Dear Loser,
My LinkedIn profile says I'm a "results-driven strategic thinker passionate about innovation." I'm actually a person who sits in meetings and tries not to fall asleep. Am I a fraud? — Imposter in Indianapolis
Dear Imposter,
Everyone's LinkedIn is a lie. That's what LinkedIn is for. It's a platform where people translate their actual jobs into aspirational fiction. "Managed a team of twelve" means you were in charge of twelve people, most of whom didn't listen to you. "Drove 40% revenue growth" means revenue went up 40% while you worked there, possibly despite your involvement. "Passionate about [industry]" means you need a paycheck and this industry is where the paycheck comes from.
You are not a fraud. You are a participant in a collective fiction that everyone agrees to maintain because the alternative — honesty — would be catastrophic for hiring. Imagine a LinkedIn where people told the truth: "Survived four reorganizations through a combination of luck and willingness to attend pointless meetings." "Spent most of 2023 pretending to understand what stakeholders wanted." "My greatest professional achievement is never replying-all by accident."
The gap between your LinkedIn and your reality isn't fraud. It's personal branding, which is fraud's more acceptable cousin. Everyone does it. The recruiter reading your profile does it. The hiring manager does it. The CEO's bio on the company website is the most polished piece of fiction since the last Booker Prize winner. You're fine. Keep the profile. Update it occasionally. Don't lose sleep over it.
— The Loser