No! Your Linkedin profile should be used as a supplement to your CV and be written in a way that suits the medium which is primarily a social media site. You can still link to your full CV from Linkedin but the profile needs to be quick and easy to read and you should be thinking about how to catch the eye with headlines and lots of white space, so short paragraphs work well.

So what should you be writing?

The profile summary is the part you want to really think about and spend most time writing. You should aim to write it in a much more informal way than a CV because this is your chance to try to convey some personality into it. For project managers a story or narrative of the last project you worked on or the skills you think you excel in, works very well.

Be aware that Linkedin allows you to move blocks of information up and down on the page so make sure your Summary is at the top rather than the default of Experience.

The profile should also include what you’re ideally looking for next (if you’re actively job seeking) and when you are available. If you are job seeking you should also include your keywords. These are the words or phrases you think recruiters will enter to try to find someone like you.

These words could include industry related phrases, types of projects, key project management skills, qualifications and locations. Include your contact details on the profile too.

If you are using Linkedin for networking and connections, you should include what subject areas you are most interested in and what kind of connections you welcome.

To demonstrate your own experience in subject areas you should include links to useful documents, videos, presentations and articles you have written yourself. These links add a magazine style vibe to your profile which makes it much more attractive and enticing to read.

Regardless of whether you’re using Linkedin for networking or job searching, another popular addition you should utilise is the Posts.

Think of these like blog articles, short, informal pieces that convey your experience, opinions and thoughts. Not only do these Posts attract people to your profile and hopefully a connection, they also feature prominently on your profile at the top. What better way to inform people about who you are and what you know in a well written informative way.

In the Experience section of Linkedin you need to create an entry for each position you’ve had in your career history.

In these sections, just include up to five key points, the highlights of the work you carried out. For example include which projects you managed, what the budget was, how many people on the team, any specialism you needed to carry out the position and what the objective of the project was.