"How recruiters are posing a threat to LinkedIn..."

[PinkPoshRat]

How about this then.... Oh and it's all cut out from my email from agency (now on my blacklist)


Agent email:
Thanks for your CV in consideration for this role. You look fairly well suited to one of the contract roles available.

I looked at your Linkedin profile and the companies you have worked at, and the dates differ on Linkedin from what is on your CV, so once you have clarified these in writing with your CV and Linkedin profile singing off the same hymn sheet, we will then be in a position to represent you.

Please understand, that if our client were to spot the differences / discrepancies, it is unlikely that you would be granted an interview. By clearing this up in advance of us submitting your CV to this client, it gives you a great opportunity.

Please pardon my directness, it's just the way we operate and it isn't intended to be confrontational - the opposite in fact, by trying to help!




My reply: The dates on my CV are accurate.



Agent Reply: Can you explain the differences between your CV and Linkedin please?


My next reply: I use LinkedIn as a social networking tool – I do not use LinkedIn as a CV tool.


Agent next reply: I meant the date differences.


My final reply: I use LinkedIn as a social networking tool – I do not use LinkedIn as a CV tool. The dates on my CV are accurate, whereas the dates on LinkedIn are not.

[stek]

I've got one now wanting me a friend. Agent for three months, previous role, bar manager....

Honest!

[SimonMac]

Can't they send a message without being a connection? If so, WNFS. ^

I think LinkedIn now has a "premium" subscription which lets Agents spam people

[pmeswani]

Can't they send a message without being a connection? If so, WNFS. ^

Yes they can. I have been contacted by agents without them being a connection before.

[realityhack]

Can't they send a message without being a connection? If so, WNFS. ^

[NickFitz]

I got this gig because of my LI profile, and know many others who have found work through it... but always directly from the recruiter, never through an agent. If I was on the market though, I wouldn't mind if an agent found me through it - why not? Just make sure your connections are hidden.

Nobody's suggesting that agents shouldn't be able to contact people through LinkedIn, just that they shouldn't go on to abuse it in a way that dilutes the value of the network.

[NickFitz]

So why do you post details of yourself if you don't want people to read them and contact you?

For the majority of us, we use Linkedin to keep in touch with people we use to work with. It's a shame that agents feel that it is ok to willy nilly add people as contacts without any prior engagement.

Exactly. If a recruiter wants to contact me through LinkedIn they may do so, but to then attempt to add me as a contact for no other reason than that they sent me an unsolicited message about a position that wasn't suitable is to abuse the system.

[realityhack]

I got this gig because of my LI profile, and know many others who have found work through it... but always directly from the recruiter, never through an agent. If I was on the market though, I wouldn't mind if an agent found me through it - why not? Just make sure your connections are hidden.

[pmeswani]

So why do you post details of yourself if you don't want people to read them and contact you?

For the majority of us, we use Linkedin to keep in touch with people we use to work with. It's a shame that agents feel that it is ok to willy nilly add people as contacts without any prior engagement.

[DodgyAgent]

Every agent who attempts to link up with me (just because they've seen my cv online) gets treated the same. I report them as spam on linkedin. Hopefully if enough of us do the same, he or she (the agent) will have their account closed.. Mwuhaha!

So why do you post details of yourself if you don't want people to read them and contact you?