Recruiters often work under constraints they can't disclose — the role isn't public yet, they're scouting for a competitor's offer, they're testing a hypothesis without committing. The recruiter privacy toggle on every conversation gives them a way to ask without leaving a trail.
For candidates, the trade is straightforward: you don't see who asked, but the conversation still counts toward your insights and you still receive the new-conversation notification. You learn there's interest without learning whose.
Recruiters who feel safe to ask honestly ask better questions. Better questions surface better signal. Better signal means fewer bad first calls.
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