Ok so… we all know the history right of the platform, the corporate bit, and the fact that it was positioned and started out as a business networking platform… we all remember the LIONs etc… We all know that monetising social / business media platforms is a challenge and that access/use licenses along with advertising was the logical move. Also logical was LI’s potential revenue source from the recruiting sector and the importance placed on its use by recruiters – the toss will be argued here but let’s be honest about one of its principal uses!... OK, so we’re fine with that – well kind of..!
Then…. Something strange happened..!
Connections / Inmails / Recommendations, job posts and ads… logical too. Content shifts to story tell (and this has been across the board…) “days in the life of”, videos on business culture, and team intros…we’re cool with that too!
But, and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when (like a matrix moment), content starts appearing from recruiters (mostly agency side… but not exclusively) which galleries issues and problems encountered with doing their job.. Now at first many of these were “hey guys, anyone else have this happen….” (we can debate how many people actually want to read this stuff...but we’re not going to do that here) but it didn’t stop at that!
In the extreme, we’ve now got shout-outs on client company/competitor recruiter ethics, subtle as a gun finger points at businesses “kept confidential” (but really not LOL) and massive viral comment stream rants/arguments…
Perhaps it’s just what was a business platform picking up the vibe from other social media platforms where this stuff is now rife… but here’s the thing – much of this is the preserve and territory of the recruiter community and it’s not just a UK thing..
But Why?
So look… it’s not everyone in every market – far from it, but it’s definitely a thing and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down! It’s got to a point where it gets commented on by people in the market that these people are supposed to be serving… “LinkedIn is full of recruiters doing battle on whose had the worst day and who’s the been the unluckiest” Yep, we’ve heard that!
What’s behind it?... honestly no idea but here’s a few theories in no particular order
Stress levels and the market – it’s not been easy out there and the industry can be a hard one to find your niche and success model. It’s never been an easy route to big bucks and never has – it’s hard work and the covid, post covid/risk-averse economic market has taken its toll. Burnout and a platform to let off steam/vent perhaps?
LinkedIn’s move from formal to informal content tone: this is a wider phenomenon as flagged above and it could just be that this gives rise for people to share what’s openly on their minds at work… Still doesn’t really explain why this seems particular to one industry. (Unless you subscribe to the theory that recruiters cleverly crafted industry-leading reach-out posts are simply read by other recruiters and that no one else is paying much attention… but we’re not going there right now!)
Content strategy: ok so this is a kind way of describing it (we’re not going to bang on about “clickbait” here). It could be a play to what’s perceived to be on the minds of others and most relatable and likely to get viewed to ensure engagement and connections… It’s worth remembering that successful approaches here engage relevant user groups necessary for commercial wins which for recruiters are their prospective/current clients and candidates. It’s hard to see how this would achieve that with either and then serves only to involve those with the same (or contrasting) views all likely from the same function ie other recruiters.. hence the snowball / viral effect!
Let’s move on from the guessing game and tackle something more pertinent!
What effect does this have on the hiring process?
Can you simply take the view that if you’re not connected with it, don’t engage with it… maybe - but it’s not always that simple.
Connections = visibility and if you see those venting about their lack of fulfilment or a hard day, or going into a comment battle often far removed from the subject matter they use to engage candidates and clients, does this build trust or more likely the opposite?
Professionalism – after all if LinkedIn is an essential gallery for products, services, and networking (in theory..) where does this “strategy” fit and what does it achieve?
So what!?
Perhaps it’s one of those right… it’s not everyone and maybe it’s just a growing phenomenon of socially shared workplace scenarios, problems, and distractions, but there was enough “weird” to be motivated to share this…
If there’s any conclusion here (and this is by no means a self-help guide, pure observational stuff right) it would be that the smart money keeps it relevant, fun, engaging, and professional with content aimed at those they need to build relationships/trust with …. And avoiding anything that does the opposite!
Disclaimer: we are in no way trying to fuel the fire behind our own narrative!
Photo by Resume Genius on Unsplash
