expertise to potential employers.
For example, if applying for a content marketing role, links to marketing-related blogs you have written could strengthen your candidacy. Just ensure blog content is 100% professional – no controversial opinions or off-topic personal musings.
Good Example:
Guest Blog Post on Copywriting Techniques to Boost Conversions (YourWebsite.com/copywriting)
Bad Examples:
Only link to blogs demonstrating true professional expertise aligned with the target job or industry.
This one is tricky. Most individual social media profiles clutter resumes versus help.
However, in niche fields like photography, links to professional influenced Instagram accounts showcasing amazing original artwork could be impressive. Possibilities like that exist...but tread carefully.
Almost always, a customized LinkedIn presence offers the social profile with most crossover career relevance for recruiters. Let your other social accounts shine through the portfolio links instead.
Those cover the best types of links to include on resumes. Now what kinds should you leave off?
While the above links often help, others typically hurt more than help or risk instant rejection. Steer clear of:
Links should always relate directly to your professional capabilities aligned with the target job or industry. Employers gain nothing from old code samples if applying for a writing job or links to a makeup blog if applying for accounting roles. Only showcase links where the relevance ties back to enhance your candidacy.
Bad Examples:
Stick to professional work samples only from the past 5-10 years in the field you want hired into. Old, amateurish, or irrelevant links must go.
Links that require passwords or payment rarely benefit employers checking out candidates. They likely will not bother going to that effort for every applicant. Make sure all key information you want to showcase is freely accessible on public pages. Save paywalled content only for very advanced candidates likely to become clients or customers down the road someday. Even then, use judiciously.
One broken link hurts more than helping 99 good links. Always double check right before sending off your resume to remove any broken or misdirected URLs. Using link scanning tools helps automate this.
Also, watch out for links dependent on your continued employment or college enrollment. Company portals and .edu sites often expire access post-employment, making those resume links defunct.
Sharing a bare long cryptic URL like https://d37dj2rzd29uu9.cloudfront.com/portfolio_samples/writing gives employers zero context or incentive to click.
At minimum, provide descriptive text explaining specifically what lives behind each link you include. Shortened URLs should also be clearly labeled to build trust.
See the initial article section on properly formatting links for specifics on creating readable, descriptive link text.
As cautioned earlier, most individual social media profiles clutter up resumes more than help. However, if you do link to relevant niche influencer accounts, always customize the URL to use your name if possible.
Good:
Instagram.com/JenniferSmithPhotography
Bad:
Instagram.com/user48395830493
The latter seems spammy and disreputable.
Do not blanket-apply the same links to all applications. Carefully consider which best showcase your fit for each specific role.
Format links in this structure for readability:
Explain what each link showcases through your resume bullet points for clarity.
Continuously check that links remain live and accessible to maintain a polished presence. Proactively fix any issues.
Let your resume tell the high-level story of your background, with links as optional deeper dives for interested employers. Do not rely solely on links to communicate fit.
Following these best practices will allow you to maximize the value of helpful links while avoiding common pitfalls.
Good links to include are professional portfolios, LinkedIn profiles with custom URLs, online work samples you own hosted on sites like Dropbox, verifiable certifications, and expertise-demonstrating blog posts.
Do not include irrelevant personal sites, anything behind paywalls/login screens, broken links, overly complex bare URLs, unprofessional social media profiles lacking customization, or controversial/offensive online content.
We recommend featuring 3-5 well-chosen links spread throughout your resume. Avoid including links on every bullet point, as too many links can overwhelm employers. Carefully curate only your best content.
Including relevant links on your resume allows you to showcase additional information, multimedia content, proof and examples of your skills, expanded details beyond the confines of your resume, and your digital/content creation capabilities. Links prove and validate your credentials and career claims.
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