Recruiters on LinkedIn don’t have it easy. They are often at the end of professional jokes and there are so many people that it’s hard to find prospective people to hire. Every year, the platform and the people on it go through changes and adapting to that is what will make you a successful recruiter in the long run. In this article, we will be focusing on recruiting with LinkedIn, all the ways to get better at it, and how to make the most of this professional network.
The Benefits of Recruiting on LinkedIn
Everyone knows that LinkedIn is a platform used for recruiting, but we’ve found that when we ask people why that is, they’re unable to provide a clear answer. Aside from being well-known, LinkedIn has many other benefits associated with the platform, so let’s take a look at what they are:
- Built for purpose: LinkedIn is a social media network for professionals, so its main goal is to connect people in the same or different industries.
- Great on all platforms: LinkedIn is not only great to use on your laptop, but it also has a terrific app, which means you can immediately reach your prospects once you post a job on the network.
- Incredible talent pool: People create LinkedIn profiles for many reasons, not only to look for jobs. This makes the number of people and the kind of professionals many and different in seniority and expertise.
According to the platform, over 150 million people in the U.S. have a profile on LinkedIn, and over 20,000 companies use the platform for recruiting. Additionally, around 3 million jobs get posted on LinkedIn in the U.S. every month, and members are able to upgrade their profiles by adding more than 50,000 different kinds of skills.
All this information simply confirms a straightforward fact: LinkedIn is perhaps the best job-seeking platform in the world. Additionally, because of the new hybrid mode of operations most companies are adopting, LinkedIn is becoming even more effective for recruiting as you can look for specialists that don’t necessarily live in the U.S. and hire them if you’re willing to work with someone on the other side of the world.
How to Use LinkedIn for Recruiting Without Breaking the Bank
LinkedIn is constantly trying to get you to pay for one of their premium plans. You have to be prepared for the constant promotion of the LinkedIn Recruiter plan if you use the platform for that purpose. However, the reality is that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on the paid version of LinkedIn in order to recruit successfully. Let’s look at several free tips that will allow you to make the most of the platform without spending any money on it.
1. Join LinkedIn Groups in Your Industry
One of the best ways to find new prospects is by joining LinkedIn groups relevant to your industry or the industry in which you’re looking to hire professionals. By doing so, you will be allowed to connect with working professionals that are open to new job opportunities, and some groups even allow members to publish job postings.
2. Look for Passive Candidates
Passive candidates are present on LinkedIn, unlike most other job portals. Those are working professionals in the industry you’re looking to hire for that currently have a job but are open to new options. Finding and approaching them is one of the best things you can do as a recruiter on LinkedIn, as it’s something you can’t do on other platforms.
3. Analyze the Competition
LinkedIn allows you to look at all the job postings the other companies in your industry currently have. This will help you analyze the situation in the market and determine how many businesses are looking for similar roles. In turn, that knowledge will enable you to decide whether or not you should change what you offer to candidates so that you can be more competitive.
4. Make Sure Your Company Page is Stellar
It’s likely that you’ve heard about employer branding, and it’s great to use it when it comes to your LinkedIn company page. That way, potential candidates will see what the values of your company are and what you’re all about. This can include
- Content for inbound recruiting
- Professional-looking header images and graphics
- Recruitment videos and company introductions
- Employee testimonials, interviews, and videos
- Press releases
All these things will show potential companies that you’re a serious company with real value that treats its employees well.
5. Use the Network of Your Employees
LinkedIn is great at showing your connections on profiles and in searches. You can make the most of that if you act wisely. By using the network of your employees and other connections, you can find other potential candidates and connect with them, which is the most effective way to message them about job positions and start a conversation.
6. Use Boolean Search to Find Candidates
We’ve covered how to use the Boolean search in another one of our articles, and it’s incredibly effective when looking for potential hires, as it allows you to narrow down your search by seniority, location, and skill.
7. Message People Wisely
You shouldn’t write generic messages to each potential prospect. Instead, you should find creative ways to approach them so that you stand out from the crowd and can make a lasting impression.
8. Have the Candidates Be Able to Apply via LinkedIn
Making the application process easier will make the experience that much more enjoyable for potential hires. You have to remember that people don’t like filling in a ton of information and don’t like using too many platforms. If you can simplify the application process, your company will become even more appealing.
9. Post Jobs
This isn’t free, but you can make it more affordable. LinkedIn has a pay-per-click model, which means that you only pay when potential hires visit your listing. The platform allows you to set up a budget and recommends sharing all the job details. This allows you to stop when you hit your budget; alternatively, you can continue to pay if you desire.
10. Compile All Leads and Applications in One Place
As a recruiter, you will be looking for ways to make your job easier, mainly by getting more effective at it. One way to do that is by using talent acquisition software that allows you to track all the profiles and applications you’ve interacted with and the messages you’ve sent during the last few months. The cool thing is that talent acquisition software can be used for LinkedIn and other places you use for finding talent.
What Not To Do As Recruiters on LinkedIn
Now that we’ve covered what you should do as a recruiter on LinkedIn, let’s cover everything you should avoid doing if you want to remain on the talents’ good side.
1. Don’t Use InMail Too Much
This is a crucial one. Many recruiters tend to overuse the InMail function, and most users on LinkedIn tend to complain about the dozens of InMail messages that they open but never even respond to. What might be helpful for you to know is that LinkedIn has a recruiter InMail policy that states the following:
- Don’t distribute mass InMail messages
- Don’t use the option for marketing campaigns
- Don’t use it for event invitations
Mass InMailing will likely get you banned from the platform, or at least your profile will be flagged. It’s much better to use your expertise and LinkedIn network to find real connections and start conversations with potential hires.
2. Don’t Spend Your Budget on One Source
Diversifying your source is key for good recruiting. Even if you have a big budget to spend, you should distribute it between several good platforms and not only on LinkedIn. That will allow you to target different pools of candidates and will enable you to test out different approaches toward the candidates.
Make the Best Out of LinkedIn
As you can see, LinkedIn can be a super helpful platform, even if you choose to only use its free version. It’s terrific for connecting with other working professionals in your industry and developing partnerships and finding prospective talent. Hopefully, this article helped you with some easy tips on how to improve your hiring on LinkedIn, and if you’re looking to learn more about the platform, we have other articles related to its features. Otherwise, we hope you join us on our social media platforms, where we post more marketing tips and tricks.