Verify Now? LinkedIn, Are You Kidding? It's Complicated and NOT Inclusive!

Today, I want to talk about something that needs to be discussed, LinkedIn’s verification process. Yes, the “Verify Now” triggering button that pops up and makes me feel like I’m being excluded and I see it all the time, when I look at my profile, when I comment on posts, when I write an article and when I apply for a job. But first, let me share a bit about my journey with LinkedIn.

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My LinkedIn Love Story

I love LinkedIn and have been a member since December 2004. Networking and connecting are my thing and LinkedIn has taken professional networking to a whole new level. It’s like having a networking superpower right in my pocket and I can tag clients and share and create content easily.

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Building a Personal Brand

LinkedIn isn’t just about networking; it’s the ultimate tool for personal branding, get your LinkedIn profile right and your SEO will be strong. Through LinkedIn, I’ve connected and met so many thought leaders and their insights have shaped my thinking and helped me create innovative, sustainable, future-proofed multigenerational work solutions.

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The Name Game Dilemma

Back in January 2015, I wrote an article called "Who are you and Where Have You Gone?" after struggling to reconnect with old colleagues post-career break, you can read it here . I found the men easily, but the women who had changed their names were unfindable. If I had been a head-hunter at that time, trying to contact a name-changer for an interim, c-suite or non-exec opportunity, I couldn’t find you, you weren’t visible. This experience made me realise how name changes can affect visibility, findability, personal branding, the gender pay gap and even career progression.

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The Cultural Complexity of Names

Name-changing isn’t a universal tradition. In many countries, women keep their birth names for life. For example, Greek women keep their birth names legally, Italian women can add their husband’s surname, and in countries like China and Korea, women retain their birth names upon marriage. Taking your husband's surname when marrying is a tradition observed in only a few countries, primarily in the English-speaking world.

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My Personal Name Journey

After much thought and sometime after that article, I decided to combine my identities and changed my business name to Sarah Taylor Phillips, but you won’t find that name on my passport or my driving licence, I haven’t changed my name by Deed Poll and frankly I don’t want to. And that is why I’m writing this article, it means I cannot verify on LinkedIn, my passport is in my married name and I have never used that name in my world of work (although the name worked well at the school gate and at the airport when travelling with my children). So I’m feeling othered, left out and keep being told by LinkedIn that if I’m a verified member I will get 60% more profile views on average! ?

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The LinkedIn Verification Frustration

LinkedIn verification is a real dilemma. It requires a passport, which might be in a different name than the one you use professionally. This has sparked lively discussions in my favourite networking group The Girls Club - Network which is a fantastic global network for senior professional women founded by the amazing Joanne Webb .

When Kaila Yates mentioned the verification issue on our brilliant WhatsApp group, it opened a floodgate of similar frustrations.

We had a heated debate and here are a few comments (there were so many controversial comments which I haven’t listed here):-

“LinkedIn verification, upload a copy of your passport so you can get more visibility despite paying for Prime. I wish there was?an?alternative.”

“And be shoehorned into using a name you don't use, and people don't recognise, just to be 'verified'.”

“My passport is in my married name. I’m working under my maiden name still.”

“Didn’t change my name; got stopped a few times in passport control.”

"I don't like sharing my passport with LinkedIn anymore than my date of birth with X and that's because of identity theft rather than anything else.

These comments show how this seemingly simple verification process is anything but straightforward for many of us. And I have since heard that is often doesn’t work with a new chip and pin password whatever your name or gender. And how do they keep your data?

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A Call for Inclusivity

LinkedIn, it’s time to get with the inclusive programme. Every time I see that “Verify Now” button, I feel othered. It’s a constant reminder that I don’t fit into a neat little box. Verification should be about confirming our professional identities, not about forcing us into using names we don’t identify with professionally.

Please can LinkedIn be a network for all, not an exclusive club. The beauty of LinkedIn lies in its ability to connect diverse professionals from around the globe. It should reflect that diversity in its processes, ensuring everyone feels included and recognised.

What are your thoughts on LinkedIn’s verification process? Have you faced similar issues? Let’s keep the conversation going and push for a more inclusive LinkedIn!

#LinkedInVerification #ProfessionalIdentity #NameChangeIssues #Networking #PersonalBranding #InclusiveNetworking #WomenInBusiness #CareerProgression #ProfessionalWomen #CareerDevelopment #Inclusivity