When was the last time you created or updated your resume using Microsoft Word? If it's been a while, then you might be missing out on a helpful feature to improve your resume.

The LinkedIn Resume Assistant is a handy tool that assists you with that all-important, job-catching document.

What Is the LinkedIn Resume Assistant?

The LinkedIn Resume Assistant provides you with example resume snippets from other people in your field. This lets you see how they describe and explain their work experience and job skills.

If you struggle with the correct resume wording or how to best highlight your skills, it can be useful to see how other professionals do it. As LinkedIn explains:

"Resume Assistant in Microsoft Word helps get your creative juices flowing by showing personalized insights from LinkedIn, based on the desired role you're interested in."

In addition to seeing experience and skill samples, you can check out helpful articles, tops skills for your position, and suggested jobs in your area.

Resume Assistant Availability

It's important to note that Resume Assistant is only available in Word 2016 for Windows. And it will roll out slowly over time with Office Insider participants first and Office 365 subscribers next. If you believe that you should have it by now and do not, check to be sure you have the latest version of Word.

The Resume Assistant button should appear on your ribbon in the Review tab.

If you do see the button, but it's dimmed and cannot be clicked, make sure to enable your LinkedIn integration. Click File > Options and the General tab. Under LinkedIn Features, select the check box for Show LinkedIn features in my Office applications and click OK.

enable LinkedIn integration in Word

Getting Started With the Resume Assistant

There are two ways to begin using the Resume Assistant. The first is obviously to click the button in your ribbon. The second is to open a current resume or resume template from within Word. The tool will automatically detect that you have opened a resume. Then, a sidebar for the tool will open for you to get started.

You can then click the Learn more link at the bottom which will take you to Microsoft Office support site. There, you can check out a brief video of the Resume Assistant. Or you can just click the Get started button in the sidebar to begin.

Get started with the LinkedIn Resume Assistant

Next, you just enter a role (job title) and optionally an industry to view the examples. As you begin to type a role or industry, you will see suggestions pop up for you to pick from. After you make your selections, click See examples.

Viewing Your Resume Assistant Results

Now that you see your list of samples, you have a few options. If you did not include an industry initially, you can still enter one at the top of the results screen. By including a field such as healthcare, information technology, or automotive, you can view examples more closely related to your particular role.

You can also filter the results by top skills. For instance, if you enter "writer" as the role, you can filter by copyrighting, blogging, or editing. Or if you enter "restaurant manager," you can filter by assistant, general, or bar manager.

Some filters offer subcategories to narrow your results even further. For example, if you enter "programmer" for the role, you can filter by software, system, or web programmer. Then, if you pick one of those options, such as web programming, you can filter further with choices like PHP, HTML, or JavaScript.

Use filters in the LinkedIn Resume Assistant

When looking through the examples you receive, whether you narrow your results or not, you can see the job title and years in the position. Just select one to see the description in full using the Read more link which simply expands the section.

View results in the LinkedIn Resume Assistant

You cannot copy-and-paste or insert text from the samples. So, do not misunderstand this tool as a quick way to use another person's resume pieces to create your own.

The intent of the LinkedIn Resume Assistant is to help you be more creative and succinct with your wording as well as know the skills you should highlight on your own resume.

Additional LinkedIn Resources

In the sidebar, below your resume example results, you will notice a few additional helpful items. First, you can review the top skills for the role you enter. These are suggested skills that you should include on your resume if applicable.

Next, you can read LinkedIn articles related to resume writing. So, if you would like some extra tips on perfecting your resume, you might want to check these out. Clicking on one of the articles will take you directly to it on the LinkedIn website.

After that, you can view suggested jobs based on your role, industry, and location. You will see a snapshot with the position, company, location, and a brief job description. Just like the articles, selecting one of these positions will take you right to it on the LinkedIn site.

Additional resources in the LinkedIn Resume Assistant

LinkedIn Resume Assistant Examples

The examples that you see with the Resume Assistant come from LinkedIn profiles that are public. You will not see any names or personally identifiable details. Plus, you will only see the description sections and no other information or areas from the person's profile.

It's important to note that if you have a public profile on LinkedIn, your skill descriptions may also be used by the Resume Assistant. If you would like to disable this option head to the LinkedIn website and log in.

Click Me > Settings & Privacy > Privacy. Scroll down to the Security section and under Microsoft Word, move the slider from Yes to No. Your change will be saved automatically.

LinkedIn disable Resume Assistant usage in Word

For more tips, make sure you know the right way to upload your resume to LinkedIn.

Improve Your Resume Even Further

These days, almost any edge over the competition in a job search is something people welcome. And if it comes down to how well your resume is written to land you the perfect job, a tool like this might be just what you need.

And don't forget about that resume introduction with these cover letter tips and templates.