Is Your LinkedIn Profile Mismatched?
I recently stumbled on to the following information in a summary and I had to laugh. Here’s an excerpt from the Summary:
“I am an experienced insurance analyst, benefits specialist, and client advocate. My history in the medical field has provided me with a perspective that many insurance agents lack — I understand the challenges patients can face when they attempt to use their benefits without being educated about them. I am not just a salesman; I am an educator, an advocate, and an expert in my field.”
Fine so far.
Then I looked at the Experience:
Current Employer: Independent Insurance Agent - December 2008 – Present ( 5 months) Uh-Oh
Previous Job: Insurance Specialist - July 2008 – December 2008 ( 6 months) Hmmmm
That’s it. Then the next listing is for Education with a college graduation date of 2008.
So let me get this straight. This person claims to be an experienced insurance analyst and benefits specialists after 6 months. And an expert in health insurance after 5 months.
Everyone new to a job or an industry where sales is involved is trying to seem credible. I get that, but the statements and facts don’t support each other. When you’re building your profile on LinkedIn you want to make sure that 2 + 2 = 4.
If you don’t have the experience at least borrow it. A better way to phrase the profile would have been to say “I’m part of an organization that has been helping clients with their health insurance and benefits related needs since 1984″. It doesn’t make you an expert but it helps with the math.
My business is insurance whether it is helping folks in Georgia with their individual health insurance or small businesses with designing comprehensive benefits packages. Maybe that’s why this stood out so much, and if the person had made similar claims managing databases I wouldn’t have noticed. But somebody else would have.
Your LinkedIn profile is your brand and when you fudge the facts they can come back to bite you. ”Fake it until you make it” may be a common refrain, but so is “it’s the first impression that counts”.
What do you think? Am I being to harsh?
Tags: LinkedIn, LinkedIn Credibility, LinkedIn profile, sean nelson, Social Media
May 1st, 2009 at 12:27 am
Good advice…your integrity is key…don’t mess with the brand! I don’t think your being to harsh…
May 1st, 2009 at 2:19 am
Jonathan, thanks for the comment. I guess harsh would have been to post a link to the profile. But my rule is that I may comment on someone, but I never identify the person publicly.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:54 pm
In this economic environment being out of work for 5 months is not an uncommon thing. I took offense at your Uh-Oh comment regarding his current situation. When are people going to realize we are in a recession and good people through no fault of their own are unemployed for extended periods of time.
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 am
Jonathan,
Thank you for sharing the comment. I do not think you were being too harsh. I believe however, it does give us all something to think about. Your post shows you are paying close attention to the detail of the profile. I have joined several groups on linked in. Some I have joined for employment related possibilities, some I have joined for news and interest, and some I have joined because I may come across a story or a post that makes me take a step back and think about something in a different way or a new perspective.
As for being too harsh, I agree with Sean. It would have been harsh to post a link to the profile. However, I can tell you one thing. I’m certainly going to take another look at my profile. If the intent of your post was to get people to think about what they write, then you hit the nail on the head for me.
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:48 am
John,
You read the post wrong. This person wasn’t out of work for 5 months, that’s the actual time they have been employed as an independent agent.
In this economy if you’re unemployed for any length of time I would be surprised if anyone held that against someone.
May 2nd, 2009 at 3:06 am
I agree with Sean as well. The post makes us think again about what we put against our brand in the social networking world.
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I would only hope that someone would be kind enough to point this out to the person and recommend what corrective actions to take! It is far better than to let it stay, knowing full well that this person will be up against a wall while seeking employment. If my profile was wrong I would hope someone would point it out for me so that I can make corrections.
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Scott,
Thanks for the comments. The person referenced in the quote is not unemployed. They are employed as an Independent Insurance Agent. They have chosen to present their self as an expert based on less than a years worth of experience. Profiles that say one thing but show another story are not the norm, but they’re not as rare as you might think.
Warm Regards,
Sean
May 4th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Spot on commentary – your not being any more harsh then the reality lends itself to be. Inflating a resume, or any job seeking profile is a sure way to shoot yourself in the foot.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Sean:
I have a background in insurance. I know the person cannot be an expert in such a short period of time. The same would be true for any industry. It almost sounds like they borrowed someone else’s write up about themselves and put it on Linked In. If they are that young people will realize that the expertise cannot exist. I think you make an excellent point about the profile.
Rob
May 5th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Rob,
Thanks for the comment. I would agree that the experience will show through.
Sean