3 Key Steps Surveyors Must Take to Maintain Credibility
As a surveyor, your professional credibility is one of your most valuable assets. Clients and consumers often perform simple online checks to verify credentials or address concerns, and even minor inconsistencies can raise questions about your professionalism. These oversights are often unintentional, but maintaining a consistent and trustworthy presence is key in a competitive and regulated industry.
To help you stand out as a reliable professional, here are three essential steps every surveyor should take to ensure their online profiles and professional details inspire confidence.
LinkedIn Profile: Your Digital First Impression
Your LinkedIn profile is often the first place clients or consumers look to understand your qualifications and experience. It also provides insight into how approachable and consumer-friendly you and your business are. To make sure your profile represents you accurately:
Use Correct Designations: Ensure that titles like "AssocRICS" or "MRICS" are correctly listed under the "Licenses & Certifications" section. Avoid using outdated titles such as "ARICS," which can confuse.
Distinguish Education from Work Experience: Place professional qualifications like AssocRICS, MRICS and FRICS under "Education" rather than "Work Experience" to avoid misrepresentation.
Be Clear About Volunteer Roles: If you’ve contributed to RICS or other organisations in a volunteer capacity (e.g., as part of a working group or committee), list these under "Volunteer Experience" instead of implying direct employment.
For Students: If you are a student member of a professional body, avoid using professional designations prematurely. Being a student member means you are regulated and subject to disciplinary action, even before qualifying.
RICS Member Directory: A Tool to Build Trust
The RICS "Find a Member" directory allows clients and consumers to verify your membership, but it’s not without its limitations. To ensure your listing supports your professional image:
Review Regularly: Check for accuracy and privacy concerns. In some cases, personal details like home addresses or phone numbers may be visible—always ensure this information is correct and appropriately private.
Provide Consistent Details: Ensure the spelling of your name matches other platforms. A simple inconsistency (e.g., "Dave" vs. "David") can cause confusion and lead clients to doubt your membership.
Add a Profile Photo: Including a professional photo can help differentiate you from others with similar names and make your listing more consumer-friendly.
RICS Firms Directory: Accuracy Matters
The RICS Firms directory (often called "Find a Surveyor") lists regulated and unregulated firms but often contains inconsistencies. Keeping this information accurate benefits both individual surveyors and their employers. If you find an error, speak to the Responsible Principal in your business.
Check Office Listings: Firms with multiple offices must ensure these are accurate and not misleading. Overstating office locations can confuse clients and raise questions about compliance with practice standards. The platform perhaps isn’t clear if its purpose is for verification of a member firm or to promote paid listings, and perhaps because it is limited, firms list multiple times.
Update Employee Listings: Surveyors with accreditations, such as Valuer Registration, should be correctly listed under their current employer. Outdated listings can harm both the individual and the firm.
Ensure Business Names Align: Make sure your firm's name in the directory matches its registration with Companies House and other platforms.
Other Directories and Websites: Keep Everything Aligned
Consumers often cross-check information across multiple platforms, including your website and other paid directories. Inconsistencies can erode trust, so:
Maintain Consistency Across Listings: Keep a record of where your business is listed, and update all platforms whenever changes occur.
Update Your Website: Ensure your website identifies business owners and key personnel. A lack of transparency can lead clients to search Companies House or other sources for clarity, potentially raising questions you’d rather avoid.
Final Questions for Self-Review
As you review your professional presence, ask yourself:
Is My Experience Consistently Presented? Ensure qualifications, accreditations, and experience match across LinkedIn, RICS directories, and your website.
Are My Services Clear and Up to Date? Clearly describe your specialisations, accreditations, and the services you offer. Avoid overstating or misrepresenting your expertise.
Am I Presenting a Professional and Trustworthy Image? Consistency and transparency across all platforms foster trust. Ensure your professional summaries and descriptions reflect your expertise and commitment to high standards.
Regularly reviewing and updating your professional details ensures you remain a credible and trusted figure in the industry. By taking proactive steps to maintain consistency and transparency, you’ll build confidence with your clients and within the broader professional community.
Enjoy this article? You might also like Why Your Complaint-Handling Procedure Builds Trust.
Find this content useful? I'd love to hear your suggestions and recommendations. If you found this article helpful, please share it and show your support by leaving me a Google review, or you can Buy Me a Coffee. As a small business, it makes all the difference.
