HeadHunter is testing an analogue of LinkedIn – the social network “Grid”
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The job search service HeadHunter is testing the social network “Setka”, designed for professional communication, Kommersant has learned. Attempts to create a similar service in Russia have been made since LinkedIn was blocked in the country in 2016. HeadHunter has not yet decided whether to launch “Grid” as a full-fledged product; Kommersant’s source estimates the size of the budget for the project at 1.5–2 billion rubles. Experts doubt the demand for the service, noting that its tasks are already being solved by closed professional communities on Telegram and other platforms.
Kommersant noticed that Headhunter LLC (the parent legal entity of the HeadHunter service) registered the domain setka.ru on November 9. Judging by the content of the site, the company intends to launch a new social network for “professionals from various industries.” The app’s App Store page states that access to the app is by invitation only. HeadHunter clarified that “Grid” is working in test mode, but “no decision has been made on the launch of the project and its timing.”
Kommersant’s interlocutor at one of the large IT companies says that the development of the platform has been going on since at least the summer. According to him, Setka is positioned as a replacement for LinkedIn, the first major foreign social network blocked in Russia since 2016. Another Kommersant source in a large IT company estimated the development of a minimum viable option (MVP) for a business social network at 200–250 million rubles, and the project budget, taking into account promotion costs, at 1.5–2 billion rubles.
The reason for blocking LinkedIn was a violation of the law on the localization of personal data of Russians on the territory of the Russian Federation. The restrictions were followed by several attempts to create a Russian business social network.
In particular, Rostrud launched the Skillsnet website in 2018, integrated with the “Work in Russia” vacancy database supported by the department. According to SimilarWeb, the total number of site visits in November was 17.3 thousand.
The TenChat service, which launched in 2021, also positions itself as a business social network. However, according to the head of the HR department of PIX Robotics, Anna Melnik, he “has not gained much popularity, since there are no particularly interesting contacts there.” TenChat declined to comment to Kommersant.
Russian social networks have historically “taken universal platforms as a model, not tailored to the task of creating professional connections,” and a culture of business communication through social networks has not developed in Russia, says Epicstars CEO Denis Volkov. At the same time, according to the head of the Moscow representative office of ITentika, Sergei Kuznetsov, there is a demand for business communication on the Internet: “This is evidenced not only by the accounts of Russians on blocked LinkedIn, but also by a huge number of disparate professional communities, including chats on Telegram.” KROS General Director Ekaterina Movsesyan confirmed that the business community is being formed on Telegram: “Communication, exchange of experience, and search for career opportunities take place there.”
The success of the Network will depend on whether HeadHunter will be able to “fill the platform with interesting contacts,” adds Anna Melnik. For the company, according to Sergey Kuznetsov, it would be logical to create a system of linked accounts in two services: “It will be possible to search for work and personnel on both HeadHunter and Setka.” In the first case, there is a formal procedure, and in the second, we can talk about searching for acquaintances on the network.”
But, according to Mark Khludnev, founder of the Digital Church advertising agency, integrating a social network with a job database will not guarantee popularity. The management of Russian companies, he said, is characterized by secrecy: “Businessmen try to make sure no one knows about them and limit themselves to creating narrow communities. Most likely, the trend will continue.” The desire to conceal even such basic information as place of work and position has been aggravated by the sanctions that have been introduced over the past year and a half not only against business owners and heads of companies, but also against managers at the next levels.
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