You’ve gotten those little flag notifications, haven’t you? The ones that indicate that a Linked In connection has “endorsed you,” usually for a skill some Linked In program pulls from your online resume –and suggests your connections endorse you for. But, I wonder, what does a Linked In endorsement really mean? Besides that people like to click buttons.
First, if you endorse me for blogging, writing or teaching, bless you. Those are my passions and if you know my work in those areas and think I’m good at them, well, thank you, from the bottom of my heart for taking time to click.
If I’ve worked with you in any way shape or form and you’ve endorsed me for things I did during my pre-retirement career? Well, my feelings are little more complicated.
I’m flattered, of course, that you think I’m capable. But to be honest, I have no intention of ever again doing media relations, reputation management, corporate communications, public involvement or anything else that I did when I worked full time. Never.
Oh, now, I know that “never” is a really long time. Still, I think I can say with a metaphysical degree of certainty that I will never be looking for one of those jobs again. Now, I might teach them one day, and so for that reason alone, they may be useful. So, I’m grateful, even though it gives me a cold chill to think of ever looking for a regular job again.
Now, if you’ve never done business with me and are endorsing me for career skills, I have to ask: why? If you have no earthly idea if I can do these things, the endorsement is meaningless. Of course, no one knows that, they just see the endorsement. A recruiter or potential employer just sees the endorsement. But I know, and that’s enough.
Which brings me to another question. Have you endorsed me in the hope that I would give YOU an meaningless endorsement? Because I’m not going to. If I don’t know you and never did business with you, I’m not going to endorse you. I don’t know enough about you. But Linked In tells me repeatedly –every few days–that you have endorsed me–as if they, too, are complicit in the scam. And daily, they exort me to endorse my connections. Over and over.
The number of endorsements I’ve received from connections who have never worked with me is astounding and calls into question the entire Linked In system. Seeing that big pyramid of endorsements on my profile may make my ego feel warm and fuzzy, but if a certain percentage of them are based on no knowledge of my work, well, I have to wonder.
It’s fair to ask why I use Linked In, if I’m not interested in employment. Many reasons. Sometimes, I connect professional friends who might be able to help one another. Or my former students. My database might be target customers for a workshop or other offering I give in the future. Or for a book I’m trying to write. It’s nice to know where folks are at professionally in case we can help each other.
But I draw the line at bogus endorsements, I really do.
Like most social media, the flaws and weaknesses become evident upon constant use, and seem to increase with every new “feature” added. And “features” are always being added; it’s as if they have nothing to do at Social Media Headquarters but dream up Improvements that are not improvements at all. It dilutes the effectiveness of the site. Over time it’s clear that most potential employers will look a bit skeptically at Linked In “endorsements.” It’s inevitable, like death and taxes: social media companies always seem to muck things up.
I’m thinking I should start a series called “The Emperor Has No Clothes.” What do you think?
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