How to create a CV from your LinkedIn profile
Yes. Save your LinkedIn profile as a PDF, import it into a CV builder such as CitedCV, confirm the facts and export a CV. Save to PDF works on desktop, for English-language profiles.1
Written 3 October 2026, updated 5 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
What a CV from LinkedIn is
A CV from LinkedIn is a CV built from what is already on your LinkedIn profile: roles, dates, education, skills and summary. LinkedIn offers your profile as a PDF and a copy of your account data; neither is written for a particular job. In the UK and Europe the document is a CV, in the US a résumé; this page uses CV for both.
CitedCV reads that PDF, shows every role, date and skill as a fact for you to confirm, and writes the CV only from the confirmed facts.
The first minute: what to do and what it costs
The first action is on LinkedIn, in a desktop browser: save your profile as a PDF. On this path only the build spends credits; importing, confirming and exporting spend none, and the 6 credits of a new account cover one quick draft.
| Action | Where | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Save your profile as a PDF | LinkedIn, desktop | No fee on LinkedIn's help page; English-language profiles only |
| Create an account | citedcv.com | No card; 6 free credits |
| Import the PDF and confirm the facts | Facts, From LinkedIn | 0 credits; needs the account |
| Build a general CV | Builder | Quick draft 6 credits, full build 10 |
| Export as PDF or DOCX | CV page | 0 credits |
| Write the CV for one job posting | Builder | Needs a credit pack |
Credit packs are $9 for 30 credits (Starter) and $29 for 150 (Pro). Each is paid once and never renews, and credits do not expire. Any pack opens the job features, including a CV written for one posting.
How to create a CV from LinkedIn in four steps
Step 1: save the PDF on LinkedIn
- On your LinkedIn homepage, open the Me menu.
- Choose View profile.
- In the introduction section, open More or Resources.
- Choose Save to PDF.
LinkedIn's help page states these steps and the limits: English-language profiles only, English characters only, not in the mobile app, not available to every member, and 200 PDF downloads a month.
Step 2: import the PDF
Sign in to CitedCV, open Facts, expand From LinkedIn and choose the PDF. Your browser reads the text on your device and sends it with the file. CitedCV accepts PDF, DOCX or TXT up to 5 MB; a screenshot has no text and is refused.
Step 3: confirm what was read
Every role, date, skill and bullet arrives as a fact marked Unconfirmed, sourced as an import. Confirm one or all, edit a fact (an edit counts as confirmation, because you wrote it) or delete it. By default CitedCV writes only from confirmed facts.
Step 4: build, review and export
In the builder, leave the job posting empty for a general CV. Quick draft costs 6 credits and asks nothing; full build costs 10, asks about gaps and verifies every claim. A verifier checks each line's numbers, dates and names against your facts, and a failing line is rewritten once, then dropped. Exports cost no credits.
How to download a CV from LinkedIn: the PDF or the data archive
LinkedIn offers two downloads that people call a CV. Only the first is read by CitedCV.
| Save to PDF | Download your data | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Profile page: More or Resources, then Save to PDF | Settings & Privacy, then Data privacy, then Download your data |
| Contents | Your profile as one PDF | Categories you choose, such as Profile, Positions and Skills |
| Delivery | A file from the profile page | An emailed link: minutes to 24 hours, valid for 72 hours |
| Read by CitedCV | Yes | No: it reads PDF, DOCX or TXT |
For a CV, use Save to PDF; the archive holds more than a CV needs.
What CitedCV does with a LinkedIn PDF
- It recognises the file by its shape: two marks are enough, such as a Contact block, Top Skills, a Page 1 of 3 footer or a linkedin.com/in address.
- It removes only what LinkedIn added: footers, the (LinkedIn) tag and bracketed durations such as (2 years 3 months), which would otherwise be read as numbers you never wrote.
- It tells the language model what shape to expect, so Top Skills is read as a skill list, not as achievements.
- It keeps only what the file says: each fact a language model proposes must appear word for word in the file or it is dropped, and it stays unconfirmed until you confirm it.
What it does not do
CitedCV does not sign in to LinkedIn, ask for your LinkedIn password or open your profile link; LinkedIn data reaches it only as the file you choose. The LinkedIn URL box on the facts form is saved as text and never opened, and a LinkedIn job-posting link is refused before any request.
Proof: what we measured and the limits we state
These figures are ours unless a source is named. One test profile shows the cleaning works on that shape; it is not a rate across real profiles, and we publish no accuracy figure.
| Measure | Value | Window and source |
|---|---|---|
| Facts read from one synthetic profile in LinkedIn's export shape | 31 | Our test, live model, 2026-09-18 |
| Numbers taken from bracketed durations in that test | 0 | Same test |
| PDF exports that read back with every word in order | 24 of 24 | Ours, 2026-09-18: 8 templates, 3 documents |
| LinkedIn cap on Save to PDF | 200 PDF downloads a month | LinkedIn help page, October 2026 |
Who this is not for
- Your profile is not in English. LinkedIn says Save to PDF is for English-language profiles only. Paste your profile text into a TXT file, which CitedCV also reads, or type the facts into the form.
- You want a styled CV in two clicks without reviewing facts. CitedCV makes you confirm first. Kickresume counts more than 40 resume templates on paid plans (our comparison page, 2026-09-08).
- You need a CV written for one posting today and do not want to pay. In CitedCV that needs a credit pack; Teal and Enhancv tailor to a posting on their own terms.
Alternatives, and whom each fits
Facts about other tools come from our comparison pages, updated 2026-09-08, and may have changed.
| Option | With a LinkedIn profile | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Edit it yourself | Copy your profile text into a document and cut it to the job | Short profiles; nothing checks the result |
| Europass | EU-run editor; you first create a Europass profile with your education, training, work experience and skills | European-format CVs |
| Rezi | Imports from LinkedIn through its Chrome extension | A large template library |
| Teal | Imports a resume as PDF, Word or pasted text, or from a LinkedIn profile | Job tracking around an AI builder |
| ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini | Paste the profile text and ask for a CV | A draft you check line by line; nothing stops an invented number |
The limits of a CV built from a profile
No CV tool guarantees an interview. Applicant tracking systems such as Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Taleo, SuccessFactors and iCIMS store, parse and search applications; a person decides who moves forward. Greenhouse's support pages list .pdf and .docx among accepted uploads. CitedCV cannot write what your profile does not say.
A profile is not tailored to a job
A LinkedIn profile describes your whole career for any reader; a CV is written for one job. The National Careers Service says to tailor your CV to the job, and Prospects calls a CV a marketing tool tailored to its audience.
A profile may be out of date, unchecked or incomplete
Nobody verified what is on a profile. CitedCV checks lines against the facts you confirmed, not the world: a wrong date on your profile becomes a wrong date on the CV. LinkedIn's help page does not list which sections the PDF holds, so compare the facts list with your profile.
Questions people ask
Can you create a CV from LinkedIn?
Yes. Save your profile as a PDF with LinkedIn's Save to PDF, import it into a CV builder such as CitedCV, confirm the facts it reads and export. The CV still needs writing for the job.
How do I download my CV from LinkedIn?
On a desktop browser: Me, View profile, then More or Resources, then Save to PDF. LinkedIn says this works only for English-language profiles and not in the mobile app. The file is your profile, not a CV for one job.
Is there a free way to make a CV from my LinkedIn profile?
Partly. LinkedIn's help page lists no fee for Save to PDF. In CitedCV, importing and exporting cost 0 credits, a new account gets 6 free credits (one quick draft of a general CV), and a CV for one job posting needs a credit pack, from $9 paid once.
Does CitedCV log in to my LinkedIn or take my profile link?
No. It never signs in to LinkedIn, never asks for your LinkedIn password and never opens a profile link. It reads only the PDF you choose.
Why is there no Save to PDF button on my LinkedIn profile?
Usually the profile language is not English, you are in the mobile app, or the feature is not available to your account; LinkedIn's help page names all three. Use a desktop browser, or paste your profile text into a TXT file and import that.
What happens to my LinkedIn PDF after I upload it?
It is deleted after 30 days, per the CitedCV privacy policy. Its text goes to a language model provider named there, whose servers may be outside the EU, the UK and Türkiye. The facts stay until you delete them.
Will a CV made from my LinkedIn profile get through an ATS?
Yes, it can be read if it is single-column with standard headings; CitedCV's eight templates are. No tool can promise a shortlist: Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Taleo, SuccessFactors and iCIMS leave that decision to a person.
Sources
- LinkedIn Help, Save a profile as a PDFwww.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a541960
- LinkedIn Help, Download your datawww.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a1339364/downloading-your-account-data
- National Careers Service (UK government), How to write a CVnationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/cv-sections
- Prospects, How to write a CVwww.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv
- Greenhouse Support, Supported formats for resumes, cover letters and other candidate uploadssupport.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/360052218132-Supported-formats-for-resumes-cover-letters-and-other-candidate-uploads
- Europass (European Union), Create your Europass CVeuropass.europa.eu/en/create-europass-cv