Do it for Me

Every point, and what earns it

A score out of 1000, from 10 parts of a profile and 44 checks. This page is the whole method — nothing is scored that is not written here.

How it is applied

  1. Only what is publicly visible counts. If a signed-out visitor cannot see it, it is not scored — which is exactly what a stranger looking you up sees.
  2. Every point awarded is tied to something quoted from the profile. Nothing is awarded on impression.
  3. Anything countable is decided by code, not by opinion. Whether a section exists, whether a date falls inside the window, whether a number appears — those are read straight off the profile and cannot vary.
  4. The rest are judgement calls, and every one is made against the written test above it, including what does not count. The photo and the banner are looked at directly.
  5. A missing section scores zero for that slice. Nothing is removed from the 1000, so every score is comparable to every other.
  6. Where a check is genuinely ambiguous, the points are not awarded.
  7. Where a part of the profile could not be read at all, the points are not awarded and the report says so. You will never be told something is missing when the truth is that it could not be seen.

What each part is worth

Weight follows what a stranger reads first and trusts most. The headline and the About together carry 300 of the 1000, because they are what almost everyone reads before deciding whether to keep reading.

PartPointsChecksShare
Headline 150 5
About 150 6
Featured 120 4
Experience 120 5
Activity 120 4
Photo 90 4
Banner 80 4
Skills 60 4
Recommendations 60 4
Links and URL 50 4
Total 1000 44

What a total means

850–1000 Working
A stranger can find you, understand you and check you. Little left to fix.
700–849 Nearly there
The case is made, but something in the top half of the page is leaking.
550–699 Passable
You will be found and half understood. The proof is missing or buried.
350–549 Weak
A reader has to work it out, and most will not bother.
0–349 Absent
The profile exists. It is not doing anything for you.

Headline 150 points

The line under the name. It is read by everyone who finds you, on every surface, and it is the field search reads first.

Where to look: The headline field.

  • It is not the automatic "Job Title at Company" 20

    Evidence: The headline text.

    Does not count: A job title with an emoji or a company tagline appended is still a job title.

  • It names who it is for 30

    Evidence: The words naming the audience, industry or company type.

    Does not count: "Helping people" and "helping businesses" name nobody.

  • It states an outcome, not only a role 40

    Evidence: The words describing the result.

    Does not count: Seniority, credentials and years of experience are not outcomes.

  • It contains terms a buyer would type into a search 30

    Evidence: The searchable terms.

    Does not count: Invented titles, internal jargon, and words only colleagues use.

  • It is readable 30

    Evidence: The full headline, for length and formatting.

    Does not count: Pipes separating six keyword phrases, walls of emoji, or anything over roughly 220 characters.

About 150 points

The only place on the profile long enough to make the whole case. Most people use it as a second CV.

Where to look: The About section.

  • It exists and runs to more than three lines 20

    Evidence: The opening of the section.

  • It opens with a hook rather than a job history 30

    Evidence: The first sentence.

    Does not count: "I am a X with N years of experience" is a job history.

  • It contains at least one specific, checkable result 40

    Evidence: The sentence carrying the number or named client.

    Does not count: Follower counts, "trusted by industry leaders", and adjectives without figures.

  • It says who it is for 25

    Evidence: The sentence naming the audience.

  • It ends with one clear next step 25

    Evidence: The closing sentence.

    Does not count: Three different links, or an email address with no instruction, is not one step.

  • It is broken into readable blocks 10

    Evidence: The paragraph structure.

    Does not count: A single unbroken block of text, however good.

Experience 120 points

Where what you did either becomes an outcome someone can judge, or stays a description of duties.

Where to look: The current role, and any role held in the last three years.

  • The current role is present with company and dates 20

    Evidence: The role entry.

  • The current role has a description 25

    Evidence: The description text.

    Does not count: A title and a company name with nothing under it.

  • The description states outcomes rather than duties 40

    Evidence: The lines describing results.

    Does not count: "Responsible for", "managed", and lists of tools used.

  • At least one number appears in the current role 20

    Evidence: The figure and what it refers to.

  • The recent history reads as current 15

    Evidence: The dates on the last three years of roles.

    Does not count: A current role that ended, or an unexplained gap over twelve months.

Activity 120 points

The liveness signal. A dormant profile is surfaced less, and visitors check the date on the last thing you did.

Where to look: The activity feed: posts, reposts, comments.

  • Something was posted or commented in the last 14 days 40

    Evidence: The date of the most recent activity.

  • There are at least three posts in the last 90 days 30

    Evidence: The dates of the posts counted.

  • At least half of recent activity is original 30

    Evidence: The split between original posts and reshares or reactions.

    Does not count: Reacting to other people is not publishing.

  • Recent activity relates to what the person sells 20

    Evidence: The subjects of the recent posts.

Photo 90 points

The first thing rendered and the first thing judged, usually before a single word is read.

Where to look: The profile photo.

  • A photo is present 25

    Evidence: Whether the default placeholder is shown.

  • The face is clearly visible and in focus 25

    Evidence: The framing of the image.

    Does not count: A logo, an avatar, a group shot, or a face below roughly a quarter of the frame.

  • It reads as current and deliberate 20

    Evidence: The apparent age and setting of the image.

    Does not count: A cropped holiday photo or a visibly dated portrait.

  • It survives being shown small 20

    Evidence: Whether the face is still readable at thumbnail size.

    Does not count: A busy background that swallows the face at 48 pixels.

Skills 60 points

Cheap to fix, and read by search. Most profiles fill it with things nobody hires for.

Where to look: The Skills section, in the order shown.

  • At least five skills are listed 15

    Evidence: The count.

  • The first three match what the person actually sells 25

    Evidence: The top three skills.

  • At least one skill carries an endorsement 10

    Evidence: The endorsement count.

  • The top three contain no filler 10

    Evidence: The top three skills.

    Does not count: Microsoft Office, Teamwork, Communication, and anything true of everyone.

Recommendations 60 points

The only place on the page where somebody other than you is speaking.

Where to look: Recommendations received.

  • At least one has been received 25

    Evidence: The count received.

    Does not count: Recommendations given are not recommendations received.

  • At least three have been received 15

    Evidence: The count received.

  • At least one is from the last two years 10

    Evidence: The date of the most recent one.

  • At least one names a specific result 10

    Evidence: The sentence carrying the result.

    Does not count: "A pleasure to work with" names nothing.