Important notice - We are aware of a scam where people are impersonating CMD Recruitment to offer jobs via WhatsApp & Telegram. This is a scam, CMD Recruitment will never contact new candidates via these methods. Any legitmate offer from CMD Recruitment would be made via a telephone call.
October 6, 2023
LinkedIn, often referred to as the professional’s playground, has become an indispensable tool for modern recruitment. People log on every single day to spruce up their profiles, apply for jobs and connect with others in their field. It’s a remarkable networking site for job seekers and for anyone wanting to further their career and broaden their horizons – but where does that leave recruiters?
The reality is that recruiters are just as excited about LinkedIn as job seekers – it’s an invaluable tool that allows us to connect with more candidates and vet them for suitability when it comes to open roles. As a recruitment agency, we embrace the many wonders of LinkedIn and the benefits it can offer us. When searching for the right candidate for our clients, this social media platform has changed the game, allowing us to reach a wider pool of talented, skilled and experienced employees who are either open to or actively looking for work.
Let’s jump into the ways in which we, as recruitment professionals, use LinkedIn to refine and enhance our recruitment strategy.
Let’s check out a few incredible facts and statistics from the networking site sometimes dubbed “Facebook for Professionals”:
LinkedIn might be an amazing tool for a recruiter, but regardless of what mediums we use as an employment agency, our recruitment strategy always begins in the same way – defining the ideal candidate for the role. This is important in general terms, but when using LinkedIn, it helps us to streamline our search so we can find just the right person for the company in question.
Before we search for candidates on LinkedIn, we begin by:
When looking at candidates, we take this into consideration, as well as other factors, including location preferences, remote work or hybrid work preferences and the need for flexibility. All of this is agreed upon with our clients, to ensure we’re all on the same page moving forward.
Once we have an idea of the ideal candidate, our real work begins.
As recruiters, we have honed a well-defined process when it comes to leveraging LinkedIn to find employees. This process integrates seamlessly into our broader recruitment strategies, offering a multifaceted approach to talent scouting.
As recruiters, we use LinkedIn’s search and filtering tools to identify potential candidates. We apply specific criteria such as location, industry, job title and skills to narrow down our search. This stage often involves keyword searches, where we look for candidates whose profiles contain keywords relevant to the job opening.
Once we identify potential candidates, we delve into profile evaluation. LinkedIn profiles serve as digital resumes, presenting a comprehensive overview of a candidate’s professional journey.
We meticulously review candidates’ LinkedIn profiles to assess their qualifications, experience and suitability for the role. This evaluation extends beyond the basics; we also consider endorsements, recommendations and the candidate’s network to gauge their professional reputation and connections. We can even use a candidate’s profile to get indications as to whether or not he or she will be a good cultural fit for a given organisation, based on their interests, affiliations and causes.
LinkedIn offers recruiters a direct line of communication with potential candidates. We can send InMails (LinkedIn’s messaging system) or connection requests to initiate contact. When we search for candidates, we craft personalised messages to express their interest and outline the job opportunity. The goal here is not just to identify candidates but to engage them in meaningful conversations.
A great attribute of LinkedIn is that it serves as a platform for relationship-building. This social network lets us connect with candidates and engage in ongoing discussions, nurturing relationships. This step involves gaining insights into candidates’ aspirations, career goals and motivations all of which help in tailoring job offers and opportunities.
LinkedIn also makes it possible to keep track of existing candidates. Here at CMD Recruitment, we have an extensive network of candidates and it can be hard to keep track of them all. LinkedIn makes it easy to see when a client leaves their company, which can prompt us to get back in touch and perhaps put that candidate in touch with a promising company.
LinkedIn allows recruiters to post job openings on our company pages or through paid job postings. This feature ensures that job vacancies reach a broad and relevant audience. Candidates can apply directly through LinkedIn, simplifying the application process.
LinkedIn groups play a valuable role in the recruitment process. As recruiters, we’re able to make the most of the platform by joining industry-specific groups, allowing us to source candidates or participate in discussions to identify potential talent.
LinkedIn provides recruiters with analytics tools to track the effectiveness of our recruitment efforts. We can monitor the performance of job postings, the reach of their messages and the engagement with candidates. This data-driven approach allows us to fine-tune our strategies to increase the odds of success.
While it is entirely possible to use the free version to search for candidates on LinkedIn, LinkedIn offers premium features specifically tailored to recruiters, allowing them to enhance their candidate search and streamline the whole recruitment process. This ultimately works in our client’s favour, as we’re able to get them the best talent possible in a quicker time frame.
Here are some of LinkedIn’s premium features for recruiters and how they are used:
While we always go the extra mile for our clients when it comes to recruitment and talent sourcing, in today’s day and age, it helps if companies play their part, too. Employees are increasingly savvy when it comes to checking out employer profiles. People want to know what a company is like and how it treats its workforce and checking out company reviews and social media activity is all part of that.
In this sense, a company’s profile is hugely important to attracting top performers. Once we have engaged with candidates and got them excited about the role, they will inevitably check your company profile. If it’s lacking, employees will likely be disappointed at best and suspicious at worst.
We recommend that companies take the time to spruce up their company pages, highlighting the benefits of working with your company and giving an impression of company culture. Your company is your brand, and you want potential employees to buy into it and ultimately champion it when they come aboard.
For recruiters, LinkedIn’s enduring strength and value lies in its vast user base, streamlined search capabilities and the opportunities it offers for building and showcasing a professional brand. It plays a significant role in connecting professionals and fostering meaningful connections, making it an indispensable tool in the evolving world of talent acquisition. It’s clear that as the years go by, LinkedIn will offer more and more to forward-thinking recruitment agencies, allowing us to do our jobs and offer our services at a rate never before imagined.
If you’re looking to attract the best and brightest, advertise a job with CMD Recruitment today. We’re experienced across different recruitment sectors and we have a longstanding reputation for matching promising candidates with leading companies. Contact us today to see how we can help you.
Back to Blog
