LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers; recruiters can use the employment-based social networking site to excellent effect too. Check out our top three tips for recruiters using LinkedIn to find the best candidates.
1. Create and Share Job Posts
The best way to use LinkedIn as a recruiter is to create and share job posts. It’s easy to do via LinkedIn’s built-in interface but to get the most out of it; you’ll have to go a little bit further.
One tip for creating the most effective job posts on LinkedIn is to keep your posts short and snappy. Think of them as a tweet, where you get a small amount of space to talk about the most important details. This encourages concise writing and will help you write better social media posts in the future, as well as snappier job posts.
Make sure most of the post tells potential candidates what you’re offering them. However, don’t oversell your company – use the space to entice candidates, not tell them your company history.
2. Make the most of your company page
Don’t forget about your company page. See it as a hub for all your potential candidates to arrive at. It’s well worth your time to fill in all the details the Edit Page section asks you for and to keep them updated. Once you’ve got a great page set up, with plenty of accurate information and your company logos or marketing images, you can then use your company page to recruit the best candidates.
With your company page up and running, start building a community and sharing content. One of the best ways to entice people to your page and your job openings is to share lots of relevant content. This attracts people to your page and offers free, informative content that is shareable and entertaining. The more shareable your content, the more people will land on your page.
3. Engage with Passive Candidates
With only 36% of the workforce described as an active candidate, you can’t afford to ignore the nearly 70% of passive candidates. Engaging passive candidates is more difficult as they aren’t actively looking to change their job, but most passive candidates can be approached. Look for candidates who seem ideal for the position you’re recruiting for, and even if they say they’re comfortable where they are, reach out anyway. Mention what you have to offer and why this is better than what they’re doing now. Avoid being too pushy as you don’t want to alienate an otherwise good candidate, but don’t give up too quickly either.
Passive candidates are still candidates, and anyone can be tempted to apply for a role at your company, no matter who they are.
I spoke with the Staffing and Recruiting industry expert and CEO of AkkenCloud, Giridhar Akkineni, about how his company uses content to attract the talent pool. “We encourage our user base to take advantage of what we call Inbound Talent Marketing. It allows users and agencies to improve brand awareness, leveraging social media channels like LinkedIn to reach the target audience by sharing relevant content that attracts that ads value to their community. It attracts the attention of the talent pool, converting site visitors and referrals into job applicants.”
LinkedIn can seem like an overwhelming recruitment tool, but with these handy tips, you’ll be recruiting via LinkedIn in no time. Keep your job posts short, use your company page to the max and don’t underestimate passive candidates. You’re sure to find recruitment easier if you remember these tips.
