Should You Add Hyperlinks to Your Resume?

Links in your resume are a shortcut for recruiters to get to know your professional experience better. While links can elevate your resume and add a layer of depth to your application, there is a much-heated debate over the cons of putting links in your resume. Let’s discuss why adding links validates your expertise and how in some cases they could even work against you.

Different Types of Resume Links

There are different ways to incorporate links in your resume to sell yourself for the role.

Header

At the top of your resume in the contact information section, add and link your professional email, LinkedIn profile, portfolio, or blog.

Experience

This section is great for linking to company publications as long as it doesn’t breach your NDA to share these details.

Education

To expand on your credentials, include links to your academic program and institution, especially if the website mentions your contributions or achievements.

Projects & Publications

Curate your resume links based on articles or publications that are relevant to the job application.

Pro Tip: Only include your social media links if they help tell the story of your professional narrative. 

Pros & Cons of Including Links in Your Resume 

Showing you’re the best fit for the job is critical, but let’s see what the perks and disadvantages are of including resume links.

Pros

• Builds trust in your expertise and credibility
• Shows your creativity to the employer
• Demonstrates your skills and abilities
• Makes your resume look modern and trendy

Cons

• Links to content can break
• Design could be impacted by ATS
• Links can be infected by ransomware or malware
• Risk of resume links being phished by scammers

Risk of Phishing Links in Resume

Resume phishing is a potential threat you can face when sharing your resume. Hackers can download a copy of your resume, change the links to a phishing site, and re-upload your resume to job boards. This is a disadvantage as these links can infect desktops with malware, and even worse—have your resume rejected when the bad links are recognized during a virus scan. 

URLs Vs. Hyperlinks

While most ATS can process resume links, older ATS and CRMs can struggle. The risk is that when the ATS transforms your resume into text-only files, hyperlinks can be voided null. URL links that are fully written out in place of links are known to stay intact. A trick of the trade is for links with many numbers and symbols, shorten them with a link shortener. 

In Summary

At the end of the day, only include links if it adds value to your resume. If you decide to include links, be sure to double-check them. Remember to make the links relevant to the advert, keep link formatting consistent across your resume, and use clear and descriptive calls-to-action (CTA) so recruiters know before they click.

Ready to put your resume links to the test? Browse our open jobs now.