The Résumé Studio Blog

Either recruiters have gotten lazy, or there’s a new LinkedIn function in use that doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Thursday, I received an email from a recruiter that in ordinary circumstances would be accompanied by at least a slightly customized note.

Instead, I was left to guess why I was sent an unsolicited job description calling for a healthcare industry tech writer.

Um. Hmm.

First, I had to deduce what it was.

Second, I wasn’t the right target.

I suspect that the content and skills I have on my profile somehow ranked in a set of parameters that brought me to the recruiter’s attention.

Good.

While I’m not looking to abandon my executive résumé writing practice, it’s nice being considered.

I guess I wonder about what appears to be that missing step. The ability to blast job descriptions without a note of explanation to anyone who matches a perceived threshold of matchiness. There was no cover letter, let alone a statement of intention. Only a way to apply.

Also, I’ve taken a great deal of time to be sure my summary, experience, and skills and expertise sections are clear to anyone who finds me on LinkedIn. I write for healthcare execs, but I could never write content for, say, WebMD.

Interestingly, on the same day a finance client emailed a similarly unfocused and unceremoniously distributed job description that presumed he spoke Japanese.

He has traveled to Japan, and done work related to Asian markets, but last I checked (and I did), he doesn’t list Japanese in his list of languages spoken.

What gives, LinkedIn?

Recruiters?

Anyone?

I’m genuinely intrigued, but having come from the uber-precise, research-driven world of retained executive search — and working daily with candidates making sure we reach out to openings only when the position is a fit so we don’t unnecessarily bug recruiters — this seems like a step backwards.

I sincerely hope recruiters aren’t able to now shotgun blast job descriptions to LinkedIn users.

At least not without a more finely-tuned algorithm on LinkedIn’s part, and the ability to at least use a sentence or two to explain why an approach is being made.

Until next time!

Filed under: LinkedIn Ideas, On Recruiters |