Find and Reach Out to Recruiters on LinkedIn
You’ve heard that recruiters are always looking for talented people. However, you’re having difficulty getting their attention. Maybe you aren’t targeting the right recruiters or you’re unable to get your message across. Or perhaps your skills are just too specialized, and you need to find a niche market. Whatever the reason, you need to improve your chances of finding and reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn.
Recruiters are busy professionals, and they get many messages every day. So when you reach out to a recruiter, it’s important that your message is clear and direct. If you’re not careful, your message could become lost in the clutter. The following tips will help you create a message that is more likely to be noticed by a recruiter.
Should You Respond to Recruiters on LinkedIn
Start by researching the recruiter’s profile. Look for their company, location, education, job description and other information about their background. This will give you an idea of what kind of positions they might be interested in filling. You can also find out if they are currently open to accepting new candidates. If you’re a premium LinkedIn member, you can also filter your search results by current company, previous companies, 1st-degree connections, 2nd-degree connections and third-degree connections, years of experience, seniority level, functions, industries, groups and keywords.
How to Find and Reach Out to Recruiters on LinkedIn
Once you’ve completed your research, it’s time to send the recruiter a connection request with a personalized message. When you click on the blue “Connect” button, a text box opens up that allows you to write a personal message. Recruiters are three times more likely to respond to a personalized connection request than a generic one. So be sure to include something about yourself in your message, such as a common professional membership or volunteer group, or a company initiative that you have both been following.
The dos and don’ts of responding to LinkedIn recruiters
When sending your message, be sure to double-check it for typos and other errors. Even small mistakes can leave a negative impression and make your message appear unprofessional. In addition, avoid sending multiple follow-ups if you don’t receive a response. This can be seen as rude and demanding, and it will probably just result in the recruiter ignoring your future requests.
Tips for making the most of LinkedIn recruiter outreach
Recruiters can’t help you if they don’t know that you are available for jobs. While making yourself available on LinkedIn will increase your chances of being found, you should also take steps to optimize your LinkedIn profile so that it matches the qualifications that are required for jobs that you’re interested in.
This includes adding the relevant skills to your profile, and making sure that those skills are repeated throughout your job descriptions, summary and other sections of your profile. You can also boost your visibility by reaching out to recruiters on non-LinkedIn platforms, such as by following them on Twitter or commenting on their blog posts. This will let them see your name in their news feeds and may prompt them to view your LinkedIn profile. You can also try contacting recruiters outside of LinkedIn, such as by calling or visiting their offices.