These days, more professionals in various fields are turning to websites like LinkedIn to market themselves. In today's ultra-competitive employment market, no job seeker can afford to neglect these fantastic tools for self-promotion and business networking. However, many users are confused about how their presentation on sites like LinkedIn should differ from traditional resume writing. Below are five crucial ways to differ your LinkedIn profile from your resume.

Use a More Personal Tone

Although LinkedIn is targeted to business professionals and job-seekers, it can also be considered a social network. A resume is ultimately a formal document that must conform to certain basic standards and convey a professional tone above all else. A social website like LinkedIn is all about facilitating two-way communication. Therefore, you should offer a more personable, and approachable view of yourself on LinkedIn than you would in your resume.

On LinkedIn, Recruiters and Companies Come to You

Jobseekers send their resumes out to those employers whom they are specifically targeting. A LinkedIn profile, however, is a part of a large, searchable database of similar profiles. Treat your LinkedIn profile like "bait" and attempt to attract all kinds of recruiters or companies. This means that, rather than tailor your profile to one specific job as you might with a resume, you should try to offer a more well-rounded view of your experience, talents and skills.

Your LinkedIn Profile Should Grow and Change

You may only update your resume once in a while, say while engaged in a new round of job hunting, completing a major project or leaving a position. Once you send it off to a company, it is "finished" as far as that job prospect is concerned. For your LinkedIn profile, updating should be a constant process. When you have new material to add or a refinement to make, feel free to incorporate it into your profile. A strong LinkedIn profile is a work-in-progress and may never truly be "finished."

Include a Picture

Along with a more personal tone, LinkedIn profiles also differ from resumes in that including a picture is not just acceptable but expected. A flattering headshot photo will round out your profile and create a more memorable connection between you and any visitors. Like other social media, LinkedIn is about building relationships, and photographs can help facilitate this.

Make Your LinkedIn Profile About the Future, Not the Past

A resume is fundamentally a statement of past accomplishments and experiences. While your LinkedIn profile also contains this information, it should be directed toward the future: your plans, objectives and goals for your career. Don't just add your work experience and projects, but talk about what you would like to do. Let your updates indicate where you would like to go in your career. Future-oriented updates can include links to articles that reflect your interests, notices about events you plan on attending or discussions of your general goals and objectives.