LinkedIn Recruiter— a Proactive Hiring Approach

More than 100 million professionals go to LinkedIn every month. Their number one activity? Visiting other people’s profiles and Company Pages.

If all of these people are looking for ways to connect, do business, or find a job, how do you find them?

We have discussed the value of  Company Pages, why they matter, and the importance of building a complete profile. (If you haven’t read those, take a look) so in this post we are presuming the following:

• Your profile is complete and optimized (you and your team)
• You’ve  created a model profile for your organization
• You’ve created a Company Page presence with an overview, products & services
• You have content to post to that Company Page
• Optional: an upgraded Silver or Gold/Platinum Career Page (we will discuss in an upcoming post)

Ok, all set with those pieces?

You decide you want to reach out and proactively recruit both active and passive candidates using LinkedIn. Even if you upgrade your individual account to a premium membership, you only have access up to your third-level connections at best. If access to the entire LinkedIn network is what you need, consider LinkedIn Recruiter.

With LinkedIn Recruiter  you purchase one or more license(s) or “seat(s)” on an annual basis.  It gives you access to the entire LinkedIn network. You can find and contact your ideal candidate faster and more cost-effectively than ever.

I am not a recruiter but have clients using LinkedIn Recruiter. Companies today are looking for the best candidates and can’t afford the time and money involved in making hiring mistakes. Good talent is not only hard to find, it often has no context. I can learn more about a potential candidate from their LinkedIn profile than I can from a cover letter or resume alone. I see how they think on LinkedIn: is their Profile in good shape, are they well-connected (for many roles today that is critical), what they are interested in, do they volunteer, etc. It’s a multi-dimensional view. And again, it’s not just giving you access to people with whom you are distantly connected, like third-level or group connections.  You have access to the whole LinkedIn network.

LinkedIn Recruiter gives you unparalleled access.

• Unlimited access to names and full profiles
• Ability to filter searches for even the most niche or technical skills, geography or experience
• 50 InMails per month per seat, allowing you to reach out in a trusted environment
• 1,000 profiles per search
• Up to 50 search alerts to spot new talent quickly
• One-to-many InMails and saved templates let you contact people more quickly
• Project folders let you stay on top of your searches. Set reminders to follow up easily
• Team members can see what you are doing to avoid duplicating efforts or multiple touches to the same candidate
• The Recruiter seat  stays with the company, not the individual managing it
• Audit activity to support OFCCP compliance

There is no doubt that LinkedIn Recruiter works. It works well for large enterprise organizations. What about small and mid-sized business? It’s can be the perfect solution. Most of my clients do not have a corporate recruiter or large HR department. Often it’s the CEO interviewing and hiring. Too often they fall in love with a candidate over coffee and don’t have a vetting or hiring process to keep them from making a hasty decision. LinkedIn Recruiter helps with all of that. A bad hire costs a lot of money, energy and angst. The LinkedIn Recruiter investment is worth it.

A word of caution. Don’t invest until you have a plan and build out your profile and Company Page. If you reach out to a potential candidate, remember the first thing they will do is look at YOU and your Company Page. Be prepared. Look smashing.

Need more information on how to create, build and manage individual profiles, a Company Page or LinkedIn Recruiter, let me know.

Want to learn more about LinkedIn Recruiter? Get access to our short video here.