LinkedIn And Recruitment

Published on 1/2/2012 by David Webb
Last Updated on 2/3/2023

Categories: Recruiting Software Blog

Tags: applicantapplicantsemploymentjob seekerlinkedinsocial mediasocial media recruitingsocial media recruitmentsocial media spotlightsourcing


LinkedIn has propelled itself in recent years to become the second most used social media site in the U.S. for recruitment. Recruiters and their organizations have established profiles, often times extensively detailed, with connection numbers reaching in the thousands. In terms of setting up a network of contacts, LinkedIn has proved beneficial for recruitment as well as generating business for those in sales, marketing, and other fields.

For recruiting purposes, LinkedIn is not just a tool to push job postings out to your connections (though that is one ability). It's also a place where candidates can research organizations, and those that work there, for information, recommendations, and other comments. In order to get the most out of your LinkedIn profiles and searches, consider a few suggestions.

Employee Profiles

Keep a close watch on employee profiles. Make sure there are not inappropriate comments or inaccurate information regarding the company listed on their pages. While encouraging employees to create a profile, also encourage them to create a page that exudes professionalism and represents the organization well.

Company Pages

Just as with employees, organizational pages should look well put together. When looking at a resume, typos and grammatical errors can be the biggest turnoffs, so take the time to edit for the same types of mistakes. Try to use proper keywords so that applicants can easily find your company in a search. Provide as much information about your organization and your open positions as possible. Keep in mind company branding and design the profile page to fit in with that brand when appropriate. Utilize the Careers tab on your company page to post employment opportunities and take advantage of the options available to you through the groups that you belong to.

Recommendations

Have business partners or customers within your industry provide recommendations for your organization. Comments from employees on why they enjoy working for your company will boost appeal from candidates. Encourage employees to obtain similar recommendations and comments from their previous and current colleagues and bosses. When applicants read through the profiles of employees, the more accomplished and accredited ones will peak their interest, assuming that if they are high qualified and decided to work for your company, it must be a place worth looking at. This is especially true for those employees that have a lot of tenure with your company or those that have advanced within your organization. Candidates will see the previous positions held and conclude that employment with your company might also afford them the same opportunities for advancement.

Your Searches

As you hope candidates will find you by your keywords, you also have the ability to search for prospects using the same methods. Enter specific words, titles, previous companies and geographic areas if relevant. Advanced searches, which include access to job functions, associations, and seniority level, are available to those purchasing a premium LinkedIn account.

For those looking to take recruitment efforts through LinkedIn one step further, there is LinkedIn advertising. LinkedIn provides ads on their site that can be targeted to users based on industry, age, geographic location, position, etc. LinkedIn may be on the rise to number one for professional networking as well as for being an exceptional online recruitment tool. Innovative businesses will get on board now.

 


About the Author, David Webb

David is the CEO of BrightMove and is a seasoned technology executive & entrepreneur noted for creating successful businesses. Over his 25+ year career, David has developed multi-platform expertise in the domains of computer science, data analytics & business transformation. Starting in 1995, David worked with his best friend, Jimmy Hurff, to develop one of the world's first Internet job board and resume bank applications. David is the primary architect of BrightMove and has an active role in the product's evolution to this day. From then to now, David has been consistently helping his customers to build great teams, using best practices and world-class technology.

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