To Use LinkedIn Introductions or NOT --- for Recruiting

I got this link with 10 LinkedIn tips for recruiters today and I'm not sure if I agree with #9. What do you all think about using LinkedIn introductions?

#9 LinkedIn tip

Do not use the “ask for an introduction” feature - It’s a waste of time! And it makes you lazy. If you have a name, city company name and title, you should not need any more information to pick up the telephone and ask for this person by name. Besides, if you still need an introduction to speak to someone, once you have all of their work information…then perhaps it’s time to reconsider professions.

MY RESPONSE

The whole point of the LinkedIn introduction is that it infers trust and there is a lot of value in this feature for introductions, I don't see how it makes you look lazy. Sure if you are an old fashioned head hunter pick up the phone and call me (a passive candidate) blind, but if I also get an introduction from one of my best friends saying that I need to network with this recruiter in my niche I am going to respond to that recommendation before I answer your cold call which by the way is interrupting my busy day and quite annoying to a candidate that is busy at work. In today’s modern era it is disrespectful of your candidate’s time to call me and expect me to have a conversation with someone I don't know from Adam.

As a corporate recruiter here is how I use all 50 of my LinkedIn introductions every month. I am connected with all of my companies employees and when we need to know hire a new software engineer I go through all of our current software engineers profiles and when I find a possible candidate I send our employee an "introduction" request which allows them to qualify whether or not that the candidate might be a fit for our company and the position. This tactic spurs on employee referrals because often employees are too busy to go through their LinkedIn network pro-actively and employee's tend to only refer active job seekers and not think of the passive candidates that are in their network.

What do you think?

If you share these beliefs or want to discuss this more I encourage you to connect with me on Linkedin.

Greig Wells

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gino Conti on January 21, 2009 at 1:34pm

Greig,

I think you make some good points here and for the most part I'm in total agreement. I do not believe that using an introduction makes you look lazy. Sure, you could take a more aggressive approach, but that can turn some candidates off. Even when I was conducting my search to find the job I have now I didn't want to hear from a recruiter while I was in the office, so I try to respect that when and where possible.

It seems as though the way you are utilizing the introductions you have is effective, appropriate, and what LinkedIn intended them to be. You are using trusted contacts to reach out in a very non-threatening way to connect with potential candidates, networkers, etc. However, there is a reason why this tip was written, and it wasn't directed at users like you.

I took a quick peek at your LinkedIn profile and see that you have 500+ connections. I am an open networker, so my profile also shows 500+. This is where we can run into problems using introductions. Because I am an open networker the fact is I am connected to some people I know and trust very well, and others who I don't know as well and have connected with in the spirit of casting a wider net. The odds of you selecting a person in my network who knows me well enough to forward the message along and for me to take seriously is unfortunately low. When you select the wrong person to pass an introduction along it can fall flat very quickly and runs the risk of never being passed along.

Again, it seems as though you are taking the right approach by sending introductions through your trusted contacts to their network. This likely ensures that the message gets passed and you get a good response. The people who are better off picking up the phone (according to the author) are the ones who haphazardly select contacts to pass the introduction, thus losing the personal touch and professional courtesy they are intended for.

Hope this helps!
Gino

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Permalink Reply by pam claughton on January 21, 2009 at 1:49pm

Greig,

For me, it depends on how strong my relationship is with the person I'd be asking to make an introduction. If it's someone I know well, a personal friend or candidate I've worked with or placed, etc., then I would definitely ask for an introduction, but I probably wouldn't do it via LinkedIn. I'd just send that person an email and ask that they introduce me via email, which is what they are always happy to do.

I am a fairly open networker on LinkedIn, so am connected to many people that I don't know well, if at all, and those are the people that I would not ask for an introduction, because they don't know me, so I feel it puts them in an awkward position because I feel that an introduction is an endorsement of sorts. Again, this is just my opinion and how I do it. So, in this case, I would seek to contact that person either via an inmail, or an email or call and introduce myself.

Interestingly, this question has been posed on LinkedIn, and I was surprised to see that a vast majority of potential candidates prefer not to be contacted via 'introductions' because of confidentiality reasons. They don't want a trail of people knowing that they may be 'looking', especially if they are really not that active. This made sense to me because a job search is a very personal thing, especially if you are considering making a move but are not sure, and still sort of like the job you're in. You don't want to jeopardize what you have.

Another thing to consider also is timeliness. Many people are not on LinkedIn as often as we are, so if you wait around for an introduction, you could miss the boat completely. I've had inmail responses come in many months after I've sent the initial mail. Which is another reason why I prefer email or direct call. You also have to consider that while you are waiting around for an introduction or inmail response, you could lose out when that candidate is called directly by another recruiter and they get them in first.

Just my two cents.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Durkin on January 21, 2009 at 2:40pm

I agree with Pam, it depends on your relationship with who you’re requesting an introduction from.
For you, Greig, using an introduction doesn't seem to be intrusive of who you're asking; assuming all of the people you request are people you hold strong relationships with.

As a third party recruiter one can guarantee; I am not giving introductions until it's me introducing my fee for a lead or resume. My boss who is a third party recruiter and specializes in HR gets asked from candidates to be "introduced" to corporate hiring managers, OBVIOIUSLY it's a potential placement she would be cutting herself out of if she obliged.

There are too many factors to consider, if it works for you use the feature and if it doesn't don't use the feature, but it's certainly not a LAZY approach.