According to student and personal loan marketplace LendEDU, a third of respondents to a recent survey said they lie about themselves in their LinkedIn profiles. Over 10% say their profiles are almost a complete fabrication. LinkedIn has a program to attack inaccurate information in profiles posted on its network, so the problem may not be as serious as it seems at first glance.

In specific, the research showed:

• 34% of respondents lie to some degree on their LinkedIn profile, 11% stated their profile is almost a complete lie
• 55% said their “skills” are the biggest lie on LinkedIn
• A combined 58% said the “Who’s viewed your profile?” feature has deterred them to some degree from looking at profiles of other users

The conclusions were based on a survey of 1,252 people and LendEDU said the results were offered “in a data-driven report.”

LinkedIn is the large professional network in the world, with over 500 million users according to information released in April. The company was bought by Microsoft in June 2016 for $26 billion.

If the research is close to accurate, it poses a problem to members, particularly those who use the network to search for employees. LinkedIn is also used by people who want to connect to other members for the purpose of selling products or services.

LinkedIn has an elaborate set of methods to catch people who post misleading information:

• To report profiles with inaccurate information, you can file a formal complaint using the Notice of Inaccurate Profile Information form.
• Note: This form should only be used to report inaccurate profile information. If you want to report a fake profile, a hacked account, or a scam, please click on the applicable link below:
  • Reporting a fake profile
  • Reporting a hacked account
  • Reporting scams
• Once you’ve completed the form, it will automatically be sent to our Trust and Safety team for review. You can save a copy for your reference.
• If you believe the claim was submitted in error or if you contest the removal of the allegedly infringing, inaccurate, or unlawful content, you may submit a Counter-Notice.

Lying on resumes is a problem as old as resumes themselves. The lying has always posed a challenge to potential employers. Background checks have become a normal part of the hiring process.

Is the LendEDU data accurate? There’s no way to say. However, misleading LinkedIn profiles are a problem, and one that the company already addresses aggressively.

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