To think you don’t block new colleagues on LinkedIn?

[Everyoneisunreasonable]

I work in a global team, and my boss announced a new starter yesterday, based in San Francisco. So, I looked him up on LinkedIn, as you do, to see what his background was. But he wasn’t there, which is highly odd as our job involves a LOT of networking and LI is an important tool in that. I asked a colleague in San Diego if she could see him and she said she had been involved in interviewing him, and that she could.

I couldn’t think of any other explanation than he had blocked me, so I looked him up on my husband’s LI, and could see him. So, he had blocked me!

I asked another European colleague this morning if she could see him, and she couldn’t. So she had been blocked too. Neither of us have ever met this guy before, so it’s not like either of us had offended him! AIBU to think this is a massive red flag and the guy has something to hide? Does anyone have any potential reasons why someone might block new colleagues they haven’t even met? Never come across this behaviour before!

I’m going to ask him at some point, but I’ll wait until I’ve interacted with him a bit first.

Linkedin may be more work-focused but it's still a personal account. The guy can block whoever he likes.

And not forgetting linkedin is literally a shitshow of the very worst order.

But a lot of companies now do use LinkedIn and even expect their employees to be connected and to like and comment on their colleagues' post as it can be a very powerful way of business development/PR.

In fact schools now actively encourage their sixth formers in joining LI and also after uni.

It's very odd behaviour.

Like someone said on here, one possibility is if the two of you who are blocked have someone else in common who may know that the new hire has not been truthful on their LinkedIn CV.

How do you define "a lot " of companies though?

I work in a very big finance company.

We don't use LinkedIn at all at work.

Most of my colleagues aren't on linkedin at all.

From talking to some of my friends who work in that world, I actually thought that linkedin was starting to be seen as very old fashioned

I agree! I don't work in an industry that uses LinkedIn much, but I can't imagine ever feeling comfortable having so much info about myself and my work history publicly available. My view may be a bit coloured as I have been low level stalked in the past so keep a low profile on the internet anyway.

OP honestly, it sounds like you are spending way too much headspace on this - you will meet him eventually in person, isn't that more important than knowing the ins and outs of his work history?

It's a bit strange. Linked In is a particular type of social media for business/professional connections. It's not usual to have much or any non work related content on there and some profiles are extremely brief.
I'm at a law firm and we are required to keep a Linked in account and have to follow guidance about the photo used (must be professional one) and the house style of the profile etc. Any substantive content we post has to be sense checked by our professional support team to make sure we dont drop any clangers. We are also strongly encouraged to connect with colleagues and promote/repost their content. I imagine a very dim view would be taken of blocking colleagues!

I get what people are saying about it being his personal social media and he's entitled to connect with or block who he wants but it's a bit strange as its meant to be a "tool of the trade" and will reflect on the employer. Seems a bit narky and precious. If he visited your office would he wear a bag on his head and refuse to speak to you?

Half the people I work with are blocked on my profile.

Haha.

I just think the level of entitlement of the OP is bizarre.

She wants to see a linkedin page of a man that works in her global company. He works in a different country to her.

And she is annoyed that she can't.

Very precious and odd behaviour.

I wouldn't care at all if I couldn't see my colleagues linkedins

Serious question. Why do you care?

Sounds like a big deal out of nothing.

Agree with this. I despise LinkedIn, especially as it evidently normalises snooping and if you exercise your right to to privacy then that's somehow alarming!!

It's full of people feeling entitled to have undenied access to you and your history when there may be genuine, innocent and PERSONAL reasons to retain some privacy. I don't see the value in being exposed to such an invasive, arse-kissing circle-jerk of overblown egos. If he had something to hide he'd have blocked everyone.

I deleted mine long since and if a role depends on having/using it then I wouldn't take it. Mainly because of people like OP.

It's a bit weird to actually block people but my god LinkedIn is awful. He was probably hoping he could swerve the boast-fest. I would be gutted if I was expected to use it, totally gives me the ick.

I also think it's odd that op automatically assumed she was blocked.

Thats a weird conclusion to jump too.

Linkedin shows you the people that are most relevant to what you are looking for.

So when you search a name, it will show you the results for that name in your country.

That is likely why the ops colleague in the USA could see the man, and why OP and the colleague in europe could not.

Linkedin also shows you people depending on different factors, which is why her husband may be able to see him, but she cannot. Like for example, her husband could have more mutual connections with this man than the OP, or he could have worked with someone , who now works with this man in the USA.

There is a lot of factors I would have thought of, before automatically assuming that I was blocked.

AIBU to think this is a massive red flag and the guy has something to hide?

This is so stupid, honestly. Your employers have seen his profile and his CV. What do you think your beady eyes would spot that they haven't?

That he has a 2:1 instead of a 1:1 degree?

You’re not entitled to see anyone’s LinkedIn profile and it’s up to them who they choose to connect with.

so what if your company uses it for networking and marketing. It’s his private account and not owner or managed by your company.

speaking about it with other colleagues and asking your partner to look him up sounds obsessive and unhinged, not to mention starting a thread about it too.

I also work for a large corporate where LinkedIn is frequently used and it sounds unlikely that he would go around blocking people he never met.

How would he know to block you?
Why would he need to do that if you're not a connection?

I think it's likely to do with his premium/privacy settings which means unless you're 1st/2nd connection etc, you're not visible.

Depends on what 'world' you're referring to. I work in a science driven area, and it's used a lot by companies and staff alike (not just our company) for comms!

Exactly, you're talking sense.

Linkedin has a load of private features, that means only certain people can see you.

OP do you know anything about linkedin?

You seem to know very little about how it works, and the different privacy settings

It's a bit odd but unless it becomes relevant for work I'd not mention it and I wouldn't tell any other colleagues.

Slightly odd but you didn't hire them so it's really none of your business. People seem very confused about your job which I am assuming is recruitment or similar, which is why LinkedIn is absolutely essential. He may unblock you at another time, another PPs suggestion of possible mutual etc. could be why.

I wouldn't hold it against them or treat them differently for it.

no - where LinkedIn is used it is completely normal for anyone who even has a passing connection with you to add you to their network. It is what LinkedIn is for.

That's not what op did thought. She didn't add him as a connection.

She got two different colleagues to look him up.

because she knows he's on linked in and she wondered why she couldn't find him.

Honestly it isn't strange - companies that go for LinkedIn REALLY go for it. We are a small company and we use it a lot to pass on information about ourselves as a company and as "assets" within the company. Nobody is forced, but most of us do because that is how our industry works.

For everyone else it looks odd. For people who work like OP and me - it is more odd to block people. Strange. (for us, for eg: if we are pitching a project we may look at our colleagues' profiles to find someone who has done similar or who has expertise / qualifications, since we're globally separated and often not available at the same time. It is just a tool, like any other IT tool)

Totally this. For those of us who work and use it for work, we use LinkedIn exactly like this and it would be odd to block someone.
Tbh, I have many many contacts I've never even met - it's a business networking tool for professionals.