Our executive recruitment agency highly recommends and regularly uses LinkedIn for recruiting top-notch passive candidates (i.e. those candidates most valued by executive recruiters because they are not actively looking for a job and tend to be the top producers at their respective companies). With over 347 million current LinkedIn users and two new users being added every second, LinkedIn has become the go-to destination for both external executive recruiting firms and in-house management recruiters searching for key candidates to meet many recruiting needs. This applies to not only Chicago executive recruiters like Strategic Search Corporation, but also executive recruitment agencies across the globe!
To improve our recruiting prowess, I instructed our entire technical recruitment staff to signup for a recent LinkedIn webinar focused on improving InMail (LinkedIn’s e-mail system) recruiting. This webinar was lead by both Joanna Kucek and Tara Hartnett of LinkedIn. They shared many best and worst practices for recruiting passive candidates. Please watch this video to enjoy that entire presentation.
Here is a top ten summary how to improve your LinkedIn recruiting:
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Include a strong subject line. This is the first thing someone will read, so you need to immediately catch one’s attention.
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Start a conversation. Think of LinkedIn as a networking event, but NOT a job fair. Remember that your goal is to build a dialogue.
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Keep your conversations brief and to the point. The caveat is 49% of LinkedIn users are accessing their account using mobile devices (g. iPhone or Apple Watch). Therefore, do not provide too much information. As a rule of thumb, keep your content to around 240 characters or less.
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Mention shared groups and connections. This will help you to build rapport and develop more trust with the candidate you are recruiting.
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Focus on your candidate’s career goals and needs; NOT just your own. The caveat is 75% of LinkedIn candidates are passive candidates who are not actively pursuing a job change. So don’t just assume that your recruiting opportunity will immediately entice them. Instead, compliment them on outstanding achievements and mention ways that your recruiting assignment will benefit them including meeting their career goals. This requires you to thoroughly read, uncover and include key information from their profile in InMail’s you are sending. This will greatly personalize your correspondence and increase your chances of having a real dialogue.
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Remember that your recruiting response rates can improve over time. This means both: a) applying the best practices for recruiting and b) trial and error. This is exemplified by one of the speakers, Tara Hartnett, who initially had poor response rates using InMail, but increased to an astronomical 39% response rate over time!
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Do not list your entire job description in the InMail. That will overwhelm the candidate you are recruiting.
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Do not list your job title or the job requisition id in either the subject line or body of the InMail. That means nothing to the candidate you are recruiting.
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Avoid any jargon or business speak. Once again, that does not mean anything to the candidate you are recruiting.
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Avoid asking for a resume right away. Remember you need to develop a dialogue first.
Whether you are a scientific recruiter, engineering recruiter, technical recruiter or just part of the internal executive recruitment staff at your company, you can always improve your recruiting prowess. Following these ten rules will help our executive search firm in Chicago. Hopefully, they will help you as well.
What are your thoughts?
