Why convert your LinkedIn profile to a CV?
LinkedIn has become the world’s largest professional network with over 700 million users worldwide. With so many professionals using LinkedIn to showcase their work histories, skills, accomplishments, and more, your LinkedIn profile has essentially become an online resume or CV (curriculum vitae).
Many job seekers are now realizing that their LinkedIn profiles contain a wealth of information that can easily be formatted into a professional CV. Converting your LinkedIn profile into a CV can save you time and effort when job searching, as much of the hard work is already done on your LinkedIn page. All that’s needed is some formatting and tweaking to transform your profile into a polished, print-ready CV.
Here are some of the benefits of converting your LinkedIn profile to a CV:
- Saves time – Your LinkedIn profile already contains your work history, skills, education, etc. Converting this to a CV is much faster than creating one from scratch.
- More detailed – LinkedIn profiles often contain more detailed work histories, itemized skill sets, and accomplishments than a traditional 1-2 page CV.
- Customizable – You can tweak and format the content however you want for your target industry and role.
- Professional presentation – A properly formatted CV converted from your profile will look sharp and presentable to employers.
- Consistent information – Your CV content will always align with your LinkedIn profile.
Overall, transforming your LinkedIn profile into a great looking CV can be a quick and easy process with the right guidance.
How to convert your LinkedIn profile to a CV
If you want to convert your LinkedIn profile into an impressive CV, follow these steps:
1. Export your LinkedIn profile
The first step is to export your LinkedIn profile data so you have all the information you need in one place. Here’s how to export your full profile from LinkedIn:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile page
- Click on the ‘More’ icon in the top right corner
- Select ‘Settings & Privacy’ from the dropdown menu
- Click on ‘Getting started under Account’
- Scroll down and click on ‘Getting a copy of your data’
- A new page will open. Click on the ‘Request archive’ button
- Enter your account password when prompted
- Choose the file format you want to export your data in – PDF is recommended
- Select which data you want to download – make sure Profile is selected
- Click on the blue ‘Request archive’ button at the bottom
It can take up to 72 hours for LinkedIn to collate and email your archive file. Once you receive it, save it so you can easily access your profile data.
2. Set up your CV document
Once you have your LinkedIn data, it’s time to open a new Word document to use for your CV. Make sure you format it professionally with:
- Clean, simple fonts like Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman
- 11 or 12 pt font size
- 1 inch margins on all sides
- Consistent formatting and structure
- headings and sections for each part of the CV (work experience, education, etc)
You want your CV to look polished and easy to read. Setting up the formatting first will provide a structured template to input your profile details.
3. Add your profile photo
Your LinkedIn profile most likely contains your professional headshot photo. While this photo isn’t essential for a CV, it can help personalize your application.
To add your profile photo to your CV:
- Save your LinkedIn profile photo to your computer
- Insert the photo file into your CV Word document
- Size it appropriately (1 – 1.5 inches is standard)
- Position it in the top right corner or along the top margin
Use a high quality headshot and make sure it looks crisp and clear when sized down in your document.
4. Include your contact details
Use your LinkedIn profile to populate your CV with your full name, phone number, email address, city, state/province, and LinkedIn profile URL (optional).
Format these clearly at the very top of your CV document so they stand out. This contact information allows employers to get in touch with you.
5. Add your LinkedIn summary
Your LinkedIn summary is a short paragraph highlighting your top skills, achievements, and professional attributes. This can make a great introduction on your CV.
Simply copy and paste your summary section from LinkedIn to your CV. You may want to tweak it slightly to optimize it for CV use. Keep it brief, compelling, and impactful.
6. Include your work experience section
The work experience section is one of the most important parts of your CV. This is where you can really showcase your career highlights.
Copy over your experience section from your LinkedIn profile, keeping these tips in mind:
- List jobs in reverse chronological order
- Include company name, position title, employment dates
- Use concise bullet points to convey responsibilities and achievements
- Tailor bullet points to each target job, focusing on relevant skills and qualifications
- Emphasize transferable skills like leadership, communication, problem-solving
- Quantify achievements and accomplishments when possible
Curate your CV bullet points to tell a story and highlight the experiences that make you qualified for the role.
7. Add your education
Recruiters want to see your academic credentials, so be sure to transfer your education history from LinkedIn to your CV.
For each degree/certification, include:
- Name of degree or certification
- University or institution name
- Location (city and country)
- Year completed or graduation date
- Grade point average or honors if applicable
List in reverse chronological order. You can also include relevant coursework or dissertation titles for bonus details.
8. Highlight your skills
Your skills section provides an at-a-glance overview of your top abilities. Select your most relevant and important skills from your LinkedIn profile to include on your CV.
Ways to list your skills:
- Simple bullet point list (with or without skill levels)
- Categorize by type (e.g. technical skills, software skills, language skills)
- Include transferable skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving
Aim for 6-15 key skills tailored to each application. Back these skills up with examples throughout your CV.
9. Add additional sections as needed
Once you’ve included the essential sections from your LinkedIn profile, consider adding any other relevant CV sections like:
- Certifications
- Volunteer work
- Relevant projects
- Awards and honors
- Relevant coursework
- Publications
- Hobbies and interests
- Languages
Include brief, targeted details for these sections. Only add sections that strengthen your CV and are applicable to the target role.
10. Proofread and finalize your CV
With your content in place, it’s time to fine-tune your CV:
- Check for spelling and grammar errors
- Ensure consistent structure and formatting
- Tweak content to fit each job targeted
- Remove unnecessary details or repetitive points
- Make sure your strongest achievements stand out
Once your CV looks sharp, save the file as a PDF and you’ll be ready to apply for jobs!
Tips for the best CV converted from LinkedIn
To create the most effective CV using your LinkedIn profile, keep these additional tips in mind:
Customize for each application
Adjust your CV slightly for each job you apply to. Highlight different skills and experiences tailored to that specific role.
Watch character limits
LinkedIn summaries and bullet points can get lengthy. Condense details for CV readability.
Use measurable achievements
Quantify your accomplishments and impact using facts and figures. For example, dollars saved, sales generated, productivity increased, etc.
Check formatting consistency
Make sure formatting like bold text, italics, tabs, and bullet points are consistent in each section.
Focus on transferable skills
Soft skills like communication, teamwork and problem-solving are highly valued by employers. Emphasize these on your CV.
Focus on value provided
For each experience on your CV, demonstrate the value you provided in that role. Tailor details to each potential employer’s needs.
By taking your existing LinkedIn profile and reformatting the content into a professional CV document, you can save time in the job seeking process. Just follow the step-by-step guide above to create an impressive CV that will get you noticed by recruiters.
Example CV converted from LinkedIn profile
Review this sample CV converted from a LinkedIn profile to see how to leverage profile content:
| CV Section | Content from LinkedIn Profile |
|---|---|
| Photo | Profile photo uploaded to CV |
| Contact Info | Full name, email, phone number, city, state, LinkedIn URL |
| Summary | LinkedIn summary paragraph slightly modified for CV use |
| Work Experience | Used experience section jobs and bullet points tailored to target role |
| Education | Included degree name, university, location, graduation year |
| Skills | Selected top skills from LinkedIn profile and listed in bullet points |
| Certifications | Added relevant certifications section from LinkedIn |
| Formatting | Consistent structure, headings, fonts, margins established |
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn profile contains a wealth of professional information that can be repurposed for an impressive CV. Follow the steps above to convert your profile content into a polished, customizable document tailored for each job application. Highlight your top skills, quantifiable achievements, education, and relevant experiences to showcase your qualifications. With a little time and formatting effort, you can easily transform your LinkedIn profile into a CV that gets you noticed and helps you land more interviews.