Recruiting on LinkedIn: A Guide for 2023

About LinkedIn for recruitment

Through easily managed job postings and millions of personal profiles, LinkedIn gives recruitment businesses access to a massive database of potential talent. Job ads and networking here are recruiters’ best bet to connect with candidates and even attract clients.

As a recruiter, posting open roles on LinkedIn could be a good option. Depending on your account type, you can either put up one free role at a time, pay to promote the role, or use LinkedIn recruitment ads.

Deciding on whether posting a job to LinkedIn is worth it depends on some specifics: role type, budget, your agency’s brand, and time investment. The rule of thumb is that LinkedIn job posts bring in tons of applicants, but few will be a good match.

And LinkedIn isn’t a good fit for everybody. LinkedIn users are more likely to be white-collar professionals, making it less than ideal to source for blue-collar Temp roles or find recent graduates. Still, any agency can benefit from having a company page at a minimum.

In general, we’d recommend LinkedIn for networking and passive recruiting over posting jobs. Building consultants’ or agencies’ brands, nurturing candidate and client relationships, or sourcing for hard-to-fill roles like C-suite executives are all great uses of the platform.

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1. LinkedIn Pros & Cons

Here are some common pros and cons of LinkedIn from a recruiter’s perspective.

 

2. Is LinkedIn still good for recruiting?

Recruiters can use their best judgment on whether the ROI on LinkedIn is enough for them.

In general, LinkedIn is the best option for these cases:

• Recruiting for professional roles. Potential applicants can upload not just resumes, but also articles, videos, and other content that positions them as thought leaders. The most active, easy-to-find users on LinkedIn are much more likely to be searching for white-collar jobs.

• Sourcing mid-to-senior level managers and leaders. Talent working at this level are more likely to have a LinkedIn profile to begin with. It’s also easier to reach passive talent like this via LinkedIn when these candidates may not be easily sourced or contacted.

• Engaging passive candidates through networking. Reaching out on LinkedIn is simple, even those who aren't actively seeking for a job, thanks to InMail. Building up connections over time by connecting with acquaintances, in groups, and engaging with other people’s content will boost your network exponentially.

• Finding qualified international hires. LinkedIn users are from all over the world, which means you have an international talent pool at the tip of your fingers. For recruiters working across global markets, targeting potential applicants by location and expertise brings you closer to the right hire quickly, zero airfare required.

Temp recruiters, we haven’t forgotten you. Sourcing for roles with high turnaround times might not be very successful on LinkedIn. Try using some of these alternative sorucing strategies to attract and engage more candidates.

3. Basic steps to recruiting on LinkedIn

Step 1

Create a company profile for your agency and establish your presence on the platform. This will allow you to showcase your brand, post job openings, and connect with potential candidates.

Step 2

Use LinkedIn's search functions to find and connect with qualified candidates in your niche. You can search for people based on factors like location, skills, experience level, and industry expertise.

Step 3

Leverage LinkedIn groups to reach out to potential candidates. You can join relevant groups on the platform and post job ads or other recruitment-related content there to attract interest from potential applicants.

Step 4

When appropriate, use LinkedIn's paid advertising options to expand your reach and boost visibility for your open roles. This can help you to connect with more qualified candidates, and might also catch the attention of passive candidates.

Step 5

Monitor your talent pipeline, make responding quickly to candidates a priority, and set up interviews. A large part of using LinkedIn effectively for recruiting comes down to hiring process management and a strong focus on candidate experience.

4. Extra tips for recruiting on LinkedIn

• Keep your profile updated. This is essential for connecting with candidates and showcasing your brand.
• Network often. 
• Connecting with other professionals, whether they’re a potential client or candidate, can help you find the right talent down the road. Dedicate a daily block of time to reaching out, commenting, and engaging with others’ posts to keep your profile visible.
• Keep SEO in mind. Optimizing your profile and job posts for search engines can help you connect with more candidates, including those not currently looking for a new role.
• Be responsive. A positive candidate experience - which leads to talent being more likely to work with you - in large part comes down to clear, consistent, regular communication. Keep an eye on that inbox.
• Use proper connecting etiquette. Be sure to send a personalized message when connecting with others on LinkedIn, and always be respectful in your interactions. Remember that there’s a real person on the other side of that screen, and professionalism will help protect your reputation.
• Check your analytics frequently. Tracking and analyzing the performance of your work on LinkedIn can help you to identify areas for improvement and optimize your approach over time. The Social Selling Index score, while usually used by Sales, can also help recruiters see how to better build their networks.
• Take a look at your company page’s followers. This is another valuable metric to keep an eye on, as it can indicate how well your company’s performing when it comes to attracting and engaging potential candidates.
• Personalize your InMails. Sending tailored messages to potential candidates can help you to connect with them more effectively. Try to find the right balance of information and engagement with your messages, and use them strategically to reach the right people.
• Consider LinkedIn Recruiter or LinkedIn Talent Solutions. These tools can take your LinkedIn recruiting to the next level, with stronger search and analytics tools. They just might be worth exploring if you want help finding those unicorns.

5. What not to do when recruiting on LinkedIn

• Make generic job postings or spam candidates with unsolicited messages.
• Neglect other recruitment channels. While LinkedIn can be a valuable tool, it’s never wise to put all your eggs in one basket. Keep on top of other platforms and recruitment strategies.
• Forget to prioritize candidate experience. Focusing on building relationships, responding promptly to applicants, and providing a positive candidate experience can help you to attract top talent and create a strong reputation for your organization as an employer.

6. How to post job ads on LinkedIn

For those recruiters just stepping into the wide world of LinkedIn, we’ve got a couple of practical mini-guides to getting your roles seen.

How to post paid job ads

Step 1

Sign into your LinkedIn account and navigate to the Jobs section of your dashboard.

Step 2

Click on the "Post a Job" button and fill out the required information about your job posting, including a title, location, company name, and role description.

Step 3

Select whether you want to post as an individual or as a business, and choose whether you want to convert your job ad into a sponsored post.

Step 4

Add targeted keywords to the job description to help boost the visibility of your posting. Select here whether to allow applications via email or mobile.

Step 5

Click the "Save" button, and your job ad will be posted to LinkedIn. Now it’s time to monitor the post and engage with applicants until you find the right one.

7. How to share a job on LinkedIn

• Post a job to your company page

This works best if your LinkedIn company profile has a large active following of potential applicants (just one way building your agency brand can pay off). Every time you make a job update, it’ll show up in the newsfeeds of people who liked or followed your page. If it’s a great one, candidates might even share your job post, broadening its audience.

• Promote job openings in LinkedIn groups

Professionals use LinkedIn groups to share content, make business contacts, and post and browse relevant jobs. Many groups have dedicated "Jobs" areas where you can post your job ad.

• Post about a job on your personal profile

If you have a healthy network, it never hurts to repost an individual job ad to your own feed. There are many more candidates out there who might be interested in the role, but just happen to not follow your agency’s page. Add to the audience from 2nd and 3rd-degree connections, and you’ve increased the chance of getting even more applications.

Final thoughts

LinkedIn is still the premier social media platform for recruiters and job seekers. To make the most of it and maximize your recruiting efforts, be sure to consider the needs and preferences of your target audience.

Candidates will warm up to working with you if you prioritize candidate experience, and finding them is much easier if you use some of the tips above to help boost your job ad visibility. With the right strategies and techniques, you’ll be in a much better place to find the best talent on LinkedIn.