LinkedIn is a recruiter’s best friend, with over 2.7 million Singaporean users on LinkedIn, tech recruiters have access to a pool of local and global talent who may be interested in working with their companies.
However, you are not the only recruiter looking for top talent on the platform; therefore, you must implement strategies that will attract the right talent to your organization.
As an IT recruitment agency in Singapore, we find that part of an effective hiring strategy is knowing the do’ s and don’ts of hiring on professional platforms. Practicing the right etiquette on the platform can make your job easier by drawing the right talent to your business.
Here are some LinkedIn etiquette tips to keep in mind when recruiting on the platform.
1. Do not Send Generalized Messages
The InMail feature on LinkedIn could be a blessing or a curse for recruiters, depending on how you use it. Send a generalized spammy-looking message, and potential candidates might as well block you and kill any desire to work with your organization.
What to do Instead
When hiring tech talent on LinkedIn, you must personalize your message. Your message sends the first impression to potential candidates. It must grab their attention and convince them to apply for the open position at your organization, or take the next desired step.
The steps you can take to personalize your message include:
- Include a concise, personalized, and persuasive subject line that will encourage the potential candidate to open the message.
- Write a message that speaks directly to the candidate; for example, address them by their name, mention their specific qualifications and specific experience, and how these apply to the position, and invite them to engage in a conversation.
- Make your flattery of the candidate as sincere as possible by pointing out the exact skills or experience that impressed you. The skill or experience must be relevant to the open position to encourage the candidate to apply.
- Send a short message (according to LinkedIn, most prospects respond to messages with lessthan100 words.)
2. Do Not Overshare
Tempting as it is to plaster your job offer on all social media platforms, being impulsive with your social media posting strategy could harm your recruiting efforts. Keep your LinkedIn page as professional as possible. The information on your company page should also be relevant to your industry.
When sharing a position on the platform, avoid over-promoting the position; interested parties will still apply for the position. Flooding your connection’s news feed with the same open position could lead to negative outcomes.
What to Do Instead
Always remember that candidates are busy professionals. They are not obligated to open every message that you send them; therefore, make it worth their time to read your email by sharing the required information and not more.
Avoid industry jargon or unnecessary information. Get to the point immediately and end the message with a powerful call to action. Do not request the candidate to do so much, either. One call to action is enough, and it should be a simple activity to complete.
The information you should include in an InMail message on LinkedIn, includes the job details, the salary range, and the company’s overview.
3. Do Not Ask Potential Candidates for Referrals
Finding tech talent in Singapore can be an uphill battle; the candidates in the talent pool are already working with other companies, and those without jobs have lucrative offers from other businesses in the space. The hunt for top talent could leave you desperate to find as many names and potential candidates as possible.
Your goal when reaching out to potential candidates on LinkedIn should be to interest the candidate in your job offering, not to get them to refer their friends or networks. Asking these candidates for referrals might seem like a good idea, but to the candidate, it is off-putting.
Recruiters who go around asking candidates for referrals also leave a bad impression of the brand, therefore, minimizing the chances that these candidates may desire to work in your organization.
What to do
Potential candidates should not be the source of referrals, especially when you make no effort to engage them and appreciate their skills and experience. Instead, you should focus on communicating directly to the candidate through a personalized message.
Develop a referral strategy that allows you to get in touch with the right potential candidates. You can do this by:
- Deciding the type of candidates you want referrals from
- Refer other candidates to other recruiters who might be looking for a certain skill (being active at referring candidates to others also increases the chance that they will reciprocate when they know someone who fits the requirements of your job position).
- Include referral requests in your content marketing strategy
- Encourage employees to recommend potential candidates
- Build your industry reputation
If you must ask for referrals, ask them from your existing employees. Your employees have a good understanding of your company. In addition, they may have friends or acquaintances who are a great fit for the open position.
4. Do not connect with strangers for the sake of it
Building your professional network is an easier way to get to potential tech talent. However, when you connect to anyone for the sake of it, you are likely to waste your time and that of those with whom you are connecting.
Overloading the potential candidate with information is also likely to overwhelm them. Your message should be short, concise, and persuasive. When it comes to the first message, less is more.
What to do instead:
Instead of sending countless connections to strangers, focus on developing a content strategy that establishes your business as an industry leader in your sector. That way, you will forge mutual connections with individuals who connect with your brand. Ultimately, these connections may be the tech talent you are looking for or have friends or networks who would be interested in working for your organization.
Join professional groups and networks and use these platforms to share content and interact with potential candidates. You should send interactive content (not only job posts) that is helpful to the community. Having a high presence on these platforms makes it easier to build connections and attract tech talent to your organization.
You can reach out to other similarly inclined professionals through professional networks and groups. The goal is to grow your connections organically, to a level where passive candidates in your network can introduce you to top candidates who are actively looking for open positions.
As part of building your network, you should interact with activities from your network. If you engage with other people’s posts, they are more likely to refer the right candidates or pass along the message that you are looking for candidates to fill an open position.
5. Do Not Overuse InMail
Nobody wants unsolicited messages in their inbox, whether it is on Facebook or LinkedIn. Sending too many unsolicited InMail messages could lead to flagging your profile and create a bad impression on potential candidates.
What to do instead
Instead of sending generic and untargeted emails with a low conversion rate, you should be using InMail to build your brand and drive engagement with potential candidates. You can implement the following tips to ensure that your InMail conversion rate increases:
- Be clear on your goal for sending a message to potential candidates. Without a clear message, you will fall into the trap of sending generic messages bordering on spam.
- Personalize your messages
- Keep your messages short and concise.
- Send messages at the optimum time when the recipients are likely to open them.
- Send messages to people who are interested in hearing from you (your followers and candidates who indicate that they are open to new opportunities)
- Be clear and direct in your call to action or next steps.
6. Do Create a Powerful Company Profile
Recruiting talent starts with a professional and compelling company profile. The company profile should make it easy for candidates to interact and engage with your brand by communicating clearly, who you are what you do. Some of the steps to creating a powerful company profile that creates the best first impression to potential candidates include:
- Invest in your heading and summary
- Have rich media on your company profile, including videos, website links, and presentations
- Add certifications or clearances your company has received
- Showcase the causes that matter to your organization
- Engage your followers with targeted updates
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn is a goldmine for recruiters who know how to maximize the platform to attract the right tech talent to their organization. As a recruiter, sourcing talent from a limited pool of individuals, it pays to understand the dos and don’ts of recruiting on LinkedIn and implementing the best practices to engage and convert potential candidates.
The tips outlined in this article will help you identify areas where your recruiting strategy needs improvement and take the steps towards attracting and retaining the right tech talent.
As a tech recruitment agency in Singapore, we understand the challenges most companies have when it comes to hiring tech talent. More information on how BGC Group can help here.
