Before I even call you, I will copy and paste your name into LinkedIn. So make sure that you’re profile reflects that of the resume you just sent to me.
When I first started using LinkedIn for recruiting (2006), I was surprised to find out how many Manager and Director level professionals would misrepresent themselves on a resume. Now, it’s a regular occurrence and I’m not surprised at all. Disappointed at times, but not surprised. 
Here are three common examples of how a recruiter finds out you’re not who you say you are…
1. Your LinkedIn profile and your resume are not the same.
If you send me your resume, I will look at your profile on LinkedIn. There have been many times where I’ve seen missing companies or extra companies on one or the other. This not only makes you look dishonest, but incredibly immature. If you’re going to use these tools as a professional, then be responsible. Keep your resume and your LinkedIn profile updated, honest and thorough.
2. Having more than one LinkedIn account.
A candidate created their LinkedIn profile while working at company A.
Left company A to go to company B.
Created a new LinkedIn profile while at company B, because they no longer had the email address to log into the first profile they created.
Now they have two LinkedIn accounts.
The candidate decides they don’t want to claim that they worked for company A, so they leave it off of their resume and their new LinkedIn profile.
Guess what folks? The old profile is still there. We can see it. Even if you can’t. So just be honest because at this point, you’re looking a bit shady and I definitely won’t call you. (For the not-shady candidates…helpful tip: make your personal email address your primary email for all social media profiles.)
3. Changing your LinkedIn profile frequently.
Due to the fact that I speak to so many people, I often use LinkedIn to refresh my memory about who I spoke with or who I spoke about. I’ve found that it has become regular practice by many job seekers to change their LinkedIn profiles around on a monthly or weekly basis. It is recommended to update your status and even your headline to keep your LinkedIn SEO level increased. But when you’re changing your companies, job titles and job functions around…don’t think we aren’t paying attention to that.
Please don’t do this! You may be the most amazing candidate and because I see that you keep changing information around, it makes you look like you don’t even know what you’re specializing in. I want candidates who are confident in their professional abilities and candidates who are experts in their field. That’s what your profile should reflect.
Do I look you up on Facebook too? Yes. But that will be a discussion for another day…
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
What happens if you changed careers and want to focus on the new career path. Would it not be prudent to focus on jobs that will reflect the new path than an old career?
It’s fine to want to change careers. I did it. But my resume and LinkedIn profile were the same and all of my information reflects the new career focus. I’m not saying it’s wrong to omit certain things on your resume. Some positions are absolutely irrelevant and can be a waste of space. But be careful how you are representing yourself online and make sure that it’s the same on paper and in person. Be consistent.
What do employers do if the candidate does not have a LinkedIn profile?
George, the answer to that question is easy!
Google, Facebook, Twitter…
Seriously though, if a candidate does not have a LinkedIn profile and their resume sparked enough interest for me to even look them up on LinkedIn, I would call them. It happens, especially in the areas of accounting and finance, there are a lot of professionals that are not on LinkedIn.
Veronica,
So you say if a canidate doesn’t have a social media profile and their resume looks good, you will call them. Do think other recruiters and hiring managers might not consider the candidate without any type of online information?
Great question!
In my opinion, it may depend on that candidate’s industry. For example, if I was recruiting for someone in the areas of marketing or communications, I would expect them to have a social media profile online.
I will ask some people in the HR community to see what other opinions are…
That would be interesting to see if recruiters or managers over look a candidate just because they can’t find any informantion about them on the web.