LinkedIn has recently introduced a new feature called CLEAR (Credentials, Licensed, Education, Alumni, Reviewed) verification that allows users to verify their identity, education, skills, and work experience on their profiles. This verification provides increased credibility and trustworthiness for profiles. There are several key benefits both for individuals looking to verify their profiles and for people viewing CLEAR verified profiles.
Benefits for Individuals Verifying Profiles
Here are some of the main benefits for people who go through the CLEAR verification process for their LinkedIn profiles:
Increased profile credibility
CLEAR verification badges give your profile more credibility by signaling to viewers that your credentials and background have been checked and verified. This helps establish trust and authority.
More profile views and connections
Verified profiles tend to get up to 30% more profile views. People are more inclined to view and connect with profiles that have been verified versus unverified profiles. This can expand your network and opportunities.
Better chances for opportunities
CLEAR verification can improve your chances for career opportunities, business deals, and investments. Verified profiles convey legitimacy and are more likely to be taken seriously by potential employers, partners, or investors.
Promote skills and expertise
The skills and expertise verification allows you to showcase your capabilities in a verified way. This can be especially helpful for freelancers, consultants, and specialized roles.
Highlight education
Verify your academic degrees, certificates, and training programs through CLEAR. This provides proof of your educational credentials and qualifications.
Benefits for Viewing CLEAR Profiles
In addition to benefits for the profile owner, CLEAR verification also provides advantages for those viewing verified profiles, such as recruiters, business partners, and prospective connections.
Trustworthiness and reliability
CLEAR badges allow viewers to easily assess the trustworthiness and reliability of profiles. Knowing the background has been verified provides confidence in making connections.
Reduced risk
The verification decreases the risk of potential partnerships, investments, or hiring based on profiles with exaggerated or falsified credentials.
Skills and expertise confirmation
Seeing the skills and expertise verification badges provide viewers confirmation that the person has those capabilities claimed in their profile.
Education validation
Viewers can trust the academic credentials on verified profiles have been fact-checked and validated through CLEAR.
Legitimacy for businesses
For business profiles, CLEAR verification helps establish legitimacy and trustworthiness with prospective customers and partners.
The CLEAR Verification Process
Here is an overview of what’s involved in the CLEAR verification process:
ID Verification
Users verify their identity by providing a government ID. This confirms they are who their profile says they are.
Education Confirmation
Educational credentials can be validated by having universities and colleges confirm enrollment and degrees earned.
Skills Assessment
Skills can be verified through testing, providing certification, or having endorsements from connections.
Work Experience
Work experience is verified through employment confirmation letters or endorsements from managers and colleagues.
Community Reviews
The CLEAR Community Review process involves endorsements from connections to vouch for someone.
Requested Editorial Review
Users can request a manual editorial review of their profile by LinkedIn for an extra layer of verification.
Who is Eligible for CLEAR?
Here are the eligibility requirements for CLEAR verification:
- Profile must be All-Star which requires having a profile photo, professional headline, completed About and Experience sections, and 50+ connections.
- Profile must have been active for at least one year.
- Profile cannot have any active restrictions, violations, or misrepresentations.
What Verification Badges Can You Earn?
There are several different verification badges that can appear on CLEAR profiles:
ID Verified
Blue checkmark badge indicating verified identity through government ID document.
Education Verified
Red graduation cap icon showing an academic credential was verified.
Skills Verified
Green skills badge icon indicating a skill was verified through testing or certification.
Work Verified
Purple briefcase badge meaning the work experience was verified through records or endorsements.
Community Reviewed
Orange community reviewed badge showing endorsements from connections.
LinkedIn Verified
Gold shield badge for manual verification by LinkedIn’s editorial team.
How Difficult is the CLEAR Process?
The difficulty of getting CLEAR verified depends on the types of verifications you pursue. Here is an overview:
ID Verification
The ID verification is straightforward by simply providing a copy of your government identification document like a driver’s license or passport.
Education Verification
Confirming education requires coordination with the schools and records offices which may take some time but is not too burdensome.
Skills Verification
Demonstrating skills through testing, certification records, or endorsements involves some effort to collect the necessary materials.
Work Verification
Verifying work history may require contacting past employers to provide confirmation letters which can be time-consuming.
Community Review
Gaining endorsements from connections takes relationship building but is very achievable for most profiles.
Editorial Review
Getting the LinkedIn Verified badge through editorial review involves the most intensive process meeting strict verification criteria.
Is CLEAR Verification Worth It?
Deciding if CLEAR verification is worth the time and effort depends on your specific goals and priorities for your LinkedIn presence. Here are some factors to consider:
Are you job hunting?
If you are actively searching for a new job, CLEAR can significantly improve your candidacy and chances of employers contacting you.
Are you pursuing business opportunities?
Verification can help establish legitimacy which is useful when pursuing potential new clients, deals, or partnerships.
Do you want to demonstrate expertise?
Verifying skills and credentials can help position you as an authority in your field.
Is profile credibility important?
If having an authoritative presence on LinkedIn matters for your personal brand, CLEAR can lend trust.
Do you have limited connections?
CLEAR may be less impactful if you already have a large established network and following.
Best Practices for Maximizing CLEAR Value
Here are some top tips for getting the most value out of CLEAR verification:
- Complete the verification process fully – partial verifications will limit the benefits.
- Prominently display your CLEAR badges on your profile.
- Let connections know you are CLEAR verified to help drive endorsements.
- Spotlight your verified work history and education in your profile.
- Advertise your skills verifications in your professional headline.
- Update your profile content to align with your new verified details.
The Future of CLEAR Verification
CLEAR verification is still rolling out gradually on LinkedIn. Over time, it is likely that CLEAR will become more prominent and potentially become standard across most LinkedIn profiles. Here are some possible ways CLEAR could continue to evolve:
- Verification for additional profile sections like Volunteering, Languages, Projects, Publications, and more.
- Integration with external digital credential platforms like Acclaim.
- Partnerships with more educational institutions for simplified education verification.
- Algorithms to detect potentially exaggerated or false claims on profiles.
- Premium verified profiles that are highlighted in search results and recommendations.
- More prominent profile labels, badges, and callouts for verified users.
Conclusion
CLEAR verification on LinkedIn provides a valuable way for professionals to showcase their credentials, build trust, and give their profiles more legitimacy. For individuals looking to advance their careers and establish their reputation, obtaining CLEAR verifications can provide a worthwhile boost in credibility and exposure. As CLEAR evolves, verified profiles are likely to increasingly become the standard on LinkedIn.