Having a verified LinkedIn account can lend credibility and authority to your profile. LinkedIn offers two types of account verification – personal profile verification and company page verification. Verification helps establish trust between you and your connections by confirming your authenticity as a real person or business.
What is LinkedIn profile verification?
LinkedIn profile verification confirms that you are the person behind your LinkedIn profile. It adds a blue checkmark badge to your profile photo and name, signaling to your network that LinkedIn has confirmed your identity.
To get your personal LinkedIn profile verified, you need to confirm your identity by providing LinkedIn with a form of government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, passport, national ID card, or voter ID card. LinkedIn will then match your ID details with the information on your profile.
Requirements for LinkedIn profile verification
To qualify for LinkedIn profile verification, your account must meet the following requirements:
- Your profile must be public.
- You should have at least 500 1st-degree connections.
- Your profile needs to be completely filled out, including your education history and at least one past position.
- You must have had your account for at least one year.
These requirements ensure that only genuine and established accounts on LinkedIn can get verified, preventing fraud or misuse of the blue verified badge.
How to get your LinkedIn profile verified
If your LinkedIn profile meets the requirements mentioned above, you can follow these steps to get your account verified:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile and click on the ‘More’ icon near your profile photo.
- Select ‘Request profile verification’ from the dropdown menu.
- Carefully go through LinkedIn’s profile verification guidelines.
- Upload a copy of your government-issued photo ID.
- Double check that the name, photo, and other details on your ID match your LinkedIn profile.
- Submit your verification request and wait for LinkedIn to review.
- LinkedIn will send you an email once your request is approved or rejected.
- If approved, a blue verified badge will appear on your profile.
The verification process usually takes a few days. If your request gets rejected, carefully review LinkedIn’s criteria again and ensure your profile is complete before reapplying.
What is LinkedIn page verification?
In addition to personal profiles, LinkedIn also allows businesses and organizations to verify their LinkedIn company pages. Verifying an organization’s LinkedIn page establishes it as the official presence of that brand or business on the platform.
A verified company page displays a blue checkmark badge next to the page name and profile photo. This signals to visitors that the page legitimately represents the organization it claims to be.
Requirements for LinkedIn page verification
To qualify for LinkedIn page verification, your company page must fulfill the following requirements:
- The page has existed for at least 30 days.
- The page has at least 100 followers.
- The page is completely filled out, including the About Us section.
- Your business must have an official website listed on the page.
Additionally, to verify ownership of the page, you’ll need to provide official documentation proving you represent the company legally.
How to get your LinkedIn page verified
Follow these steps if your company’s LinkedIn page meets the above criteria:
- Go to your LinkedIn page and click ‘Edit Page’ from the admin toolbar.
- Select ‘Request Verification’ under the Page Verification section.
- Carefully review the page verification guidelines.
- Submit legal documentation proving your authorization to represent the company.
- Wait for LinkedIn to review your request and documentation.
- LinkedIn will email you once your request is approved or rejected.
- If approved, a blue verified badge will show up on your company page.
Common types of documentation you can provide include:
- Articles of incorporation
- Business license
- Tax forms
- Annual report
- Official letterhead
The verification process can take a few weeks. If your request gets rejected, thoroughly re-read the criteria and ensure your documentation proves your eligibility before trying again.
Benefits of getting verified on LinkedIn
Here are some of the top benefits of getting your LinkedIn profile or company page verified:
- Increased trust and credibility – The blue checkmark indicates you or your business is genuine and authentic.
- Higher engagement – People tend to connect and engage more with verified accounts.
- Enhanced visibility – Verified profiles stand out in search results and suggestions.
- Reduced impersonation – The verification badge makes it harder for others to impersonate you or your brand.
- Improved reputation – Verification strengthens your professional reputation and personal brand.
Tips for getting verified on LinkedIn
Here are some useful tips to boost your chances of getting verified:
- Build out your profile completely with detailed work history, education, skills, etc.
- Make sure you have at least 500 connections and your profile is public.
- Double check that your ID matches your profile details before applying.
- Provide the clearest and most authentic ID photo possible when applying.
- If representing a company, submit proper documentation like articles of incorporation.
- Be patient as the verification process can take a few weeks in some cases.
Common reasons LinkedIn verification is rejected
Some common reasons LinkedIn verification requests get rejected include:
- Incomplete profile details like education, work history, etc.
- Mismatch between ID details and profile information.
- Unclear or illegible ID photo provided.
- Insufficient number of connections.
- Private profile visibility.
- Unable to adequately prove official affiliation with an organization.
Going through LinkedIn’s verification requirements thoroughly and double checking your profile and documentation can help avoid these issues.
Conclusion
Getting verified on LinkedIn can deliver greater trust, credibility and authority for your personal profile or company presence. For individual users, verify your profile by confirming your identity through a valid ID that matches your account details. Businesses can get their company pages verified by proving official authorization to represent the brand.
Make sure to meet all of LinkedIn’s eligibility criteria, and submit clear documentation when applying for verification. While the process can take some time, the blue checkmark badge signifies to your audience that you or your organization are genuine, making it well worth the effort.