Yes, you read that right. Smart recruiters are beginning to use Amazon.com as a recruiting tool, and hiring managers use it as a way of checking out a potential hire. Here's what you need to know:
A company contacts a recruiter (let's use me as an example). Someone calls me and says "Sara, I need someone serious about Asset-based loans. Find me a BDO. I don't care about the location." As part of my recruiting process, I've learned that Amazon.com has value.
I went to Amazon and performed a search for "Asset based lending." It brought up a bunch of books on the subject. I scrolled through and opened the ones with reviews in a new tab. Each reviewer has a profile, showing me every review left and sometimes an About section. Some mention their location and/or company.
Amazon helped me find three BDOs who were serious enough about their profession to read about it and left feedback on what they read. Their review profiles showed me insights into their interests, so when I contacted them, we were able to have a meaningful conversation.
Is Amazon going to replace something like LinkedIn? No. It will, however, provide recruiters with another look into candidates. If many reviews left are hateful, they are treated the same as if they had posted it on Twitter or Facebook.
Users of Amazon need to start treating it like another social media platform and take care with what they post, what they post on, and what shows in their profile.
I thought my Amazon presence was anonymous, since I always review under a pseudonym. After looking at my profile, I might as well drop the act! My profile revealed my wish lists, names of my children, that my middle child is autistic with sensory issues, who I follow on Amazon, that I attended a masquerade last year, where I live, and more.
It is worth noting that Amazon has a filter that automatically hides anything "sensitive or controversial in nature."
What you can do:
Amazon lets you edit what shows and what does not! Log into your Amazon account and go to your account. On the left side, under Ordering and shopping preferences, there's Profile.
Now you can see everything I've talked about. You can upload a profile picture and a cover photo. On the bottom right of each review, you can choose to hide it from your profile.
Right where your header is located is the button "Edit Your Profile." (You can also view it was other people) Here you can change or edit as much as you want, but the next tab is the one you'll want.
Now you can set it to show as much or as little as you want! If you want us to have that kind of information, let it all be public. If you'd rather we not know you purchase the entire series of Grey's Anatomy and binge-watched it over the weekend (Not that we'll judge), you can choose to hide it. You can also select "Hide all activity on your profile."
While this information helps recruiters who are catching on to this, we believe you have the right to know it's there and the right to determine whether or not it should be.