Recruiting on LinkedIn: How to find qualified candidates for your job postings

LinkedIn currently has over 830 million users and this number keeps growing. In recent years, this social media platform has become one of the most-used recruiting tools for hiring managers and businesses.

A LinkedIn profile can be open for the public to see, unless it’s made private and only viewable by the person’s connections. How you present yourself on the platform plays a big role in ensuring you stand out against other LinkedIn recruiters.  

LinkedIn can be a competitive market for a recruiter to stand out on, especially when 81% of talent professionals state that virtual recruiting will continue long after the COVID-19 pandemic. By having a strong and compelling LinkedIn profile, you can improve your likelihood of building quality connections with candidates, clients and industry professionals.

8 ways to attract candidates to your LinkedIn job opening

As a recruiter, you’re constantly looking to attract potential candidates to your open positions. So, as you’re developing a LinkedIn recruiting strategy, it’s also important to think about how a candidate will view your employer brand and LinkedIn profile. If it doesn’t entice them, they may not apply.

So, we’ve outlined a few of the top ways you can attract the right candidates to your job postings and ensure your LinkedIn profile stands out amongst other recruiters.

1. Create a good personal and company profile

There is a lot that goes into creating a good LinkedIn profile, but the first thing job seekers will see is your LinkedIn headline. This piece of information is an introduction to who you are. Simply having your job title and company name isn’t enough. In addition to having a good headline, a complete LinkedIn profile will have:

• A comprehensive “About” section
• Relevant work experience
• Professional profile photo and header
• Skills, endorsements, and testimonials

If your personal and company page have all of the elements of a complete LinkedIn profile, you may attract more top talent by leaving a good first impression.

2. Share relevant industry news on your LinkedIn page

Engagement, social sharing, groups, content, anything and everything that builds connections to your LinkedIn community will help your branding and reputation as a recruiter. 

Keep active on your LinkedIn feed by commenting, liking, sharing and posting your own articles and video content. Video is the new norm in today’s fast-paced society, and it shows candidates and clients a little glimpse into who you are as a person.

To attract the best candidates, ensure that you’re actually using your profile, and you’re engaging with the communities that you want to work with. To become a thought leader and stand out against other recruiters in the market, you need to create that brand trust, and that’s only ever done by engagement or social proofing.

3. Write compelling job descriptions

One of the most impactful parts of attracting top job candidates, and increasing your response rate to job postings, is to write compelling job descriptions in your job ads.

Write all-encompassing job descriptions that succinctly outline the job’s responsibilities and the qualifications required, as well as a small introduction about your company culture. Additionally, you may want to include details about your benefits package and how you support employees.

Your job description is an ad, so keep that in mind when writing and posting them. LinkedIn is a fantastic job board platform, but it’s crucial that you curate your descriptions for your target talent pool.

4. Share job ads in relevant LinkedIn groups

If you’re only promoting new job opportunities to your own professional network, you might not get far. Luckily, LinkedIn offers a community recruiting option through its group function.

By sharing your new opportunities in industry-relevant LinkedIn groups, you can expand your social recruiting network and reach other LinkedIn users you may not be able to otherwise.

These LinkedIn industry groups can often be a good place to source industry updates and job opportunities, so it’ll keep you in the loop as well.

5. Encourage current employees to share your job postings with their network

Another great way to promote your job opportunities to a larger talent pool is by encouraging your existing employees and coworkers to promote the job postings to their own LinkedIn networks.

Make the most of their professional networks on top of your own and expand your reach significantly. One of the best ways to hire quality talent is by getting referrals from your current employees, so this serves the same purpose.

If an existing employee shares your job ad from their own LinkedIn account, your business gets their endorsement, which may help sway or educate passive candidates in the market.

6. Promote your open positions with paid job ads

While sourcing passive candidates is a great way to gain traction for LinkedIn recruiting, taking the traditional route of promoting your positions through paid job ads is also a crucial component of your recruitment approach.

Job seekers can search for jobs specific to your field using a variety of search filters, with paid job ads often being located at the top of the page. Ensure your reach is as wide as possible so you can compete in a tight talent market.

7. Use InMail messages and personalize them

You can also optimise your recruiting strategy by sending LinkedIn InMail messages directly to potential candidates.

Create an engaging template for a mass InMail message to start a conversation with potential candidates, though add some customisation so that it has a personal touch for each candidate (if you have the time).

It should be noted though that InMail messages can often come off as spammy, especially when you’re discussing new job opportunities. That’s why personalising the message with their name and referring to some specific information found on their profile can help make this strategy more effective.

8. Streamline the process with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

One of the key ways you can optimise your recruiting process through LinkedIn is by using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

An ATS is a recruiting software used to vet job candidates and automate parts of the hiring process. You can scan resumes, schedule interviews and organise candidates to make your process more efficient.

The JobAdder ATS integrates with LinkedIn to speed up your proactive sourcing and hiring and improve the quality of candidates, saving you time and effort in the long run.

Benefits of recruiting through a LinkedIn profile

There are numerous benefits to building your presence on LinkedIn. As stated above, it’s a great tool for sourcing candidates and generating connections in your industry. Some of the specific benefits recruiters can expect, include:

• Viewing your candidate’s LinkedIn profile: LinkedIn profiles provide a lot of information that you may not have available in a job application. You can see mutual connections, job experience, website links and a short “About me” section. It’s a great way to source more information about a candidate to get a clearer picture of who they are.
• Reaching a wider audience of professionals: It’s no surprise that LinkedIn is super popular and a common recruiting tool for many industries, so you can ensure your job postings are reaching a wide professional audience. Plus, you can see connections from people you know and get recommendations from your network.
• Get specific with your job search: Since LinkedIn is dedicated to building a professional network, there’s an unlimited number of candidates to choose from. By being proactive and specific about the candidates you need, LinkedIn recruiting can be extremely effective.

Create a more efficient hiring process with JobAdder

It’s clear that LinkedIn is a great recruiting tool for recruiters and talent acquisition professionals, empowering proactive sourcing and direct candidate outreach. If you’re interested in building a more efficient sourcing and hiring process with our ATS and its LinkedIn integration, please contact our friendly team today.