You don't have to verify your identity to use WorkID — you can build a profile, be found by companies and apply to roles without it. But verification is what makes everything else on your profile credible, and it changes how far your application gets.
The hardest thing for a recruiter to establish about a stranger is that they exist. Impersonation, duplicate accounts and AI-generated applicants are a daily problem in hiring, and nothing on a CV can rule them out. A verified badge answers that question before it is asked: the person behind this profile has proven who they are with a government-issued document and a liveness check.
Identity is the largest single block of your WorkID trust score — worth more than your profile details, and the foundation the rest of it rests on. Verified work history, references and credentials all read differently when the person claiming them has been confirmed to exist.
Your trust score is what companies sort and filter by, so verification changes your position in practice, not just your badge:
Identity checks are processed by a dedicated verification provider under strict data-protection safeguards. WorkID keeps only the outcome of the check and does not store copies of your identity documents beyond what is needed to complete and evidence the verification. For details, see our Privacy Policy.