Is Name-Dropping a Good Tactic for Job Seekers?

Is Name-Dropping a Good Tactic for Job Seekers?

By Matt Craven, Founder and Personal Branding Expert at The CV & Interview Advisors

Name-dropping has been a common practice for years in all sorts of scenarios. Some people find it crass, while others don’t, but there is no denying that who you know counts as much as what you know, and the circles you move in matter.

In an age of personal branding, it really cannot be dismissed as a totally foolish idea.

The Argument For and Against

When it comes to job seeking, many would argue that it is more about what you can do than who you know. But what if you have worked for a massive global brand or a Fortune 500 company? Clearly leading market giants. Does that impress future employers?

I would argue that it does. You generally don’t get offered jobs at these places unless you are good at what you do.

Granted, it is vital to articulate what you actually accomplished at these top employers, but including a few references to working there in your LinkedIn headline, and strategically adding a few logos can’t hurt.

Avoid the Pedants

I mean, what kind of hiring manager, seeking a top candidate for a critical role, is going to look at a former employee of a major corporation and decide they won’t consider the application just because they mentioned that fact?

That would be somewhat pedantic, perhaps even reverse snobbery at its finest, and frankly, it is like cutting off their nose to spite their face.

Social Proof

We live in an age where it is all about trust, social proof, packaging, and branding. Everything has to look right. You don’t stand out by being modest and understated. You stand out by identifying your biggest selling points and putting them in front of the right people.

Where you do need to be careful, however, is prioritising style over substance. If your only achievement was working for a big company, you are unlikely to see success based on that alone.

The Holy Trinity

I am forever talking about what I see as the holy trinity of job application success, which is:

• Skills

• Experience

• Ability

Everyone can create a CV or resume that talks about skills and experience, although whether they do this particularly well is another matter. Strangely, few people seem to nail the third pillar and clearly communicate their ‘ability’.

The way to do this is straightforward. You pack your CV or resume with achievements, outcomes, and business benefits that you have delivered.

If you have worked for a big name and you achieved great results while you were there, that is a winning combination.

This is especially appealing for professionals looking for contract or consultancy work. There is a level of peace of mind that comes from hiring someone who has already succeeded in world-class organisations where being average isn’t the norm.

Where Name-Dropping Works Best

So where does name-dropping make sense, and where should you rein it in?

Go for it on LinkedIn On LinkedIn, you have near free rein. Logos in your banner and experience section are absolutely fine, although I can see why some people find an overuse of logos in banners a bit blunt.

Mentioning that you are an “ex-industry leader” or listing the specific major firm is sensible, not just for credibility but also because recruiters may actively search for former employees of those organisations. That may form part of their search criteria within LinkedIn Recruiter.

Where to be more careful CVs and resumes are where a bit more care is needed. By all means, reference big-name employers in your Profile paragraph at the top of page one, but I would avoid crass straplines that rely entirely on past employment without a strong value proposition.

One of the best ways to handle this is through case studies on page one. Writing these using the STAR methodology naturally requires you to mention company names, but in a way that is contextual and earned rather than forced. It allows a degree of name-dropping while keeping the focus on what you actually delivered.

So, is name-dropping worth it?

Overall, there is nothing wrong with a bit of name-dropping. If you were good enough to work for a big hitter, then go ahead and say so. Just make sure you back it up with evidence of your ability, not just your employment history.

For job board users across any industry, this balance is particularly important. Brand association can help you get noticed, but it is your achievements and outcomes that will ultimately get you hired.