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2008.05.31

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Comments

John Galt

what I find interesting about linkedIn is the way that the referrals come across as a unique type of mutual masterbation where we each agree to say something nice about the other. In a down economy it seems to be getting worse. If you look at referreals you will often notice a pattern of dyadic pairs. In many cases it is the worst form of sycophant toadying that you ever come across and in no way jibes with the real references (some negative) that I often get when I call people.

david perry

Couldn't agree more Harry. It's sort of like your wife's sister's second cousin's dog walker's neighbor's son ... looking for clues in all the wrong places

Kevin Strawbridge

I concur with some comments here ("Wouldn't a real recruiter just use the inMail function"), but disagree with your simplification of Linkedin as a Database. LI, IMO, is a community not unlike the one we call "the real world". On the one hand, I respect that someone would reach out and ask (e.g. like the avg. guy that asked to popular girl to the prom). On the other, I think we all need to know our place and manage ourselves accordingly. Just because I am in e-commerce and am connected to a VC guy that invests in e-commerce does not mean I reach out to him (or ask to reach out one of his contacts) each time I mentally develop a better mousetrap. Instead, I consider it, I plan, I put my best foot forward and then leverage what is available in a sensible manner.

In all, as usual, another Harry installment that makes for great discussion.

Jim Durbin

You're much nicer than I am. I would have published the offenders name and used the entire matter as a teachable moment.

Lazy recruiters need to be weeded out, and nothing's lazier than demanding someone else do your job.

I get requests from recruiters who want me to forward these introductions through the hiring manager of the candidate they want to reach.

Cause that's going to happen.

Josh

Way to stay comment in the face of a hostile/highly caffeinated interviewer :) Wouldn't a real recruiter just use the InMail function?

Rob Fields

Good for you, Harry. First, what would be your incentive to forward such a request? Clearly, you're under no obligation to help a competitor, particularly when they're going after your "assets". More to the point, these are relationships that you've nurtured over time. I certainly fault the other recruiter.

But, there's also a general laziness exhibited by many people on LinkedIn. Just because it's easy to "add someone to your network" doesn't mean that you can do so without sharing the rationale with them. I mean, if I don't know you, please tell me why I'd want to be added to your network. The point of LI was that it was to be a network of people that you had some kind of meaningful relationship with. Part of that, I think, is being respectful of your connections and your extended network.

Recruiting Animal

Why would you be inclined to share your candidates with someone on Recruitingblogs? Do you feel any special rapport with the 7000 people listed there? Would you share your best candidates with me? For no share of the fee?

management recruiter

I love Linkedin -- but when I wrote this post and really started to compare it to other communities, it occurred to me that it's just a database. As a recruiter, I love it. But 99% of its value lies in helping its users "find and be found."

thanks for reading,
h a r r y

andreas.wpv

Perfect!
Linkedin is nice as a database or address book. That is it.
For everything else - completely overrated as many other 'social networks'.
A.

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