Time To Clean Out Your Closet?

I also noticed my first connection on LinkedIn happened to be in Human Resources with that very same company!

How serendipitous, right?

Nope.

Wrong!

I sent my first connection a note and after a short and polite lead-in, this is how the dialogue went;

ME: “I noticed Company X is in major hiring mode. Who I can speak with to potentially help with recruitment efforts?”

HER: “As of last month, I no longer handle recruiting.”

ME: “No worries – who is handling it now?”

HER: “I don’t know.”

ME: “Are you still at Company X?”

HER: “Yes.”

Clearly, it’s impossible she wouldn’t know who currently occupies her former position.

So, this ‘interaction’ got me thinking.

LinkedIn is a professional social network. The only way two people can become first connections on LinkedIn is, one sent an invite and the other accepted.

And unlike Facebook, the only reason to connect on LinkedIn is to build your professional network.

Now, what value is there in a professional connection if they don’t provide you with; (a) information or (b) opportunity?

The unequivocal answer is – none!

You may be wondering why I chose to share this story with you. Good question. Food for thought – I guess.

Many of you have thousands of first connections on LinkedIn. (Personally, I’m close to 8,000.)

But how many of your connections do you think would provide you with either information or opportunity?

If the answer is neither, why are you connected?

Something to consider the next time you send or accept an invite – isn’t it?

I may not be Eminem … but I’m definitely going to be “cleaning out my closet”!

In closing, when it comes to the recruitment industry, companies will naturally fall into one of two groups.

COMPANIES WE RECRUIT FOR and COMPANIES WE RECRUIT FROM.

Take a wild guess what bucket Company X just dropped into?

Oh, and while I have your attention, if your company happens to be looking for help with recruiting, Match and Fable would love to help!

In the meanwhile, if you’re looking for me … I’ve got some cleaning to do!