LinkedIn Guide · 7 min read · Updated 2026

How to Upload Your Resume to LinkedIn (Step-by-Step Guide)

Uploading your resume to LinkedIn is simple once you know where to put it — but LinkedIn actually has two different resume upload spots, and they serve completely different purposes. Put it in the wrong one and either recruiters never see it, or your current boss downloads it. This guide walks through both, step by step, so your resume ends up exactly where it should.

For the broader profile setup, see our guide on how to set up a LinkedIn profile and our profile update guide.

The two places to upload your resume

LinkedIn has two resume upload locations, and they're not interchangeable:

• Job Application Settings — the resume that auto-attaches when you use Easy Apply. It does not show on your public profile. Recruiters only see it when you apply to a job.
• Featured section — a media card on your public profile that any visitor can open and download. Great for sharing your work, but visible to everyone, including your current employer.

Method 1 — Upload to Job Application Settings (for Easy Apply)

This is the resume LinkedIn attaches automatically when you click Easy Apply on a job posting. It's the one that matters most for active job seekers using Easy Apply, and it stays private to your applications.

Step 1 — Open Job Application Settings

From the LinkedIn homepage, click the Jobs icon in the top navigation. On the Jobs page, click Preferences (or Application settings, depending on your version of LinkedIn) in the left-hand menu.

Step 2 — Find the Resume section

Scroll to the Resumesection under Application settings. You'll see an option to upload a file. If you've uploaded one before, the current file name shows here.

Step 3 — Upload your PDF

Click Upload resume and select your resume file. Use a PDF named professionally (e.g. Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf). LinkedIn accepts PDF, DOC, and DOCX, but PDF renders most reliably.

Step 4 — Save and verify

Click Save. The next time you use Easy Apply, your resume will auto-attach. To confirm it worked, open any Easy Apply job and check the popup — your file name should appear in the resume field.

Method 2 — Add your resume to the Featured section

The Featured section sits near the top of your profile and displays media cards visitors can click. Adding your resume here makes it downloadable by anyone who views your profile.

Step 1 — Go to your profile

Click your profile photo or Me in the top navigation, then select View Profile.

Step 2 — Open Add profile section

Click the Add profile sectionbutton (a blue button or a "+" icon near the top of your profile). Select Recommended → Add featured → Add media.

Step 3 — Upload your resume file

Click Uploadand choose your resume PDF. LinkedIn will generate a preview card. Add a short, professional title and description (e.g. "Resume — [Your Role]") so visitors know what they're clicking.

Step 4 — Save and reorder

Click Save. The resume card now appears in your Featured section. You can drag it to reorder so your most important featured items appear first.

Resume upload best practices

• Use PDF. It preserves formatting across devices and renders cleanly in the Featured preview. Word files can break layout.
• Name the file professionally.Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf, not "resume_v4_final.pdf." Recruiters sometimes download and re-share the file.
• Keep it under 5 MB. Large files can fail to upload or load slowly in the Featured preview.
• Update it whenever your role changes. The Easy Apply resume is the file in Application Settings, not your latest download. A stale resume attached to every application quietly costs you interviews.
• Make sure your profile and resume match. A recruiter who finds you via search, then reads your resume, expects consistent titles, dates, and skills. Mismatches raise red flags. See our LinkedIn vs. resume guide.

Your profile carries more weight than your resume

Here's the catch most people miss: recruiters find you on LinkedIn through search, not through your uploaded resume. Your headline, keywords, and skills section determine whether you appear in search at all — the resume only matters once a recruiter has already clicked into your profile. A great resume attached to an invisible profile gets you nothing.

Before you worry about which upload spot to use, confirm your profile actually ranks for the keywords recruiters use. Get your free LinkedIn visibility score — paste your profile URL and get an instant 0–100 score plus 3 paste-ready rewrites (an optimized headline, a rewritten About section, and your top 3 experience bullets reworded for recruiter search). Optimize the profile first, then upload a resume that backs it up. For a full walkthrough, see our 28-point profile checklist.

Frequently asked questions