Stop Turning Your LinkedIn Profile Into a Movie Trailer

By Brian Nichols, VP of Recruiting at Veteran Hiring Solutions

I was scrolling through LinkedIn the other day and I noticed something. A lot of really talented people have stopped sounding like themselves.

AI Evangelist. Visionary. "Top Voice (according to me)." Chief Visionary Officer. Thought Leader. Disruption Expert.

Here's what I'm thinking: when did we all become Hollywood agents pitching ourselves to casting directors?

The Gap Between Your Profile and Your Reality

Let me be direct. I've been recruiting for a long time, and I've learned something important: the best candidates aren't the ones with the most impressive titles. They're the ones who are actually honest about who they are and what they do.

I get it. You want to stand out. You want to show value. You've worked hard, earned certifications, climbed the ladder. Your accomplishments matter. But somewhere between highlighting your wins and adding seven new certifications to your headline, a lot of great people started sounding like everyone else.

The thing about personal branding is that it only works when there's actually a person behind it. When you're packaging yourself so carefully that nobody can find the actual human being underneath, you've missed the entire point.

What Really Matters When You're Looking for Work

Here's what I look for when I'm recruiting, especially for veterans transitioning into civilian careers: Does this person understand the role? Are they being honest about their experience? Do they come across as someone I'd actually want to work with?

That last one? That's the one that matters most.

You can have every certification on the planet. You can have a title that sounds like a TED Talk. You can list skills that sound like you invented three new industries before breakfast. But if I can't tell what you actually do, or if your profile makes me feel like I'm reading marketing copy instead of getting to know you—I'm probably going to move on to someone else.

And if you're a veteran, this matters even more. You've got real skills. Real leadership experience. Real resilience. Your military background is valuable in ways that go way beyond what any job description can capture. But if you're burying that authenticity under layers of corporate jargon, you're actually working against yourself.

The Person Behind the Headline

Here's what I want to see: Tell me what you actually do. Tell me what you learned doing it. Tell me what you're looking for next and why. Be honest about your gaps, not because you need to put yourself down, but because honesty is how trust gets built.

If you've been unemployed, say it. If you're making a career transition, own it. If you're nervous about moving into a new industry, that's okay—a lot of really capable people are. The candidates who get my attention are the ones who acknowledge the reality of their situation and show they're actively working through it.

Your worth doesn't disappear because your role did. Your value isn't locked into your last job title. And here's the thing: most companies know this. The good ones, anyway. We know that people are more than a LinkedIn profile. We know that real leadership doesn't come from a certification. We know that someone who can admit they don't know something might be exactly the person we need.

Polish Your Profile, But Keep the Person Visible

I'm not saying don't put effort into your LinkedIn. Use it. Tell your professional story. Highlight the work you're proud of. Show what you can do. But do it in a way that actually sounds like you.

Be confident. You've earned it. But confidence doesn't require a thesaurus.

Be strategic. Yes, you want to be found by the right opportunities. But being found by someone looking for an "AI Evangelist Chief Visionary" when you're actually a great project manager who understands business problems—that's not winning. That's just creating mismatch.

Be yourself. That's the personal brand that actually works. That's what I'm looking for. That's what most serious employers are looking for.

What This Means for Your Job Search

If you're a veteran moving into civilian work, this is especially important. You don't need to translate your military experience into corporate-speak so thick that nobody recognizes it anymore. You need to bridge the gap in a way that's honest and clear.

Your military leadership? That's real. Your problem-solving under pressure? That transfers. Your commitment to mission? Companies need that. Your ability to work with diverse teams? That's valuable. Don't hide those things under layers of buzzwords. Highlight them because they're actually meaningful.

And if you're currently looking, if you've had a gap in employment, if you're making a transition—you're not alone. A lot of talented people are in that exact position right now. What separates them isn't always who has the fanciest profile. It's who shows up as genuine and ready to do real work.

The Bottom Line

Your job title doesn't define your impact. Your certifications don't replace your judgment. And your worth absolutely does not depend on how many LinkedIn endorsements you've collected.

What matters is that somewhere beneath all that—behind the profile, past the headline, under the keywords—there's an actual person. Someone who can think, who can do, who can grow. Someone who's willing to be real.

That's the person I want to talk to. That's the candidate who gets called back. That's the employee who actually succeeds in a role.

So yes, polish your LinkedIn. Build your professional presence. Tell your story with confidence and strategy. But remember this: the best personal brand is still just being authentic. Being honest. Being real.

Because at the end of the day, we're not hiring profiles. We're hiring people.

And the real you is always the best version of you.