If you are reading this then you probably have a LinkedIn profile. Here are some points to consider:
- Is it honest?
- Does it matter if it is honest? Will anyone know if it is a lie?
- Did you set it up and forget about it or is it carefully maintained?
- Is your LinkedIn profile accurate?
- Are you lying if you leave off a past employer?
- How about if you fudge your employment dates by a few months to make your job history look a little more “stable”?
When I interview someone they usually present a resume in advance. I always compare their resume to their LinkedIn profile. Sometimes I see dates that are stretched (usually online) to make it appear that they were at a certain employer for longer than they actually were. I also frequently see when a person’s LinkedIn profile and resume is sloppy and their employment dates don’t match between the two.
What does it say to a prospective employer if your dates of employment don’t match or if an employer is left off of your resume entirely? I’m not talking about a company that you worked at for 3 days before you realized that it was a mistake, but a place that you were employed at for more than a month, where you built relationships, where people knew you.
What does it say to a former employer when you leave them off your LinkedIn profile?
Your LinkedIn profile is your resume. It is presented as both your professional work history credentials and your credibility.
Personally I’m not interested in hiring someone who lies or has such a sloppy online presence that they come across as not caring what their profile says to the world. Are you?
You might want to carefully check your LinkedIn profile for both accuracy and honesty, as it is how the business world views you.
