Why would a recruiter NOT have LinkedIn profile?

So a bit of strangeness came in the mix late Friday to end my week. I encountered a situation with a person claiming to be someone they were not, and being part of an organization that in reality they had no relationship with. A simple due diligence process brought out the truth, but one quick giveaway was that this supposed 'recruiter' did not have a LinkedIn Profile. Perhaps you are like me and don't update your account, or check out groups that often, but you still have and use LinkedIn. So outside a violation of ToS or some other rare random occurrence- why would a working recruiter Not have a LinkedIn Account?

I am sure there might be reasons that I am missing, but having a hard time coming up with them. Would be curious to what others in the RBC have to say on the topic.

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Permalink Reply by Amber on August 29, 2011 at 11:47am

I'm not sure of other reasons, but here's a couple I think of:

I did not start my LinkedIn account until this last year; I started recruiting full time in 2009. I think mainly because I was trying to learn and absorb so much and it's our company so there were (and are!) many facets to be involved with. I wasn't sure what tools, services, programs, processes, etc. were going to help me succeed and be efficient. I still don't always have time to use the account like I probably should, but before it was opened I don't think that would have meant I wasn't a working recruiter.

A few recruiters I know do not have a LinkedIn account and may never have one, possibly they haven't had the desire or need to have one. But they are working recruiters.

So barring someone in your scenario trying to fake an identity, there could probably be many reasons why a working recruiter would not have a LinkedIn account. And it seems more likely that someone trying to fake an identity would have a false account vs. no account?

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Permalink Reply by Valentino Martinez on August 30, 2011 at 2:40pm

Reasons Why a Recruiter Would Not Have a LinkedIn Account:

o Super Stealth – by definition you must be invisible. How that helps to be effective as a recruiter is classified--meaning if I tell you why I’m in “stealth mode” I’ll have to have you whacked.

o Phantom of the Opera Complex – due to acid-on-the-face disfigurement you are destined to be hidden in the underground but can use LinkedIn to find and develop talent. So you haunt LinkedIn but cannot be part of LinkedIn for fear of being discovered and unmasked (or is it de-masked?).

o Witness Protection Program – naturally you cannot surface on a website like LinkedIn for obvious reasons; but you can still do work to feed your face as an independent recruiter just trying to make a living.

o Wanted: Dead or Alive – if a poster with your mug is down on the local post office wall—showing up on LinkedIn is not a smart move.

o Fugitive – Richard Kimble worked many jobs on this run from law enforcement for a crime he did not commit. For the Richard Kimbles out there -a stint as a recruiter is not out of the question and would explain why they would not actually be registered on LinkedIn.

o PRIDE -- “I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER". A quote famously attributed to comedian Groucho Marx, would also be grounds for not officially signing-up for LinkedIn.

o Criminal Past -- showing up on LinkedIn will invite inspection of your past which may not work in your favor. A low profile may work better here.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Ward on August 30, 2011 at 2:57pm

How many recruiters are already on Linkedin? How many of these same recruiters and sourcers are connecting with the same candidates listed in LI? In the end, a smart recruiter realizes there's a much bigger talent pool out there that clients won't find on LI or Monster. If that's the case, the only reason to be on LI as a recruiter is what? Frankly, it's like an electronic business card in my opinion.

I'll even bet that at the large contingency firms, they probably make it mandatory for every newbie walking through the door to establish a Linkedin account. Thus, even more squids sending random invites to hiring managers they have never talked to or know anything about. Linkedin is no longer a competitive advantage for recruiters in my opinion. It has become another hurdle .