Recruiting with LinkedIn Like a Boss

As the headline states, this is a post about Recruiting with LinkedIn. What most people don't know is that Recruiting with LinkedIn is a much different process than what you may be used to in the traditional sense of recruiting.

Let's look at a timeline:

1980s: Filing Cabinet and the trusty Rolodex - pretty wonky (Google that), not easily searchable and a waste of paper! Headhunting techniques becoming the norm. Also, a great decade to be born in.

1990s: Offline Database - Getting better at the whole storing thing, less paper waste but still there lies the issue of user updated content.

2000s: Hey there Job Boards! Nice to see the internet has played a part in finding people actively looking for a new job. Cold calling still very much a part of the recruiting and business development process. "Hi there, I'm looking for Mr. Smith. Oh, he's not at his desk. Would you tell him he has a personal matter to attend to?" - hope and wait for the call back.

2010s: Hello Social Media revolution! People are not only relying on the Job Boards to mine active candidates but are heavily mining "passive" candidates on this neat site called LinkedIn. Companies are also utilizing other sites such as Twitter and Facebook to digitally speak to people who may be perfect for the opportunity they're recruiting for. The most forward thinking companies are also leveraging the platform to showcase their brand and why a potential candidate/client should want to speak to them.

Let's explore that topic a little further:

LinkedIn was founded on the premise to connect the worlds professionals to make them more productive and successful. In the process, it's also helped corporations globally attract talent by leveraging their employees, bringing their culture to life and proactively messaging individuals based on their backgrounds as it is tailored to the opportunity. The fundamentals of recruiting on LinkedIn have also shifted gradually over the last few years. Initially, corporate recruiters and our Search & Staffing partners were mining LinkedIn much like their traditional database and job boards but as competition became thicker, the more forward thinking firms began to think about how they could either differentiate their message or the perception of their firm. Behold, the company/career page, updated status' and thinking more about future pipeline through the eyes of a marketer.

Did you know...

• Company Page followers are 95% more likely to accept a Recruiter InMail?
• Company Page followers are 2.5x more likely to recommend a business?
• 79% of LinkedIn members are interested in job opportunities from companies they are following?

Driving Targeted Company Page Followers Will Be The Ticket to Your Recruiting Success!

Build: The key to recruiting with LinkedIn like a BOSS is setting goals - who am I targeting? Is it a candidate? Client? Internal hire? Am I trying to break into a new vertical or geographic location? You want to warm this demographic up to becoming familiar with your firm. Have a story prepared. What does your company specialize in? What do you sell? What is the perception you want that potential candidate pool to have? Ask them to follow you and build the relationship before you ask them to work with you. No one likes to be asked for things and get nothing in return. Once they become your followers, they will then be twice as likely to accept your InMail - eh?? See where this is going?!

Engage: So you're growing your targeted audience, sending them to your company page, now what? You need to see a commercial at least 7 times before you remember it.The difference between a passive and an active candidate is a very grey line. Where you bridge that gap is keeping top of mind when the passive candidate BECOMES more active. The type of content you post as a Follower update should celebrate your company culture, deliver relevant industry news and showcase a job that you believe your target follower can identify with. When that candidate becomes more active, YOU will be the company they recall as the expert. Three questions to help you develop content:

• Will this help members be more successful or productive?
• Is this worth the investment of their time?
• Would they care? Would they share?

An excellent example of this is a company called StratAcuity on LinkedIn. They recruit for Scientific positions and consistently post content that is relevant to their audience that reinforces the brand they've been building.https://www.linkedin.com/company/stratacuity?trk=top_nav_home

Recruit: Now that you've set the scene, grown an audience and grown credibility as a thought leader, it's time to do what you do best; Recruit. Lo and behold the "InMail." This nugget is extremely valuable in linking what the candidate, client or consultant has seen when they've been targeted by either a Job post or Ad and continues the conversation that they've begun internally after becoming a follower and seeing your posts. Candidates, clients or consultants are typically 30-40% more likely to respond to an InMail if they've become a follower, seen a job or a company page 60 days prior to receiving it. The proof is in the pudding. "If you build it, they will come." The most important part of your InMail or Job Slot post is to make sure you are speaking to an audience about the benefits of the opportunity versus the job, leverage your commonalities. No, and I repeat, NO Job Descriptions. If I'm a passive candidate, I'm responding to something that is so compelling, I can't walk away!

In summary...

Social media channels and specifically, LinkedIn, help you to communicate to all audiences that you are interested in. You can build long-lasting, quality pipeline, make better quality hires and 'Recruit like a boss' if you think about using the network as a marketer versus a traditional talent miner.

If you're curious about how to leverage my knowledge, feel free to ping me for more helpful tips and tricks at awhitfordstark@linkedin.com. Happy Hunting!