LinkedIn can be an incredible resource for attracting high quality job candidates, if you know how to use it. Use these following tips to make sure that you are using this professional social media platform to the best of its ability. Use LinkedIn to promote your company, reach out to potential candidates, and advertise your open opportunities.
Polish Your Profile
Before you even think about posting a job or reading out to potential candidates, you need to make sure that your business profile is polished. Why? If someone receives information about a potential job opportunity, the first thing that they are going to do is look at the company and see if it’s a place they are interested in working.
The first thing that you need to do is make sure that all of your key information is included: Your About Section, Website Link and Photos. Your primary photo should probably be your business logo. For your cover photo, consider including a picture of your team or of a final work product to give people a better sense of your brand’s personality.
You should also include any rich media that you think could do a good job showcasing your company. For example, are there on-site or final project photos that you could include? Before and after photos?
Effectively Search for and Reach Out to Candidates
In your Recruiter account, do a guided search for things like location, job title, or the types of skills that you are looking to hire for. Recruiter will make smart suggestions based on this information.
After this you have the opportunity to narrow down your search with LinkedIn’s built in filters. Along the way, you’ll see the number of candidates who will appear in your search. LinkedIn will shine a spotlight on the best profiles for you to reach out to, based on who is most likely to respond.
Have a short but compelling message that you send to individuals you are interested in. Remember that you’ve searched for them, not the other way around. In this case, you want to pitch the opportunity, without coming across as too salesy. Let them know in a friendly way that you have an open position that you’d like to invite them to apply for based on their experience and qualifications. Include a link to the open position.
Write Compelling Job Postings
Beyond reaching out to individuals directly, LinkedIn is also a great place to post open positions. You can improve your applicant numbers by including a few different job functions and industries (as opposed to just one). It also helps to select one of LinkedIn’s pre-written job titles as opposed to coming up with one yourself. This will enable the social media platform to better recommend the job to potentially interested parties.
When it comes to the copy in the job posting, make sure that candidates can quickly read through to determine if they are interested and qualified. Good ways to improve readability are to use bullet points and to bold key text.
Finally, remember to refresh your job post every two weeks if you haven’t found the perfect candidate. This tells LinkedIn that you are still looking and that they should continue to show the posting in job searches.
Be Flexible and Continue to Learn
Like anything, you’ll need to spend some time playing around to find what works for you. Try putting together a few different messages and postings to see what gets the best response. By following these tips, you’ll find the perfect candidate in no time!
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash
