# LinkedIn Audit Checklist
25 items to fix before a recruiter sees your profile

_A 25-item audit for transitioning service members and recent veterans. Walk through it once, fix what is broken, then revisit every quarter._

Used in: Lesson foundations/05 — https://vetslearn.com/lessons/foundations/05
Source: https://vetslearn.com/resources/templates/career#t-linkedin-audit-checklist

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# LinkedIn Audit Checklist

**Used in:** [foundations/05 — AI for your transition](/lessons/foundations/05)

## How to use

Go through the 25 items in order. Each has a one-line "why." Mark each item done, not done, or not applicable. Do not skip. The items you want to skip are usually the ones that matter most.

Budget 90 minutes the first time. Revisit every 90 days.

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## Headline

**1. Headline reads like a job title plus value, not a rank.**
Why: Recruiters search by job title. "Cybersecurity Engineer | Cloud Security | TS/SCI" beats "SFC, US Army."

**2. Headline does not lead with clearance.**
Why: Clearance belongs in the About section or skills. Leading with it can look thirsty and triggers OPSEC questions.

**3. Headline includes one keyword a recruiter would search.**
Why: If you want AI jobs, the word "AI" or "ML" should be in the headline.

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## About section

**4. First sentence states what you do now or want to do next.**
Why: LinkedIn cuts the About section to about three lines in the preview. The first line decides if anyone reads on.

**5. No military jargon in the first paragraph.**
Why: Civilian recruiters do not know what S-3 or O-6 means. Translate or skip.

**6. About section is written in first person.**
Why: Third person reads cold. "I led" beats "John led."

**7. About section ends with a clear call to action.**
Why: "DM me about AI engineering roles in DC" gives the recruiter the next step.

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## Current role framing

**8. Current role title is translated to civilian language.**
Why: "Operations Manager" is searchable. "First Sergeant" is not.

**9. Current role description leads with outcomes, not duties.**
Why: "Cut deployment time 40%" beats "Responsible for unit readiness."

**10. Current role uses bullets, not paragraphs.**
Why: Recruiters scan. Walls of text get skipped.

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## Branch translation

**11. Acronyms are spelled out at least once.**
Why: "NCOIC" means nothing outside the military. "Lead supervisor (NCOIC)" works.

**12. Civilian-equivalent job titles appear in parentheses where useful.**
Why: "Platoon Sergeant (mid-level operations manager)" tells a recruiter what to compare you to.

**13. Numbers replace ranks where possible.**
Why: "Led 40 people and a $2M equipment account" lands. "Was an E-7" does not.

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## Photo and banner

**14. Photo is a recent, clear, head-and-shoulders shot.**
Why: No photo gets fewer profile views. A photo from 12 years ago is worse than no photo.

**15. Photo is not in uniform unless you are still in.**
Why: A uniform photo signals you have not transitioned mentally. If you are still in, uniform is fine.

**16. Banner is not the default blue.**
Why: The default banner says "I have not put 10 minutes into this." A skyline, a logo, anything is better.

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## Skills

**17. Top 3 skills match the job you want next.**
Why: LinkedIn weights the top 3 heavily in search.

**18. Skills include 1 to 2 specific technical tools.**
Why: "Python" or "Splunk" or "AWS" gets you into keyword searches. "Leadership" does not.

**19. Skills are endorsed by at least 5 people.**
Why: Endorsements are weak signal but zero endorsements is a negative signal.

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## Recommendations

**20. At least 3 recommendations are visible on the profile.**
Why: Three is the threshold where the profile looks active. Zero looks dead.

**21. At least one recommendation is from a civilian or from someone who has transitioned.**
Why: A wall of military recommendations tells a civilian recruiter you have not built a civilian network yet.

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## Activity

**22. You have posted, commented, or shared something in the last 30 days.**
Why: Recruiters check recent activity. A dead profile gets passed over.

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## Security and settings

**23. Clearance level is not in the headline or banner.**
Why: Putting "TS/SCI" in your headline is an OPSEC flag, especially if your company and location are also public. Put it in skills or About.

**24. "Browse privately" is enabled when you are job searching at your current company.**
Why: Otherwise your boss sees you browsed the VP's profile at 11pm.

**25. Connection visibility is set to "only you" if you are cleared.**
Why: Your connection list is a target. Foreign collection looks at cleared engineers' networks. Lock it down.

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## After the audit

Fix the items that are broken. Do not try to do all 25 in one sitting. Pick 5 today, 5 next week, and so on.

Then put a recurring 90-day reminder on your calendar. Profiles drift.