In a recent and very active thread over in Certifications, guarantee my life for cissp, Community members advised a novice in our field to remove the word CISSP from his LinkedIn profile, where he was actually showing completion of courses to study for the CISSP exam, but listing under the Certifications section of the profile, appearing to be claiming he held the CISSP. The advice was well placed, addressing both ethics and copyright aspects of appearing to claim CISSP without actually being certified.
To the original poster's credit, he understood and took the advice, changing his profile accordingly.
This note in the Career area is to point out broader advice on how to keep your LinkedIn profile and resumes as ethically sound and not subject to accusations of false claims.
Consider all forms of professional credentials commonly found on resumes: academic degrees, certifications, certificates (they are not the same), professional society memberships, awards & decorations, etc.
- In every case, be sure the way you present your information does not give the impression of a claim you cannot support.
- As in the above example, don't list a course you took such that it appears you are claiming a degree or credential you have not actually attained.
- Don't list courses you are planning to take but have not yet completed.
- Don't list a degree you are currently pursuing such that it appears you are claiming (to a rapid reader) you actually have that degree.
LinkedIn is a particular problem for current academic work and degrees. The form used for degree allows in-progress posting using the two date fields. However, using that form with simply the degree (e.g. MS, MA. PhD, etc.) makes it appear to claim the degree as completed, unless the reader carefully inspects all the details. I have observed a significant number of INFOSEC practitioners on LinkedIn who have made this error. I cannot tell if these errors were inadvertent of intentionally misleading, but in either case, they are a problem. If you want to show meaningful progress toward a degree, do so in an area other than the Degrees area. Also, list only courses successfully completed, not the complete degree plan you have in mind. I have seen that very misleading situation on LinkedIn, also.
Next, never, ever, list degrees "awarded" by diploma mills or any school in the USA not accredited by one of the participating accrediting associations listed at CHEA.org. If you are not familiar with the existence of both diploma mills and their accompanying "accreditation mills" see the articles linked at this CHEA page.
The above advice is particularly important if you are seeking endorsement to (ISC)2 for certification after passing an exam. Most of us who are willing to endorse applicants really do review and confirm the key information on the resume we receive. A coworker in my company I did not know personally once asked me to endorse him for CISSP after passing the exam. His resume listed a degree from a school I had never hear of, one that was not listed in his official HR records. When I asked him for more information on the school he went mysteriously silent. I later confirmed the school as a clear fraudulent diploma mill.
Good luck on your professional development and your job searches and career progress. Keep the ethical standards of (ISC)2 certifications in mind as you progress.
