How to Spot an "Expert" on LinkedIn in just 10 Steps

Based on the posts I notice daily when scrolling through my LinkedIn feed, I came up with 10 steps in which you can identify someone who claims to be an expert but is yet to become on.

Not too long ago, I spoke with a friend of mine, a person I truly admire who had worked in the corporate sphere for more than 20 years. Together, we contemplated about how people working in the corporate world have changed over the years. According to my friend, people had gained much more confidence in their work and their ambitions have risen, but unfortunately, he said, people nowadays also tend to believe they know everything there is about a subject after reading a wise book. This is especially noticeable on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is becoming more and more popular; it’s a must-have for everyone who is employed but especially in fields where communication matters a lot. And so, we’ve noticed a disturbing trend: We are being surrounded by more and more self-proclaimed gurus on LinkedIn!  

It would appear that nowadays, everyone feels entitled to share their knowledgeable opinions. There is no limit as to who can and should give advice on how to approach certain topics of our daily and work lives. Never mind that most of those who do so, are, in my opinion, in no position to mentor others simply because they either haven’t been in their respective field/industry long enough or they have nothing to say.

I don’t know about you, but I have noticed that many of these shared suggestions oftentimes seem shallow and are sadly not supported by any evidence-based research. In consequence, they appear pretentious and – from my point of view – are made with the sole intend to enhance the ego of the person sharing them.

Some would argue that it’s actually a good thing that people with little experience demonstrate enthusiasm in a certain area – regardless of the added value. But I beg to differ. In my own short professional career, I have stumbled across a great number of posts that have been either factually incorrect, or profoundly subjective (to say the least). 

Why humility matters

Take an example of a recent graduate or a newbie with little real first-hand experience from the field that he wants to work in. Someone who has just begun to scratch below the surface and who is eager to learn more. By all means, curiosity is a noble treat to have! But just like with everything in life, there are three degrees of knowledge that everyone new to anything should bear in mind:

1)   The known-knowns – these are the things that we know we know.

2)   The unknow-knowns – these are the things that we know we don’t know.

3)   The unknown-unknowns – these are the things that we don’t even know we don’t know.

It’s difficult for a newbie to reach the second, let alone the third stage, we should therefore take their shared knowledge with a pinch of salt. And so should the newbies themselves! My grandmother used to have a word for it: humility. Only with humility can people understand the vast space of unknowns that they are yet to discover which will ultimately lead them to having grasped the subject at hand.

Based on the posts I notice daily when scrolling through my LinkedIn feed, I came up with 10 steps in which you can identify someone who claims to be an expert but is yet to become on:

1. They have been in the industry for at least two months, but no more than two to three years.
2. They learned a new trending skill from reading a wise book and they feel obligated to share the wisdom with other people. Or, they have attended an inspiring event and share the key takeaways, including their own take on the topic. Their own take is the most important, of course.
3. They share an infographic explaining the difference between a boss and a leader usually adding a strong quote, such as "Leaders who don't listen will be eventually surrounded by people who have nothing to say." They also highlight the fact that people leave bad managers, not jobs. 
4. They share their concerns about employees’ mental wellbeing and how multinational companies are responsible for its deterioration. They highlight potential ways how to prevent the burnout syndrome and don’t forget to share their personal experience. Because there must be a lot of it in the past two months.
5. They use fancy buzzwords such as #disruption #out-of-the-box, #engagement, #growth mindset, #roadmap or #thought leadership in their posts. Sometimes all of them at once.
6. They comment on global issues by sharing their deep concerns and highlight potential ways to make things right. The topics usually include international politics, toxic masculinity, climate change, overuse of plastics and many others. You name it.
7.  They have a tendency to make reference to the latest technological megatrends, such as Digitalization, Chatbots, Industry 4.0, AI, IoT, BI, ABCs, XYZs and whatever else there is.
8. They never pass on the opportunity to share an inspirational video about a job done well, be it an altruistic marketing campaign, socially responsible efforts or a male flight attendant dancing in the aisle.
9. They share non work-related posts, which entertain their community but have no link to their expertise. It’s called LINKedIn for a reason though.    
10. They share at least one post including animals. Kittens and dogs are an evergreen.

Don’t take me wrong; I admire professionals who want to share their experiences – but experiences gained over many years of hard work and learning. Such posts or articles inspire me and expand my horizons. If only there weren’t some many of us who act as true experts.