 "LinkedIn")
LinkedIn, the resume brag site and online mixer, allows people to supplement the online profiles of others from a shopping list of more than 35,000 touted job skills, including such stalwarts as "marketing" and "data analysis."
Also included in the list of achievements are "foxtrot," "fire alarm" and "butter."
A couple of Rhys Wilson's customers recently asked about his expertise in "fly fishing," a listing that reeked of payback. Mr. Wilson, a manager at a software startup, had earlier endorsed a friend's skill in the use of "lubricants."
Profile pranks, also known as endorsement bombing, sprang from the LinkedIn feature intended to highlight laudable skills. Instead, some people fluff the digital profiles of friends with skills of no particular relevance. Unless, of course, "round tables," "cheese" or "chairs" is your thing.
"You want it to be as weird and abstract as possible," Mr. Wilson said of the practice, which requires approval by the subject.
Officially, endorsements are a way for people to boost their marketability, LinkedIn spokeswoman Julie Inouye said. "It feels strange people would want to make a joke on their professional profile," she added.
Not for co-workers of Douglas Franklin, a software developer at Logitech in California, who endorsed colleagues for "dump truck," "Brazilian blowouts," and "brownies."
In return, Mr. Franklin, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, was endorsed for "crystal ball," "foosball," and "large loss."
Mr. Franklin, 23 years old, got the endorsement-bomb bug while attending Northeastern University in Boston. He wasn't especially funny, but he listed humor as a skill on his LinkedIn page. His college counselor wasn't amused, calling it unprofessional.
Mr. Franklin didn't budge. "I think it adds to my character," he said. It didn't appear to hurt the computer-engineering major, who is among the economy's high-demand workers.
Most of LinkedIn's 444 million users employ the feature the way it was intended. Microsoft recently agreed to acquire the California-based company for $26.2 billion.
Matt Nicolaou, 26 years old, said the endorsement feature was nonetheless perfect for parody. "That's the interesting thing about millennials in the workforce," he said. "They want to work hard but they want to laugh at the ridiculousness of a system that allows them to professionally endorse people for things like sword fighting or birthday cakes."
Mr. Nicolaou's former employer tired of people advertising rudimentary skills and warned applicants: "Microsoft Office is not a skill, don't list it here." In response, Mr. Nicolaou and his former colleagues began endorsing one another for fluency in the software.
Mr. Nicolaou, now an account manager at a San Francisco-based talent management software company, recently lauded his younger brother's profile for an expertise in YouTube and cheese.
LinkedIn users list their skills on profiles visible to their network of "connections." These friends, colleagues and business contacts can add their own suggestions to the profile.
The endorsements arrive via email, and in the crush of work, some people may approve them without a close read.
For others, it is a deliberate game of back and forth. The more endorsements of a particular skill, the more visible it shows on the LinkedIn profile.
Many of the available skills are nothing to brag about, unless you are looking for work in "blocking" or "tapping," for instance.
Jeff Warnock's second highest-rated skill is "event planning," although the 23-year-old multimedia producer said he had no idea why: "I've never done a corporate event before."
LinkedIn created the list based on its many users. Ms. Inouye pointed out there are 19 companies, for example, that list "sword fighting" on their LinkedIn pages.
Mitch Kucia, a 22-year-old security consultant from Boston, recently endorsed his girlfriend's profile for "hugs." She didn't accept. Mr. Kucia was endorsed for "burgers."
"I think I make a pretty mean burger," he said. "If a company came to me and said, 'Hey, we see 'burgers' on that,' I think I would have a lot to say."
The LinkedIn list, however long, doesn't add up to some endorsement bombers. "My friends and I found it very interesting that you can endorse somebody for round tables," Mr. Nicolaou said, "but not square tables."
Diane Spizzirro, director of career management at Columbia University in New York City, trains people how to get the most out of LinkedIn. While the skills-endorsement feature isn't the most valuable part of a profile, she said, recruiters at her private career counseling firm pay attention to it.
Ms. Spizzirro said she wasn't bothered by people having fun with the feature, saying it can give recruiters a preview of an applicant's personality.
"I don't see a problem with something like birthday cakes," Ms. Spizzirro said. "When you get into 'fire alarms' that might be crossing the line a little bit."
Still, even hard-core endorsement bombers have their limits.
Mr. Franklin's friends endorsed him for "load control" and "pregnancy massage."
"That's when I was, like, 'All right,'" he said. "This is actually too much."
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Also included in the list of achievements are "foxtrot," "fire alarm" and "butter."
A couple of Rhys Wilson's customers recently asked about his expertise in "fly fishing," a listing that reeked of payback. Mr. Wilson, a manager at a software startup, had earlier endorsed a friend's skill in the use of "lubricants."
Profile pranks, also known as endorsement bombing, sprang from the LinkedIn feature intended to highlight laudable skills. Instead, some people fluff the digital profiles of friends with skills of no particular relevance. Unless, of course, "round tables," "cheese" or "chairs" is your thing.
"You want it to be as weird and abstract as possible," Mr. Wilson said of the practice, which requires approval by the subject.
Officially, endorsements are a way for people to boost their marketability, LinkedIn spokeswoman Julie Inouye said. "It feels strange people would want to make a joke on their professional profile," she added.
Not for co-workers of Douglas Franklin, a software developer at Logitech in California, who endorsed colleagues for "dump truck," "Brazilian blowouts," and "brownies."
In return, Mr. Franklin, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, was endorsed for "crystal ball," "foosball," and "large loss."
Mr. Franklin, 23 years old, got the endorsement-bomb bug while attending Northeastern University in Boston. He wasn't especially funny, but he listed humor as a skill on his LinkedIn page. His college counselor wasn't amused, calling it unprofessional.
Mr. Franklin didn't budge. "I think it adds to my character," he said. It didn't appear to hurt the computer-engineering major, who is among the economy's high-demand workers.
Most of LinkedIn's 444 million users employ the feature the way it was intended. Microsoft recently agreed to acquire the California-based company for $26.2 billion.
Matt Nicolaou, 26 years old, said the endorsement feature was nonetheless perfect for parody. "That's the interesting thing about millennials in the workforce," he said. "They want to work hard but they want to laugh at the ridiculousness of a system that allows them to professionally endorse people for things like sword fighting or birthday cakes."
Mr. Nicolaou's former employer tired of people advertising rudimentary skills and warned applicants: "Microsoft Office is not a skill, don't list it here." In response, Mr. Nicolaou and his former colleagues began endorsing one another for fluency in the software.
Mr. Nicolaou, now an account manager at a San Francisco-based talent management software company, recently lauded his younger brother's profile for an expertise in YouTube and cheese.
LinkedIn users list their skills on profiles visible to their network of "connections." These friends, colleagues and business contacts can add their own suggestions to the profile.
The endorsements arrive via email, and in the crush of work, some people may approve them without a close read.
For others, it is a deliberate game of back and forth. The more endorsements of a particular skill, the more visible it shows on the LinkedIn profile.
Many of the available skills are nothing to brag about, unless you are looking for work in "blocking" or "tapping," for instance.
Jeff Warnock's second highest-rated skill is "event planning," although the 23-year-old multimedia producer said he had no idea why: "I've never done a corporate event before."
LinkedIn created the list based on its many users. Ms. Inouye pointed out there are 19 companies, for example, that list "sword fighting" on their LinkedIn pages.
Mitch Kucia, a 22-year-old security consultant from Boston, recently endorsed his girlfriend's profile for "hugs." She didn't accept. Mr. Kucia was endorsed for "burgers."
"I think I make a pretty mean burger," he said. "If a company came to me and said, 'Hey, we see 'burgers' on that,' I think I would have a lot to say."
The LinkedIn list, however long, doesn't add up to some endorsement bombers. "My friends and I found it very interesting that you can endorse somebody for round tables," Mr. Nicolaou said, "but not square tables."
Diane Spizzirro, director of career management at Columbia University in New York City, trains people how to get the most out of LinkedIn. While the skills-endorsement feature isn't the most valuable part of a profile, she said, recruiters at her private career counseling firm pay attention to it.
Ms. Spizzirro said she wasn't bothered by people having fun with the feature, saying it can give recruiters a preview of an applicant's personality.
"I don't see a problem with something like birthday cakes," Ms. Spizzirro said. "When you get into 'fire alarms' that might be crossing the line a little bit."
Still, even hard-core endorsement bombers have their limits.
Mr. Franklin's friends endorsed him for "load control" and "pregnancy massage."
"That's when I was, like, 'All right,'" he said. "This is actually too much."
Source: The Wall Street Journal
