LinkedIn has a very large professional network – one of the largest in the world. It’s now become the go-to recruiting source for large and small companies alike.

Its built-in job search tool and application tracking system make the recruitment process quick and effortless. No wonder 77% of recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary hiring channel, making it the most-used platform in recent times. 

If you or your organization are also considering using LinkedIn to discover and hire employees, here are six tips that can prove beneficial in your recruitment journey: 

1. Use the Power of InMail

InMail is a feature offered under the premium membership for LinkedIn that allows you to directly send a message to any account, irrespective of whether they are your connection or not. This feature is a powerful way for recruiters to reach prospective profiles. 

The moment you discover a lead, you can send them a direct message and start the communication right away. This helps reduce time and reach prospects faster.

Ensure this message is to the point, concise, and covers all the information needed. Without relevant details, it could be considered spam. 

Experts recommend you start each message via InMail as you would an email. Greet the candidate and use a conversational tone. Always end your messages by thanking the user and providing them with a clear next step.

Statistically, stating a reference on the message helps improve the response rate by 27%. 

2. Nurture Followers and Convert them Into Employees

Your LinkedIn business page is just as essential as the personal pages of those working. They are not merely for adding to profile sections but also serve as a platform to communicate with those who follow your work. It’s necessary to keep your following engaged at all times to build a brand. 

Research shows that about 58% of users who follow a LinkedIn Business page wish to work for the said establishment. When a candidate applies for a job using the LinkedIn Jobs tab, they are also automatically added as a follower of the company. The other followers include currently working members, alumni, and general fans of the company. 

It’s much easier to connect with these users if they fit the bill for a job position. A candidate is also 95% more likely to see an InMail message from a business they follow and are thus also highly likely to reply.

To make this process easier, you can head to the connection tab and filter connections based on “engaged with the page.” This will show the most viable candidates for your company.  

3. Use the Apply Starter Feature 

The Apply Starter feature is an incredible way to enhance the number of applications you receive. It is a plugin added to your career site that enables candidates to present their LinkedIn profiles to the recruiter before they begin the application process. This occurs via the Past Applicants Spotlight. 

Such an archive also allows the creation of a better pipeline for further recruiting. Another advantage of the Apply Starter feature is giving recruiters the ability to directly connect with job applicants who started the application process.

4. Analyze Candidates’ Profiles 

When you have more than 150 million active profiles and thousands of job seekers, it can become slightly challenging to analyze each profile. Here are some tips to make this process easier: 

• Review the candidates’ profiles and notice the content they post. Study the page for awareness, correctness, and combination skills. 
• Next, browse their contacts and see any common connections. This will provide you with a source for a direct reference. Other connections also show their ability to network in their domain. 
• Reach their recommendations and endorsements for genuine feedback on their professional prowess.
• See which groups they remain active in to understand their interests and determine a cultural fit. 

5. Start Using LinkedIn Talent Hub

LinkedIn Talent Hub is an applicant tracking system integrated into the platform. This tool makes it straightforward to source, manage, and acquire talent – all from a single dashboard. 

LTH helps you post a job directly and help notify relevant candidates. All applicants remain on the same page, making hiring faster and easier.

One can review profiles and build relationships with the candidates. Furthermore, their LinkedIn profiles will provide more details rather than looking at a resume alone, simplifying recruitment and assessment. 

Based on research by LinkedIn, recruiters using the Talent Hub found 40% higher acceptance rates and 60% improvement with InMail replies. This tool also helps enhance your hiring strategy and provides better ROI to your company.  

6. Create and Share Job Posts

Finally, the most distinct feature of LinkedIn is the ability to share job posts for more users to see. To make the most of this, keep the following tips in mind:

• Ensure you give your job post a clear and direct heading. 
• Keep your job description to the point, short, and cover all the required details. 
• Connect the job post to the person of contact. 
• Provide a clear call to action. 

In Closing

In addition to the tips mentioned above, you can explore the Search Insights feature to help you gain better insights and create a data-driven recruitment approach. This will further help you streamline your process, back your systems with data, and enable you to hire candidates based on specific headings like location, experience, past companies, and much more.