How to Create a PDF of Your LinkedIn Profile

Do you keep a LinkedIn PDF file with your old profiles? 

Have you ever wished you could remember the words you used in an earlier version of your profile:

1. Like when you realize a previous iteration described your accomplishments better?
2. Or you think a change hurt your search engine optimization?

Make a practice of saving your LinkedIn profile as a PDF before each change. Then, you won’t have to remember anything.

The Client Email That Prompted This Post

Yesterday, I received an email from one of my clients asking me if I had a copy of one of his old profiles.

He’s a consultant who has been evolving his business model. Each time he makes a change, he tweaks his profile, but he hasn’t saved each version along the way.

Now he wants to restore some earlier language and can’t.

How To Save Your LinkedIn Profile as a PDF

So, to avoid losing text you might want later, save your profile as a PDF before you update it.

It’s easy:

1. Click “Me” on the top horizontal rail.
2. Then click “View Profile.”
3. Next, click “More” (see the screenshot below).
4. Then click “Save to PDF.”

A .pdf file will pop up on your computer screen, already downloaded for you.

How to Save Your LinkedIn Profile as a Resume

Alternatively, you could:

1. Click “Build a resume” just below “Save to PDF.”
2. Then, click “Create from profile.”
3. Then, enter a job title.
4. Finally, click “Apply.”

LinkedIn will create a “resume” that contains most of the same information as the .pdf and store it for you in the cloud.

If you need to retrieve it, click “Build a resume.” You’ll get a menu of all your saved and dated resumes.

What You Get in Your LinkedIn PDF

To see what LinkedIn downloaded, open your file and compare it to your profile.

My download includes my:

1. Name
2. Headline
3. Location
4. Summary
5. Experience
6. Education
7. Contact information
8. Top 3 skills
9. Certifications
10. Honors & Awards
11. Publications

If there’s something you want to save, check your PDF for it.

If it’s not there, take a screenshot from your profile. Name the file consistently with your download.

The most glaring omission I see is a complete Skills list.

What You Do or Don’t Get in Your LinkedIn Resume

The LinkedIn resume is a bit different than the .pdf file.

My resume includes:

1. 1. Name
   2. No headline
   3. Location
   4. Summary
   5. Experience
   6. Education
   7. Contact information
   8. Top 10 skills
   9. Licenses & Certifications
   10. Honors & Awards
   11. No publications

Keyword Support

The LinkedIn resume also:

1. Asks you to enter a job title from the platform’s standard list
2. Provides a list of keywords for the job title you enter
3. Highlights the listed keywords already in your profile
4. Suggests keywords to add

Which Approach is Best? 

I prefer the .pdf approach because it allows you to duplicate most of your profile and store it on your computer. Thus, it’s an excellent backup.

However, you can easily do both, and getting those keyword ideas could be golden!

How to Name Your Downloaded PDF Files

If you opt to download a file, you’ll see LinkedIn delivers it right away.

It names the file “Profile.” However, the file name doesn’t include your download date. Adding a date will help you find the right file faster.

Why Create a LinkedIn PDF?

It’s easy to do, and you might want that language in the future.

Careers shift. Sometimes people head in old directions. When that happens, it’s good to be able to go to an earlier version of your profile.

So, make saving your current profile the first step you take on every update.

Beyond that, each version documents your career.

Those versions are your history. Someday your biographer or your kids might find them priceless.

The Biggest Problem With Your LinkedIn Profile/Resume

One more thing, be aware that my profile downloaded as a 6-page resume.

NOT GOOD.

If you’re going to pull a resume off your profile, edit it to 2 pages.

That’s It

That covers it. Thanks for reading!

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Updated January 2023

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