First off, I love that you do follow-up stories. It’s a sign of good journalism, so keep it up.

I think Sean’s comment nails it. Suppression is the right move in this context…

Guy Kawasaki had a great summary, and a solid interview with Jim Fowler nearly three years ago. (useful to see how far Jigsaw has come). Guy states: “This is a heinous invasion of privacy, but if I find out that any of Garage’s portfolio companies aren’t using it, I will expect a good explanation.”

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/08/ten_questions_w_1.html

Not sure if you are saying that “suppressed” is a bad thing..or a trick. Suppressing is what is needed in this type of situation for the reason Fowler explained…you don’t want the process repeated.

Same thing with unsubscribing from email newsletters, they don’t delete your data..they just tag as “Do Not Email.” If they are a “spam company,” they then probably just sell it to another spam company and the cycle continues.

I used to work as a systems analyst for a large mortgage lender (before the bomb) and they would buy the customer list from a major tv satellite provider…reason…if you get satellite tv you probably have it attached to a house you own and we would call you to re-write your mortgage.

I also used to work as an systems analyst for a staffing agency/payroll provider that would send the payroll list to the FBI looking for dead beat dads.

The “data deals” that go on behind the scenes at companies is extremely interesting…and spooky.

There is something to be learned here for recruiters by what Jigsaw is doing. That is, what do you do when you email or call someone and they say, “No, not interested.” Most recruiters just move onto the next name…only to find themselves repeating “the process” regarding the first “no” somewhere down the line. Or, perhaps they put a note in the spreadsheet they are working from…which only they see and goes nowhere and sits unused after they are done with that list.

If you are using a CRM to recruit, even when they say no…add them to your CRM and note that. Then, you will “learn from today for tomorrow” and you won’t have to repeat your work. If you work in a team off that same CRM, you all get to share the info and can all “learn”…and future recruiters who work at that company can also “learn from history.”

This is a simple way to go from being a transactional recruiter to building a recruiting program. I am continually amazed at the number of companies that have HUGE talent databases and they do nothing with them.

Word to the wise about companies seeking “Social Media” interaction. You really should have a strong grasp of your “talent database” that you already have before looking to add to it in the way that social media works. That would be like giving the outside of your house a new coat of paint while your house sits empty of furniture.

One last point on “candidate declines.” When they say no, ask them why and track it in your CRM. Over a small period of time, you will get some very interesting metrics. Its also great for “push back” data when it comes to meetings with your business line. People won’t work for us because…