Are you LinkedIn Verified? Should you be?
Ian Dooley
Social media marketing for businesses. Providing innovative digital marketing to help business owners improve their online visibility and engage with their customers - without the hassle!
You may have already been asked by LinkedIn to verify your identity and wondered why – and whether or not you should do it.
Here’s what you need to know.
Why is LinkedIn introducing verification?
Being online brings with it the challenge of authenticity - across all platforms. The threat of a dodgy cloned profile is nothing new, but with the rise of AI and bots, they’re becoming even more widespread.
LinkedIn removed more than 15 million fake accounts in just six months last year so are keen to introduce robust verification and address the growing concern over fake profiles and misinformation.
In the UK, they have partnered with verification specialists Persona for the process as they try to ensure users can trust the genuineness of their connections.
This move is not just about adding a badge next to your name - it's about enhancing the integrity of the professional ecosystem on LinkedIn .
As with all things, there are two sides to it…
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The Pros of Getting Verified on LinkedIn
It builds trust and credibility
A verified badge acts as a stamp of authenticity, signalling to clients, colleagues, prospects and employers that you are precisely who you claim to be.
It reduces impersonation risks
With your identity confirmed, the likelihood of someone else impersonating your professional profile diminishes significantly.
You will be more visible
Users who have verified on LinkedIn will inevitably be more visible than those who haven’t. Like all social media platforms, you get rewarded for using the platform’s new features.
It helps grow connections
Verification makes your profile more appealing for meaningful connections, as others will feel more secure in knowing you're a real person with genuine intentions.
It can be removed if you change your mind
Even once the process is done, if you decide you no longer want the verification, you can remove it from your profile.
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The Cons of LinkedIn Verification
It gives many people privacy red flags
The process of getting verified involves sharing personal information like a passport with Persona. This understandably raises privacy concerns among users.
It might not work for you
Initially, if the details on your profile didn’t match your documents exactly, verification would fail. This created a problem for people whose LinkedIn profile uses shortened names, maiden names, different spellings or potentially culturally different naming conventions (it seems this hurdle is being addressed though).
It’s a bit of a hassle
The process is a bit of a pain – you need a passport with a microchip, you need to provide a selfie to match against, and you have to jump through the hoops.
If something subsequently changes (perhaps professionally or personally) you may need to re-verify.
What’s the future of LinkedIn verification?
Looking ahead, LinkedIn's verification feature is poised to evolve, potentially influencing various aspects of professional networking and job hunting.
We could see industry-specific verifications, making it easier for professionals in fields like healthcare or law to demonstrate their credentials.
Additionally, integrating verification with skill endorsements could add another layer of credibility to users' profiles.
The future might also hold more sophisticated methods of verification, further streamlining the process while enhancing security and trust across the platform.
Fundamentally though, the rise of AI will probably necessitate some form of verification - something more sophisicated than the clicking the squares that contain traffic lights to prove "I am not a robot”.
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So should you get verified on LinkedIn?
Of course, it’s an individual decision, but I don’t think the process is going anywhere.
It has its challenges and concerns, but the overarching goal is to improve the quality of connections and interactions on the platform – and to minimise the threat of AI.
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On balance, I decided to take the plunge – have you?
Let me know in the comments!
Founder of Music of Tom Hoffmann, Inc. - West Coast Jazz. Independent Real Estate Professional.
2 个月What if you already have a Clear acct. is it allowed to be used to become verified?
Resume Writer, Career Advisor, Job Search Specialist at FutureWorks Helping your find your dream job!
2 个月I have not verified and dont intend to why does linkedin need my personal information on a passport it opens all types of issues if it gets hacked!
I'm not fussed about verifying my identify I'm just trying to get a hotmail address, that is associated with my account & marked as my work address, accepted as a valid work address when trying to down load documents from suppliers like Gartner. Seems if you don't have an "@corporate.com" address it gets rejected so you can't receive the download. As a free lancer that is very frustrating!
Book/Business/Life Coach, Award-Winning Author, Inspirational Speaker
3 个月I would like to get verified, but my author name and biz are under my nickname and maiden name, so no match. I feel like Linkedin has a lot to offer but I don't want to end up posting a lot over here if it won't be seen as much b/c of a lack of verification. Hopefully, a change will be made to allow for these exceptions!
Tried, but took too long, over 2 hours. I put a stop to it. Not sure what went wrong. But I am who I am, and can PM me to meet up. No need such verification. If unsure if it is me or not just PM.