How to Fix Common LinkedIn Profile Issues Before Converting to a CV

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Look, I've been down this road. You spend months building your LinkedIn profile, carefully crafting each section, getting endorsements... and then you need a CV for an actual job application. You think "great, I'll just convert my LinkedIn to a resume and boom, done."

Wrong.

Here's the thing nobody tells you: LinkedIn profiles aren't CVs. They're not even close. And if you try a straight conversion without fixing the underlying issues first, you're basically handing recruiters a document that screams "I didn't try very hard."

The Summary Section Is Probably Terrible

Most LinkedIn summaries read like they were written by a corporate robot having an identity crisis. "Passionate professional with proven track record in dynamic environments..."

Stop.

Your summary needs to be about results, not adjectives. But here's the weird part – what works on LinkedIn (casual, conversational, even a bit salesy) doesn't work on a CV. A CV needs punch. Data. Proof.

If your summary says something vague like "experienced marketing professional," you need to fix it before converting. Add numbers. "Increased email open rates 34% across 15 campaigns" is so much better than "skilled in email marketing."

The Fix:

• Cut the fluff words. Passionate, innovative, dynamic – they mean nothing.
• Add specific metrics wherever possible.
• Make it about what you've DONE, not what you "are".
• Keep it under 3-4 sentences for CV purposes.

Maybe controversial, but I think most summaries should just be deleted and rebuilt from scratch. They're that bad.

Your Job Descriptions Are Just... Lists of Tasks

This is the big one.

Go look at your current role description on LinkedIn right now. Does it say things like:

• Managed team of 5.
• Responsible for quarterly reports.
• Handled client communications.
• Assisted with project planning.

If yes, you've got a problem. These are tasks, not achievements. When this converts to a CV, it looks weak. Recruiters don't care what you were "responsible for" – they care what you actually accomplished.

The Fix:

Rewrite every bullet to show impact. Use the CAR method (Context, Action, Result) but don't make it obvious or formulaic.

Bad: "Managed social media accounts"
Better: "Grew Instagram following from 2K to 47K in 8 months, driving 23% increase in website traffic"

The first one could describe an intern. The second one gets you an interview.

And here's where tools like Linked CV Builder actually help – their AI reviews your profile against target roles and suggests stronger phrasing. Because honestly? Most of us are terrible at selling ourselves.

The Skills Section Is a Hot Mess

LinkedIn lets you add 50 skills. You probably added 35-40 of them. Random ones. Skills you used once in 2017. Skills you think sound impressive but have no proof of.

When that converts to a CV, it's chaos. A recruiter sees "Python, Leadership, Teamwork, Machine Learning, PowerPoint, Public Speaking, Data Analysis..." and their eyes glaze over. What are you actually good at?

Plus – and this matters for ATS systems – your skills need to match the job description. If the role wants "SQL" and you listed "Database Management," the system might miss it entirely.

The Fix:

• Cut your skills list to 10-15 core ones.
• Make sure they match your actual job descriptions (if you say you're expert in Python but never mention using it... weird).
• Use exact terminology from job postings you're targeting.
• Remove soft skills like "teamwork" unless they're specifically requested (they rarely are).

Fun fact: customers using proper CV optimization see a 3X increase in response rates from recruiters. That's not a typo. Three times more callbacks. Skills matching is a huge part of why.

LinkedIn Formatting Doesn't Transfer

You spent time making your LinkedIn look good. Nice bullets, clean spacing, maybe some bold text or line breaks.

None of that survives conversion.

LinkedIn uses one formatting system. Word docs use another. PDFs use another. When you export or convert, it usually turns into a wall of text with weird spacing and bullets that don't line up.

I've seen CVs where the person's job title ran into their company name. Where bullet points became random dashes. Where carefully crafted sections collapsed into paragraph soup.

The Fix:

Before converting, simplify your formatting:

• Use simple bullets (no fancy Unicode characters).
• Keep sections clearly separated.
• Don't rely on bold or italics to convey information.
• Test the export yourself – LinkedIn's own PDF export is... not great.

Or just use a proper CV builder that handles this automatically. Linked CV Builder uses an ATS-optimized template that actually works. Because on average, HR gives your CV just 5 seconds. If the formatting's broken, you're done.

Your Profile Photo Won't (Shouldn't) Transfer

This seems obvious but people forget: most CVs shouldn't have photos.

In the US, UK, Canada – photos are actively discouraged because of discrimination concerns. In some European countries they're expected. It depends.

Point is, you can't just slap your LinkedIn headshot on a CV and call it professional. And if you're applying internationally, you need to know the rules.

The Fix:

• Research standards for your target country/industry.
• Have a photo-free version ready (this should be your default).
• Never use a casual photo – LinkedIn's more forgiving than CVs.
• Consider that some ATS systems reject applications with photos.

Recommendations and Endorsements Don't Convert

Those 47 endorsements for JavaScript? The three glowing recommendations from former colleagues?

They don't go on your CV.

This shocks people. They spent time collecting those endorsements! But here's reality: recruiters don't care about LinkedIn endorsements. They're too easy to game. Anyone can click a button.

The Fix:

• Pull specific quotes from recommendations and work them into your job descriptions (if they're genuinely good).
• Use the themes from recommendations to strengthen your summary.
• Stop worrying about endorsements – they're for LinkedIn networking, not CVs.

Honestly, most of those recommendations probably say the same generic stuff anyway. "Great to work with, strong communicator, team player..." Thanks, very helpful.

The Experience Timeline Might Have Gaps

LinkedIn lets you be vague about dates. "2019 – Present" or just years without months. That's fine for social networking.

CVs need precision. Month and year for each role. And if there are gaps, you need to address them somehow.

The Fix:

• Add specific months to all positions.
• If you have employment gaps, consider adding freelance work, courses, or volunteer experience.
• Make sure dates make sense chronologically (you'd be surprised how many don't).
• Be consistent – if you use months for one job, use them for all.

This is where having complete information on LinkedIn before converting helps. If your LinkedIn's actually up-to-date and detailed, tools like Linked CV Builder can handle most of the conversion work automatically. Just fill in what's missing.

You're Using LinkedIn's Industry Jargon

Every industry has its LinkedIn speak. Marketing people talk about "growth hacking" and "synergistic campaigns." Tech people throw around "full-stack" and "agile methodologies." Finance bros love "value creation" and "strategic initiatives."

Some of that needs to change for a CV.

Job descriptions use more concrete language. They want specific tools, measurable outcomes, clear responsibilities. The flowery LinkedIn stuff can actually hurt you.

The Fix:

• Replace vague terms with specific ones.
• Match your language to the job posting (this is huge).
• Cut marketing speak – just say what you did.
• Use industry-standard terms, not trendy ones.

Example: "Leveraged cutting-edge technologies to drive digital transformation" → "Implemented Salesforce CRM, reducing sales cycle by 15 days"

See the difference?

Your Contact Info Is Incomplete or Outdated

This seems so basic but check your LinkedIn contact section right now. Is your phone number current? Is your email professional (not "[email protected]")? Is your location accurate?

When this converts to a CV header, all those details come with it. And if they're wrong... whoops.

The Fix:

• Use a professional email address.
• Include phone number with country code if applying internationally.
• Make sure your location is up to date (some recruiters filter by location).
• Add a portfolio or personal website if relevant.

Small detail but it matters. I've seen people miss opportunities because their contact info was outdated and recruiters couldn't reach them.

The Education Section Has Too Much (or Too Little)

Recent grads: you're including too much education detail. Your GPA, every club, minor coursework – it doesn't need to be there.

Experienced professionals: you're probably not including enough. Just "BS in Business" doesn't cut it when you have relevant certifications or specialized training.

The Fix:

If you're 0-2 years out of school:

• Keep relevant coursework if it applies to the job.
• Include major academic achievements.
• GPA only if it's above 3.5.
• Cut most extracurriculars unless they're impressive or relevant.

If you're 5+ years into your career:

• Degree and school name are enough.
• Add certifications that matter (PMP, CPA, AWS, etc.).
• Remove graduation dates if you're worried about age discrimination.
• Consider if anyone actually cares about your degree at this point (harsh but true).

Profile Completeness Actually Matters

LinkedIn has that little completion bar. "Your profile is 87% complete! Add 3 more skills!"

Annoying, yes. But kind of important.

Incomplete profiles convert to incomplete CVs. If you're missing descriptions for recent roles, if half your skills aren't listed, if your summary is blank... that's going to show in the final document.

The Fix:

• Get to 100% completion before converting (it takes like 20 minutes).
• Make sure every job has a description.
• Fill out the summary section completely.
• Add relevant skills that match your target roles.

This is basic but so many people skip it. They think "I'll fix it in the CV" and then forget or don't bother.

The Conversion Process Itself Is Your Problem

Maybe your LinkedIn is actually pretty good. Maybe you've fixed all these issues.

You still might end up with a bad CV because the conversion tool itself is garbage.

LinkedIn's built-in export? Creates weird formatting. Copy-pasting into Word? Disaster. Using random free converters online? Hope you like malware and bizarre spacing issues.

The Fix:

Use a proper tool that's built for this. I'm obviously biased here since I'm writing for Linked CV Builder, but seriously – the tool matters.

A good converter should:

• Preserve your information accurately.
• Fix formatting automatically.
• Optimize for ATS systems (most CVs get filtered by software before humans see them).
• Let you customize for specific jobs.
• Generate a clean, professional layout.

The platform handles the technical stuff so you can focus on the content. And since it's built specifically for LinkedIn-to-CV conversion, it catches the common issues automatically.

Plus the AI actually reviews your profile and suggests improvements. Like "hey, you said you increased sales but didn't mention by how much." That kind of thing saves you from submitting weak applications.

Bottom Line

Your LinkedIn profile is probably 60-70% ready to become a CV. That last 30-40% is the difference between getting interviews and getting ghosted.

Fix these issues before converting:

• Strengthen your summary with real achievements.
• Rewrite job descriptions to show impact, not just tasks.
• Clean up and focus your skills.
• Simplify formatting.
• Fill in all the gaps.
• Match your language to actual job descriptions.

Or... use a tool that does most of this automatically.

Written by Di Reshtei