How to Contact a Recruiter on LinkedIn. Dos and Donts

How to Contact a Recruiter on LinkedIn. Dos and Donts

Reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn is scary.

It seems like any message you send will sound needy and foolish, and you will never get an answer. You can already imagine a screenshot of your short email turning into a meme, can’t you?

Never fear, we know exactly what recruiters want to read, and we’ll share the trade secrets with you!

But first, let’s talk about how to find recruiters on LinkedIn. After all, you should learn to walk before running, right?

How to Find Recruiters on Linkedin

If you don’t have any recruiting managers among your connections and you are not willing to wait, a simple search will help you find the right connections quickly. Just type in your industry or niche and add “recruiter” to your search query. It is also a great idea to filter the results by location unless you are looking for a remote position.

Once you have your search results,

  • Make sure the recruiter’s LinkedIn profile is active. There’s no sense in writing to a person who has abandoned their account, you’ll just waste your time.
  • Check their current employment. Hiring specialists change jobs too, so you should always check they are still in the right industry or company to help you.
  • Skim their profile, posts, and articles. Some recruiters never answer LinkedIn messages by job hunters. If they don’t state it outright in their profile, their activity might give you a clue whether it’s worth reaching out.

How to Contact a Recruiter on Linkedin for Best Results

Before we jump into specifics, put yourself in the recruiter’s place.

Remember all the random people who sent you friend requests on Facebook. Without a message or a common friend, you would ignore them or even report abuse.

Why would recruiters behave any different when you randomly try to connect with them on LinkedIn?

There are several ways to go around this issue:

  • Browse the recruiter’s profile and wait for a return view. If you follow our advice on finding hiring managers, you will complete this step anyway.
  • Follow the recruiter on other social media platforms. This will help you forge a primary connection, and the hiring manager might remember seeing your name in their Twitter or Facebook feed.
  • Send a connection request with a customized message. It should be longer than “Hi!” or “How are you?”, but not a full job application either. Try to find common ground, such as the college you graduated, mutual interests or acquaintances.

Here’s a sample email to recruiter on LinkedIn. Remember to fill it in with your information and customize for each person or position, like you would a resume.

Dear [Rob Recruiter],
I am currently an [email marketer] with [Sales Company], and I see you are recruiting in this niche. I’d like to learn about your opinion on the job market if you have the time. I’d really appreciate your insight.

Thank you for your time,
[Job Hunter]

When messaging recruiters on LinkedIn, you can also get straight to the point and write something like “I’m interested in a position at the First Company and would like to apply for position #1001. Can we set up an interview?”.

Either of these options is likely to produce good results, so you can alternate them and play around with phrasing to customize each message.

Don’t check the status of your request every five minutes, as it might take days and weeks to get a response. Recruiters are busy people, and they receive dozens, if not hundreds, of connection requests and messages every day. Some might ignore you and never send a response, but that’s not a valid reason to give up. Instead, learn from your mistakes (we’ll teach you the common ones in a second) and try again.

Your best bet is to stand apart from the crowd, the same way you tried to do when applying for college or a scholarship program. There is no one-size-fits-all recipe here, but we’ve got a few suggestions you can try:

  • Find an article or post by the recruiter, read it, and ask a question or provide your feedback in a comment section. This way, you’ll show you know how to do your homework and avoid being another one of the annoying job seekers.
  • Write a post on your niche trends or news and send the link with a request for feedback to the recruiter. Make sure your piece reflects your knowledge and experience; otherwise, avoid this approach.
  • Fill your LinkedIn profile with relevant data, update regularly, and network actively. Recruiters will be able to find your account and want to reach out to you without the need for you to initiate the conversation.

What to Say to a Recruiter on Linkedin to Get in Their Black Book

You know the basics of how to find recruiters on LinkedIn and contact them to get what you want. Before you rush off to send out connection requests, go through our list of the biggest mistakes job seekers make. Avoid them, and your chances of getting a positive response will skyrocket.

DO NOT:

  • Assume the recruiter will find the job for you. Companies pay them to fill the vacancies, not the other way around. Instead of asking if any positions fit your resume, do your homework and make your query clear and to the point.
  • Misspell the recruiter’s name or use stock message templates. Some people are touchy about the exact spelling of their names, and sending a message without a greeting is too impersonal. Instead of rushing, take a minute to spellcheck and edit your message before hitting “Send”.
  • Ask the recruiter to edit or improve your resume. Once again, it’s not in their job description. If they agreed to all similar requests, they’d never have time for their day jobs. If you need resume writing help, use professional services, such as Resume101.
  • Request anyone’s contact information. People post their phone numbers and emails if they want you to reach them. Asking a recruiter to give you another person’s contacts is not appropriate. Instead, use the “Introduction Request” feature.
  • Expect the recruiter to find much time for you. They are busy and don’t have time for your coffee or lunch invitations, phone or Skype calls. Instead, keep to emails or messages, it’s the fastest way to get the information you need.
  • Ask for recommendations or endorsements. Recruiters might be active LinkedIn users, but don’t expect them to endorse your skills for resume or profile if you’ve had no prior contact. Instead, ask for your colleagues and management to provide the recommendations.
  • Be too friendly or familiar. LinkedIn is not Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and recruiters don’t take well to useless chatter. Instead, stay professional and remember that you are trying to find a job through business networking, not set up a date.
  • Focus on messaging at the expense of your profile. It’s not enough to know how to contact a recruiter on LinkedIn if one glance at your account will make them ignore any requests you make. Instead of focusing on the job search, work on your profile first. For best results, let our professionals analyze your resume and fill in all the fields for you!

This is a lot to take in, but LinkedIn messaging is no rocket science. The secrets we’ve shared will let you take control of the job search and increase the efficiency of your communication. As a bonus, if you know what to say to a recruiter on LinkedIn, you demonstrate excellent soft skills to support the claims you make in a resume.

Recruiters are regular people, just like you, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. Even if you don’t receive an answer immediately, don’t be disappointed and keep messaging recruiters on LinkedIn. Good things happen to those who set goals and take daily action to achieve them.

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