10 Ways Recruiters Can Make Use of LinkedIn for Recruiting Quality Candidates

By Georgi Todorov

LinkedIn has been on the market for long, and it is particularly famous among people wanting to form business connections, recruiters looking for candidates, and candidates looking for jobs. Today, LinkedIn has 740 million members and over 55 million registered companies. 

In addition, 40% of all active members access the platform daily, which means over 1 billion interactions every month.

It is a vast number and can help grow any viable business if the right strategy is followed. According to data, 87% of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn. 

122 million people received interviews through LinkedIn, with 35.5 million hired. From March 2021 onwards, LinkedIn had seen a 6x increase in the number of remote job postings, so it is a significant loss if recruiters aren’t already using LinkedIn.

Why Should Recruiters Use LinkedIn?

• LinkedIn profiles are easier to navigate and compare with the set format by targeting follower statistics and updates. It is easier to search the database that includes all the details, including connections, current and previous companies, skills, qualifications, etc.

• There are at least 70% passive users on LinkedIn. Recruiters can grab the attention of professionals by posting job opportunities on groups and LinkedIn pages.

• LinkedIn profile users have a set of skills endorsed by their well-established contacts. Looking for candidate endorsements can help recruiters find the best talent.

• With so many active job seekers on the platform, it is much easier to post and reach out to a broad audience for recruitment.

How Can Recruiters Use LinkedIn for Hiring Quality Candidate?

1. Use LinkedIn for Your Personal Branding

Having an excellent personal brand helps attract top talent on LinkedIn. Before candidates respond or reach out to you, they check your profile to determine your authority. Some things you need to take care of while customizing your profile are:

• Professional headshot: Choose a profile picture that stands out. Get a professional photographer to take a good headshot. It can make your profile more appealing to visitors. If a professional headshot is not possible, choose a picture where your face takes up 60% of the frame. As a recruiter, appearing warm and friendly can be a plus point.

• Create an eye-catching header image that summarises your business. Showcase the best you here.

• Keep your headline short but compelling. It should be your mission statement.

• List your mission, accomplishments, and goals in summary. Be genuine. You can use a short video for the same.

• Make your profile keyword centric. It will help you bring up the search results.

• Share as much content as you can. You can share a few articles to show your expertise in a particular niche or the success stories of other employees.

• Use your network to write reviews on your profile. It helps build trust among new candidates.

• Get authorized on LinkedIn. List your skills and get them endorsed by your connections.

2. Use InMail to Connect

LinkedIn messages are only for first-degree connections, so to contact someone out of your network, InMail is the best option. However, it is available only to Premium and Sales navigator users.

Studies show that the InMail response rate is three times higher than traditional email and the chances of getting overlooked are very slim. If appropriately used, InMail can be a great tool for recruiters to hire quality candidates.

Remember that candidates check out your profile before responding to your message, so work on your employer brand first.

Here is how to contact candidate through InMail: 

1. Find the LinkedIn user you want to connect with.
2. Skim through their profile and make sure they fit in the requirement.
3. Click the "Message" tab under their headshot and headline.
4. Write your InMail message and send it. Use can take advantage of LinkedIn InMail Samples and Templates for quality messaging.

While writing an InMail message, make sure:

• Your message is direct and straightforward.
• Don't ask too much in your first message.
• Point out what you liked in their profile.
• Spark their interest. Don't mention stuff like salary range, your email address, etc. Keep next steps vague.
• Adding the name of a former employee or, even better, CEO can help you gain the candidate's trust.
• Use LinkedIn templates but don't rely on them entirely. "Personalized messages are 15% more successful than canned ones", says LinkedIn marketer Neha Mandhani.
• Ask them to follow up for more details.

3. Join LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn groups are great to find new talent for your agency. If you focus on any particular niche, you can become part of discussions and provide some career advice in the space. This approach will help you gain the trust of the group members, and slowly you can build a talent pipeline. Also, groups will help you keep updated with information about recruiting sector.

To search LinkedIn groups, click the search bar on top of your homepage and type in multiple keywords, including industry, role, product, etc. 

Example: Content Marketing, Content Writer, WordPress, etc. Once you hit enter, click "more", then "groups" on the upper left menu bar to see all the existing groups around the mentioned keywords.

To join a LinkedIn group, visit a group page of your interest and request the group administrator to join the group by clicking on the "request to join" button available below the group banner. Make sure to go through the description and rules of the group before sending a request.

You can always choose to create your group, but that will again take time to grow.

4. Get a LinkedIn Recruiter Subscription

Recruiters can either opt for LinkedIn Recruiter or LinkedIn Recruiter Lite subscription services to get benefits of more InMails, access to candidates beyond profiles, etc.

Here are some features of LinkedIn Recruiter Lite:

• It allows recruiters to view profiles in their entended network (up to third-degree connections)

• Recruiters can contact members with 30 InMail messages per month.

• You can place candidates into "Projects" and set a reminder to follow up with them.

• It provides a list of visitors on your profile in the last 90 days.

LinkedIn Recruiter is more powerful than the Lite version. It helps recruiters to:

• View anyone's profile regardless of their degree of connection.

• Collaborate with multiple users using the same account.

• Send 25 InMails at once and 150 InMails for each seat on the account.

• Search for more specific details of candidates.

If you're using LinkedIn Recruiter, make sure you have the Apply Starter option. This feature shares candidates' profiles with recruiters before they start their application. It will help you connect with the candidate if they leave the application in the middle and ensure that your candidate pipeline is filled with applicants.

5. Talent Brand Index

Talent Brand Index is like a score given to your brand on LinkedIn based on the number of people aware of your brand to how many are actively engaged with it. 

The higher your index score, the easier it is to attract candidates. Recruiters can use this data to determine the type of people their page is attracting on LinkedIn and compare the results with other agencies to get better insights. 

According to stats by LinkedIn, 83% of employers believe their brand can hire talents, and one-third measure it regularly. With Talent Brand Index, LinkedIn provides you with a metric to quantify your brand and improve your significance to the candidate.

6. Create Your Company Page

A Company page with a dedicated following of professionals can attract many eyes whenever you post an open position. It is a great way to drive engagement to your posts. Sponsoring the posts can also help you to reach a wider audience.

To create a company page for your recruitment agency, do the following:

• Click on the "Work" icon at the top right corner of your LinkedIn homepage.
• Click "Create a Company Page"
• Select the page type: Small Business, Medium to large business, Showcase page, or Educational Institution.
• Enter all the details that include identity, company details, personal information, etc.
• Check the verification box to confirm.
• Click "Create Page". If a red error message pops up, it means you do not meet the Page creation requirement or the limit of page creation has already been met.
• Start posting!

7. Share Content on Your Company Page

If you’re not active on your company page, you are missing out on an excellent opportunity to reach out to your potential audience. Content helps you create your own market and builds trust among the followers. As a recruiter, you can use your company page and news feed to share relevant content related to your product updates, latest blogs, events, etc. In addition, you can use your content to divert your audience to your website, podcasts, or any platform that can help you convert your follower into an employee.

8. Use “Easy Apply” Feature

Allow candidates to directly apply to your job openings via the "Easy Apply" feature. In addition, a LinkedIn feature allows candidates to submit applications in a few simple clicks, sometimes even just one click if they have their resume updated on LinkedIn. While the "Apply" button directs candidates to the company's site, "Easy Apply" lets them fill out the application without leaving LinkedIn.

9. Keep Track of Your Company Page Followers

According to a survey by LinkedIn, 58% of people following your company page are interested in working with you. In-Mailing a candidate who is already a follower increases the chance of receiving a positive reply. Approaching your follower can save a lot of time, money, and effort. For this to work, you must work on your company page. More the follows, the better this method will work. Posting updates regularly and keeping up with the latest social media trends can increase your profile's engagement.

10. Integrate Your Applicant Tracking System in Your LinkedIn Account

Using an Applicant Tracking System that integrates easily with LinkedIn can save you bucks. ATS can smoothen recruiting right from job postings to real-time collaboration with the recruitment team. 

Recruiters can easily integrate data submitted by candidates on LinkedIn and other job boards into a centralized database where ATS screens and sorts the best candidate quickly. ATS helps enhance candidate experience as well. In short, the whole process becomes easy with this step. 

 

Recruitment is a race field where time and budget matter a lot. Hence, using an ATS can benefit recruiters to hire quality candidates.

Next time, while recruiting, follow these simple steps, and you will get quality candidates faster. LinkedIn is an effective platform and, if used correctly, it can be beneficial for your agency.

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