How to Turn Your LinkedIn Profile into a CV (Step-by-Step, with Screenshots)

Step 1: Export Your LinkedIn Data

LinkedIn lets you download your data, but honestly? It's a mess. You get a bunch of CSV files and HTML pages that look like they were designed in 2009. Not exactly copy-paste friendly.

Here's how:

• Go to Settings & Privacy on LinkedIn
• Click "Get a copy of your data"
• Select what you want (Profile, Connections, etc.)
• Wait for the download link via email
• Open the files and... good luck making sense of it all

The experience section comes in one format, skills in another. Your headline is separate from your summary. It's fragmented.

Step 2: Manually Reformat Everything

This is where it gets tedious:

• Copy your job titles and descriptions
• Paste into Word or Google Docs
• Fix all the weird formatting breaks
• Add bullet points manually
• Remove the casual tone (nobody wants "I'm passionate about..." in a CV)
• Match the tense consistency
• Remove emojis and informal language
• Format dates properly

Oh, and you need to:

• Pick a template that doesn't look like garbage
• Ensure ATS compatibility (no text boxes, tables, or fancy graphics)
• Add keywords from the job description
• Cut it down to 1-2 pages

This process? Easily 2-3 hours if you want it done right. And then you have to repeat it for every different job you apply to because a generic CV gets you nowhere in 2025.

Step 3: Tailor It for Each Job

The biggest mistake job seekers make is sending the same CV everywhere. ATS systems are literally programmed to scan for specific keywords from the job posting. If you're applying for a "Senior Product Manager" role and your CV says "Product Lead" instead... the algorithm might rank you lower.

You need to:

• Read the job description carefully
• Identify key requirements and skills
• Mirror that language in your CV (without lying, obviously)
• Emphasize relevant experience
• Downplay or remove irrelevant stuff

Multiply this by 10-20 applications per week. You see the problem.

Step 1: Paste Your LinkedIn Profile URL

Go to your LinkedIn profile and copy the URL. It looks something like: linkedin.com/in/yourname

Head over to Linked CV Builder, paste that URL in the main field. That's it for this step.

The tool analyzes your entire profile – experience, education, skills, recommendations, even those endorsements you forgot existed.

Step 2: Fill in Any Gaps (If Needed)

If your LinkedIn is already complete, you're mostly done. The AI pulls everything automatically.

But maybe you forgot to add that freelance project. Or you want to include a certification that's not listed. You can add those details now.

The interface is pretty straightforward – it shows what it found from LinkedIn and highlights any missing sections. No confusing menus or 15-step wizards.

Step 3: Add the Job Posting URL

This is where it gets interesting.

Instead of manually tailoring your CV for each job, you paste the LinkedIn job posting URL. The AI reads the entire job description, extracts:

• Required skills
• Responsibilities
• Qualifications
• Keywords that ATS systems will scan for

Then it rewrites your CV to emphasize the experience that matches. It's not making stuff up – it's just reorganizing what you already have to align with what this specific employer wants to see.

Step 4: Download Your ATS-Optimized CV

Within about a minute, you get:

• A professionally formatted CV in PDF
• A tailored cover letter
• A relevance score showing how well you match the job

The template they use is designed to pass ATS scans – clean formatting, proper sections, keyword optimization. No graphics that confuse the robots.

You can edit if needed, but honestly? Most of the time it's ready to send.

1. Keeping the Casual Tone

LinkedIn is social media. Your profile probably has some personality, maybe phrases like "I love tackling complex problems" or "passionate about innovation."

CVs need to be more formal and direct. Replace:

• "I love helping teams succeed" → "Led cross-functional teams to achieve project goals"
• "Passionate about data analysis" → "Proficient in data analysis using Python and SQL"

2. Including Everything

Your LinkedIn might have every job since college, every skill you've ever touched, every endorsement.

Your CV should be focused. If you're applying for a marketing role, that two-month retail job from 2015? Leave it off. Keep it relevant, keep it recent (last 10-15 years max), keep it to 1-2 pages.

3. Ignoring Keywords

ATS systems are dumb. They scan for exact matches. If the job description says "project management" and your CV says "managed projects"... the system might not connect the dots.

You need to mirror the language from the job posting. Not word-for-word plagiarism, but close enough that the algorithm recognizes you have what they want.

4. Bad Formatting

Text boxes, tables, columns, headers/footers, images – all of these can break ATS parsers. Your beautifully designed CV might get rejected before a human ever sees it because the robot couldn't read it.

Stick to simple, clean layouts. Left-aligned text. Standard section headings. Bullet points. That's it.

5. Not Tailoring for Each Job

Sending the same CV to 50 different jobs is a waste of time. Each role has different priorities, different required skills, different keywords.

You don't need to rewrite everything for each application, but at minimum adjust:

• The summary/objective section
• Key skills listed
• Order of bullet points in your experience
• Keywords throughout

Or, you know, use a tool that does this automatically.