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I read a great post the other day by Ashley Rowland. It called out awful behavior by salesbro influencers. It hit on a few different levels.
TLDR: A couple salesbros held a live event, shamed a follower who had a question, gave bad advice, and did it in front of a hundred people.
Her full post, here.
Now, I wasn’t there. I don't know who these influencers were. And it doesn’t matter.
I want to talk about influencer behavior and the crowds they speak to. Yes, this ties back to recruiting (I’ll get there in a minute.)
There’s nothing new about the dynamics of LinkedIn. Everyone there talking about anything is copying what worked on other social sites in other industries: health, fitness, beauty, personal finance, entertainment, etc.
People listen to those with large followings. Follower numbers give a perception of faux credibility.
This doesn’t mean content creators, influencer, or even all salesbros are bad.
3 things to watch in deciding who to take seriously:
👉Beware of those who prey on the desperate.
I mean anyone struggling with anything. Weight, finances, health…
…or in LinkedIn terms: a job search, advancing their career, skill development, etc.
People in a tough spot are more likely to buy into huckster shenanigans.
That doesn’t mean every career coach, person selling a course, or paid “community” is a fraud.
But throw away their follower numbers. Take a hard look at what they really do for you.
👉Kindness is everything.
Look, I write a blog called Talent Rants and Sarcasm. It’s ok to be snarky, profane, contrarian, humorous, critical, challenging, or whatever else comes to you by nature.
But you also have to be nice.
Shaming someone in front of a live audience?
Picking fights with anyone who disagrees?
Being disrespectful in 1:1 convos (if they even do those)?
Maybe they’re not who you should look up to.
👉If it sounds like dumbass advice, it is.
Back to recruiting. From Ashley’s post:
“what’s $10,000 going to do anyway? That’s like $600/month after taxes. What is that going to pay for your family’s cell phone bill?”
Ah yes. The “take a big number and make it small” ploy.
Recruiters know this one well. We invented the damn thing.
Anyone who started their career in micromanaged boiler room hell (read: all of us) learned it day 1.
It goes like this: take the big number. Divide it into months/weeks/days. Then compare with the "right choice." The "better opportunity" in the longer run.
You do care about the long term, don’t you?
Ignoring the fact that more money and better opportunity aren’t mutually exclusive. Choose both.
(Ashley’s example was in regards to a negotiation not a job choice, but the point remains.)
Lame advice is usually copied. Jokers are lazy.
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