Reference Search on LinkedIn – A lawsuit on recruiters contacting coworkers of candidates

Social network LinkedIn faces a class-action lawsuit over a premium search feature on the website, in which an applicant’s co-workers from their work history are identified and may be approached.

The lawsuit, Sweet v. LinkedIn, alleges ‘Reference Search’ prevented employment opportunities for plaintiffs Tracee Sweet, Lisa Jaramillo, James Ralston and Tiffany Thomas, The New York Times reported.

‘A reference search locates people in your network who can provide reliable feedback about a job candidate or business prospect,’ Linkedin says on its website.

‘You’ll see a list of people who have worked at the same company during the same time period as the member you’d like to learn more about.’

via Could LinkedIn feature that lets recruiters contact your coworkers cost you your next job? | Daily Mail Online.