THINK TWICE BEFORE SENDING YOUR CV TO A RECRUITER ON LINKEDIN
📩 Every week, I receive 25–35 CVs via LinkedIn messages—and that number often climbs during busy periods. While sending your CV this way might feel like the quickest path to a recruiter, there are significant risks you should be aware of before doing so.
🔐The Data Privacy Risk
This is by far the most important reason to avoid sending your CV through LinkedIn messages.
When you send your CV to a company via an official email or application portal, you’re protected by data protection laws (like GDPR), which ensure:
✅ A Data Protection Officer (DPO) oversees how your personal data is used.
✅ You can request deletion or access to your data through a Subject Access Request.
However, if you send your CV via a LinkedIn message:
❌ Your data is now in the hands of an individual, not the company.
❌ If that person leaves the company, they may still have your CV—and their LinkedIn account remains private.
❌ There’s no process to monitor, retrieve, or delete your CV from their inbox.
⚠️ Even LinkedIn can't help, as there's no way to manage or track personal data shared in direct messages.
🚩The Risk of Outdated or Fake Profiles
LinkedIn profiles aren’t always up to date—and recruitment firms have no control over this.
Someone who appears to work at a company might have left months ago.
Others may still claim to represent an organization—intentionally or not.
Because LinkedIn accounts are controlled entirely by individuals, there’s no way for a recruitment agency to verify whether someone is still authorized to receive CVs on behalf of a company.
⚙️ Practical Challenges (Beyond Privacy)
📎 CVs on LinkedIn Are Harder to Manage
CVs sent via LinkedIn don’t integrate with recruitment systems (like CRMs), making it harder to:
Open, view, and store your CV securely.
Upload your profile into systems that help match you with future roles.
Sending your CV via email or an official application portal means recruiters can upload it instantly into secure databases—where it’s tracked, stored properly, and never missed.
📬 Messages Can Get Lost
LinkedIn inboxes fill up fast. Your CV could easily be buried beneath:
General inquiries
Follow-ups
Non-recruitment messages
When you send your CV through a proper channel, it’s far more likely to reach the right person—quickly and securely.
✅ Final Thoughts
If you’re applying for a job, always send your CV via email or through the company’s official application portal.
This ensures your information is:
Professionally handled
Securely stored
Fully compliant with data protection laws
💡 Pro Tip: If you’re messaging a recruiter on LinkedIn, ask them for the best way to send your CV securely. They’ll usually direct you to their email or company portal.
