The essentials in 30 seconds
- 01Job titles and dates identical in both places.
- 02A headline with role, specialism and tool.
- 03A custom URL, in your CV header.
01
Match the facts, not the wording
Job titles, employers and dates must be identical — any mismatch reads as a red flag. Everything else can and should be written differently, because a CV chases one advert while a profile works for all of them.
02
Your headline is your keyword
The 220-character headline carries the most weight in recruiter searches. Formula: role + specialism + tool or sector. “Credit Control Analyst · Collections and IFRS · Sage and SAP”.
03
“About” is written in the first person
Three or four short paragraphs: what you do, two achievements with figures, the tools you work with and what you're looking for now. On the CV that same block is impersonal and three lines long; here you can speak as yourself.
04
What a CV can never carry
A professional photo, recommendations from colleagues, endorsed skills, linked certifications, projects with images and industry posts. That's your social proof and it only exists here.
05
Custom URL, linked from the CV
Change your address to linkedin.com/in/first-last and put it in your CV header. A URL with random digits on the end looks unprofessional and takes up the same space.
06
“Open to work”, used sensibly
You can switch it on for recruiters only, without the green frame on your photo. If you're currently employed, that's the sensible setting: recruiters still find you and your employer never sees the badge.
07
What must match and what should differ
Verifiable facts must be identical in both places: employer names, job titles and dates. Recruiters compare profile and CV, and any mismatch — a role that runs two years longer on LinkedIn — is read as a red flag rather than an oversight.
The wording, though, should differ by function. A CV chases one advert and is written in implied third person with telegraphed achievements; a profile works for every advert at once, takes first person, and can carry the context a CV has no room for.
- Identical: employers, titles, cities and dates.
- Different: the summary, which goes first person on the profile.
- Profile only: photo, recommendations, endorsements and posts.
- CV only: the literal tailoring to the advert you're answering.
08
Headline, About and experience built for search
The headline is the field that weighs most when a recruiter searches for candidates, and it holds 220 characters. The formula that works is role + specialism + tool or sector: “Credit Control Analyst · Collections and IFRS · SAP and Sage”. Leaving only your employer's name wastes the most-searched field on the profile.
About runs three or four short paragraphs: what you do, two achievements with figures, the tools you work with and what you're looking for now. In experience, repeat the CV pattern — verb, what you did, result — but add one line of context per employer, because here nobody knows what that company does.
- Headline: role, specialism and one tool or sector.
- About: three or four paragraphs, first person.
- Experience: one context line per employer, then the achievements.
- Skills: the ten from a typical advert for your role, in order.
- Custom URL: linkedin.com/in/first-last.
09
Social proof and visibility without exposing yourself at work
Social proof is the one thing a CV can't carry: recommendations from colleagues and managers, endorsed skills, certifications with a verifiable link, and projects with images. Three specific recommendations from people you actually worked with are worth more than thirty automatic endorsements.
If you're employed, switch “open to work” on for recruiters only: they still find you and the green frame never appears on your photo. And check your activity-broadcast privacy before overhauling the profile, so a flood of edits doesn't land on your colleagues' feeds.
Check this before you send it
- Titles, employers and dates identical to the CV.
- A headline with role, specialism and tool or sector.
- About carries two quantified achievements.
- Custom URL, also printed in the CV header.
- At least three recommendations from people you worked with.
- “Open to work” set to recruiters only if you're employed.
Mistakes that cost you the interview
Dates or titles that don't match the CV
It's the first thing compared and the one inconsistency read as dishonesty rather than carelessness.
Copying the CV word for word
It wastes everything the profile allows: context, first person and social proof.
Leaving the default headline
“Works at X” contains no keywords and keeps you out of recruiter searches.
Updating the profile without checking privacy
Every edit broadcasts to your activity feed and can tell your current employer you're looking.
Frequently asked
Questions we get asked most
- Should my CV and LinkedIn say the same thing?
- The facts yes: identical job titles, employers and dates, because any mismatch reads as a red flag. The wording should differ — a CV chases one advert, a profile works for all of them.
- What should my LinkedIn headline say?
- Role, specialism and tool or sector within the 220 characters, since it's the field that weighs most in recruiter searches. For example: “Credit Control Analyst · Collections and IFRS · SAP”.
- Should I switch on “open to work” while employed?
- Turn it on for recruiters only, without the green photo frame: you still surface in paid recruiter searches and your current employer never sees the badge.