How to Connect with Employers and Recruiters on LinkedIn

If you’re on the hunt for a new job and you’ve decided to leverage LinkedIn to help you land your next role, congratulations! You’ve found the perfect way to connect with employers and recruiters on LinkedIn and to help you stand out from other candidates.
If you’re active on LinkedIn and you want to take your job search to the next level, it’s time to start connecting with companies and recruiters on this social media network.
Connecting directly with key players keeps you top-of-mind. So, even if the position doesn’t exist yet – when it does open up, you’ll be their first choice. Reaching out to employers and recruiters directly also creates a professional first impression.
At this point, you may be wondering how you can connect with employers and recruiters on LinkedIn and the right way to land the job of your dreams. Here is my top advice.
Step 1: Give your profile some TLC
Before reaching out to anyone on LinkedIn, you need to ensure your personal profile is up-to-date and on point. Why? Because most recruiters and potential employers will first check out your profile before choosing to interact with you.
For example, if you send a local recruiter a connection request on LinkedIn, they will likely look at your profile before they accept your request or read the message you’ve sent them.
For this reason, it’s important that your LinkedIn profile is in tip-top shape. Some quick tips for getting this right include:
- Using a professional headshot.
- Filling out every section of your profile in plenty of detail.
- Listing your awards and achievements.
- Using your headline to position yourself as an expert in your field.
Step 2: Make it personal
Have you ever been given the advice that you should personalise your cover letter for each position you apply for? When it comes to sending connection requests and other messages on LinkedIn, the same is true.
Every message you send out – whether connecting directly with a recruiter or getting noticed by a company you’re interested in – needs to be completely personalised.
Any seasoned recruiter will immediately notice if you’re using the same generic message to simultaneously reach out to many recruiters. And any company with a hiring manager worth their salt will spot a generic message from a mile away.
Regardless of whom you’re messaging on LinkedIn, be sure to personalise what you say.
I don’t just mean personalising your messaging by addressing the person by their name. Take this a step further and include details that are specific to them and what they have listed on their LinkedIn profile in your message.
For example, if you’ve noticed that a recruiter is currently advertising creative roles, mention this specifically in your message to them.
Step 3: Choose wisely
You don’t want to connect with every recruiter you find, and you definitely don’t want to send messages to every company that falls within the industry you want to work in.
Not only will LinkedIn pick up that you’re spamming people and may even restrict your profile, but you’re also not going to put yourself in good stead for finding the right position for yourself.
Instead, you need to think strategically about your job search. Target only the recruiters who are clearly recruiting for the types of jobs you’re interested in or who are specialists in recruiting in your industry.
Only target the companies you are sincerely interested in working with.
Your outreach efforts on LinkedIn should be specific and targeted if you want things to work in your favour.
I’ve helped many of my clients optimise their LinkedIn profiles to attract top-quality recruiters and potential employers. Visit my website if you’d like to learn how to do this and more through my LinkedIn training. I would love to connect with you and take you through my unique approach to connecting with employers and recruiters on LinkedIn.