Being Honest on Linkedin

LinkedIn has become an indispensable tool for the modern recruiter – it is a channel that showcases candidates and highlights their experience and skills. As executive search recruiters, we use the platform daily, and we encounter many people who market themselves excellently and others who bend the truth despite it being a public platform.

Examples can range from minor omissions and slightly disingenuous details to outright fictional statements on a profile.

There are many implications when people include inaccurate information on their profiles.

For the individual

• Damage to reputation: Including inaccurate information on your LinkedIn profile can severely tarnish professional credibility. Current or previous employers, colleagues and recruiters may view them as dishonest, potentially harming long-term career prospects.

• Loss of opportunities: Recruiters often verify claims through mutual connections and assessments. Discovered misrepresentations can lead to withdrawn job offers or missed opportunities.

• Termination of employment: Many companies have policies allowing termination if falsified information is discovered after hiring. This can leave a permanent mark on the individual’s professional record.

• Legal Consequences: Lying about qualifications, certifications, or affiliations can sometimes lead to legal action, mainly if the false claims cause harm to the organisation or its stakeholders.

• Professional Isolation: Being caught in a lie can result in losing trust from peers and professional networks, limiting collaboration and future endorsements.

For Organisations

• Hiring the Wrong Candidate: Misrepresentations can lead to hiring someone unqualified for the role, affecting team performance and organisational goals.

• Wasted Resources: Time and money spent on recruitment, onboarding, and training are lost if the individual is later found to be unsuitable due to false claims.

• Risk to Reputation: An organisation employing individuals with fabricated credentials risks damaging its own credibility, especially if the individual’s work leads to subpar results or ethical violations.

• Potential Legal Issues: In regulated industries, employing someone based on false qualifications can result in fines, lawsuits, or other penalties for the company.

Here are a few of the most common examples of dishonesty we have encountered on LinkedIn, as well as how to avoid being accused of dishonesty.

Old Photos

Not having an up-to-date photo on your LinkedIn profile can be incredibly misleading. While you don’t think you need to update it very often, it should at least be from the last few years, so it accurately reflects how you look now.

An up-to-date, high-quality photo signals that you are active on LinkedIn and take your professional image seriously.

Your photo doesn’t have to be a professional headshot. Pictures of you on holiday or even a professional ‘selfie’ are fine. You should avoid AI-generated images or not having an image, as this can make your profile look incomplete, misleading or fake.

LinkedIn profiles with professional photos receive significantly more views and connection requests than those without. People are more likely to engage with profiles with clear and approachable images.

Tips:

• Use a Professional Photo: A high-quality, well-lit image with a neutral background works best. Dress in attire that reflects your industry.

• Show Your Personality: Smile and maintain a friendly, approachable demeanour to convey confidence and warmth.

• Ensure Accuracy: Keep your photo recent—ideally updated every 1–2 years or after any significant changes in your appearance.

Missing Career Steps

Sometimes, when a role doesn’t work out and an individual leaves a company on bad terms, it can be tempting for them to leave it out of their list of roles on their LinkedIn profile. This kind of dishonesty never pays off – it’s quite common for people to have ups and downs in a career, and it’s better to be upfront about this rather than trying to hide it and be found out as a liar further down the line.

Great recruiters will ask why you left each role and what you learned from those situations. Including all your ups and downs allows for in-depth conversations so people can better understand your motivations for other opportunities.

We advise demonstrating transparency and credibility by including all your experience on your LinkedIn profile.

Tips:

• Be Concise but Informative: Highlight key achievements and responsibilities without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary details.

• Include Short-Term Roles or Freelance Work: Even brief roles can demonstrate skills or relevant experience.

• Provide Context for Gaps: If applicable, mention periods spent on education, travel, caregiving, or personal projects to show you were productive during those times.

• Keep Your Profile Updated: Regularly add new roles and achievements to reflect your current experience.

Incorrect Job Titles

Deliberately altering a previous job title to make the role sound more impressive can backfire. It can damage reputation, including loss of trust and reputation in the industry. Current and previous colleagues have visibility of your profile, and embellishing your job title can quickly negatively impact your network.

In addition, when looking for a new role, employers often conduct thorough background checks. Discrepancies between your LinkedIn profile and official records or references can result in immediate disqualification from the hiring process. It can lead to interview questions about specific responsibilities and achievements. If you cannot substantiate your claims, it will reflect poorly on your integrity.

Trust is critically important to a recruiter, and LinkedIn becomes problematic when there is limited trust in what people say about themselves.

While the Oakstone team regularly uses LinkedIn when hiring, we would never solely rely on it to select suitable candidates for a role. Instead, we have a thorough, structured methodology that involves in-depth research, phone contact, and face-to-face interviews, and this ensures we don’t fall foul of individuals who misrepresent or overstate their achievements and competencies on their LinkedIn profiles.

It’s undoubtedly not limited to LinkedIn either; we must all remember that there is little or no policing of any social sites – people can create virtually fictional characters online if they choose!