Can you recall the last time you were ghosted by recruiters?
Probably not so long ago, right?
Unfortunately, being left hanging by a recruiter is a common phenomena on LinkedIn.
In fact, 94% job seekers claimed that they’ve all been ghosted by recruiters before.
But why are people still actively looking for jobs through LinkedIn?
That’s because 77% of recruiters still rely on the platform to find the perfect candidates.
Recruiters receive dozens of messages everyday. That doesn’t include additional emails, phone calls and text messages related to work.
So, how do you get a response?
By standing out.
Unfortunately, it’s not the easiest to stand out through a message.
Keep reading to find a step-by-step guide on proper ways to reach our to recruiters on LinkedIn.
- Why reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn?
- Target the right recruiters.
- Start by sending a connection request.
- Avoid being generic.
- Be modest.
- Double check your message before sending.
- Stay in touch.
Why reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn?
Though it might feel a little strange and too direct, reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn is socially acceptable.
After all, the platform itself is used for professional networking.
In fact, 94% of hiring managers admitted to using LinkedIn to find their top candidates.
On top of that, more than 95% of recruiters are regular users of the platform (Omnicore).
As of 2019, the platform has over 90 million senior-level influencers (LinkedIn).
It’s very likely that someone you’re connecting with will have a large say on your hiring decision.
Competitive positions receive tens if not hundreds of applicants.
Reaching out to your recruiters and being proactive might help your application get noticed.
Target the right recruiters.
Before you start reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn, you should make sure that you have the right person in mind.
It’s crucial to ensure that your recruiter is still active, and is working in the industry you are interested in.
The best way to search for them is to type your industry and the word “recruiter”.
An example would be “human resources recruiter”.
To narrow down your search results even further, you can also search for those recruiters that are within your geographical range.
A narrowed down example would be “marketing recruiter jakarta”.
Start by sending a connection request.
It is most likely that you won’t be able to send a message to a recruiter unless you are connected with them through the platform. If that’s the case, do not hesitate to send a connection request.
One important note is to include a personalised message to your connection request.
Requests with personalised messages have a much higher acceptance rate compared to those who don’t.
LinkedIn recently shortened the character limit on these personalized messages to 299 characters.
That said, you should carefully choose what you want to say, and write them in the most concise, yet cohesive way.
Here’s an example:
“Hi, I’m (Name), currently working as (Job Title) at (Company), but looking to take on new challenges. If you have a minute, I’d love to discuss how my (skills & experience) in (Industry) might be a great fit for the position you’re recruiting. Looking forward to chatting with you!”
Avoid being generic.
Once you are connected with your recruiter, you should now shoot them a message.
The last thing you’ll want to do is send them a generic, copy-pasted broadcast that you’ve sent to three other recruiters.
LinkedIn stated that the platform offers a 300% higher response rate for their InMails feature than other messaging platforms.
Meanwhile, messaging a prospect has a response rate of 10-25%.
If you put minimum work into your message, you can expect minimum effort for your recruiters to reply.
Begin your message by thanking them for accepting your request.
Then, do a little bit of research to the recruiter you are contacting and the company they are working for.
Do you have any mutual connections with them? Any shared hobbies or interests?
Do leverage it if you do.
But don’t worry if you don’t.
You can always start a conversation by talking about the reason why you are connecting to them.
You should also think about the benefits that you can offer to the company itself.
It’s good to let them know about your expertise and experiences. But it’s even better to shift your focus back towards the company.
Also, be sure to include a clear call to action on your first message.
Recruiters tend to ignore vague messages. Be clear about what you want to be connected and what you hope to gain.
This helps to keep your message short and sweet as well!
Be modest.
It’s great to showcase your accomplishments and skills to potential recruiters.
But remember, those accolades are displayed on your LinkedIn profile. Before answering your message, there’s a high chance that recruiters have already viewed your profile.
It’s instead better to discuss your work and how your expertise can benefit the company, should you be interested in a position.
Try to keep a balance, don’t sound too arrogant, but don’t sound too modest either.
Don’t exaggerate your skills, stick to the facts. Tell them about what you’ve done, how you did it, and what you learned from it.
Recruiters will judge your expertise for themselves as the conversation flows.
Double check your message before sending.
Remember that you are sending a message to set a good first impression.
Avoid having any typos, grammar and punctuation mistakes.
Get your friends/relatives to proofread your message before sending them. They might be able to spot mistakes you’ve overlooked.
Recruiters encounter messages filled with mistakes everyday.
Make sure that your message isn’t one of them.
Sending a non-polished message might also indicate lack of effort from your side, which might also discourage a response from recruiters.
Stay in touch.
Reaching out to recruiters doesn’t mean that you’ll immediately get the position you applied for.
In fact, it’s just the beginning. It won’t produce results right away.
After having a long discussion and sending in your resume, you might end up with a response like “I’ll keep your resume for future reference”, which isn’t very encouraging.
But that doesn’t mean you should immediately cut off contact with them.
Stay in touch with your recruiters, stay at the top of their minds. Do send them messages occasionally. You can share a post with them with a note saying, “You might find this useful!”.
These small gestures help recruiters to remember your name, which could help them into portraying you as a friendly and knowledgeable person.
And of course, these are employee qualities that companies want to recruit.
Starting the conversation with recruiters might appear terrifying, but if you keep things warm, friendly yet professional, you’ll surely be able to nail it. That said, don’t hesitate to reach out, who knows, you might end up with a new job!
Not sure which recruiters to reach out to? Check out 9cv9’s page to find the latest companies that are hiring, and start reaching out to those recruiters today!
