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Learn how to use the power of LinkedIn for recruiting! Get expert tips on building your talent pool and attracting high-caliber sales candidates.
April 24, 2023
With over 900 million members in over 200 different countries and territories worldwide, it's safe to say LinkedIn is the biggest professional network of any kind. While it's easy to see why this would be a good place to find sales candidates, sorting through 900 million members to find the right job seeker for you can take a lot of time and resources.
Fortunately, there are ways to make the job search easier by taking advantage of LinkedIn's powerful features. Here’s how to use LinkedIn for recruiting without making it a full-time job.
The sheer volume of users should be enough for any business owner to consider LinkedIn as a recruiting tool. It's the largest professional network of its kind online and no other place has as many potential candidates in one location.
The professional social network also allows you to search for and target candidates based on their skills, experience, location, and industry to recruit on LinkedIn. This helps you quickly find candidates who meet your specific requirements.
Since LinkedIn is focused on professionals, setting up a resume with previous work and references is part of every user's profile. Your business is able to verify a candidate's credentials and work history through their profile information and recommendations from others in their network. You can even reach out to former employers using the platform or post job ads.
All businesses looking to recruit sales candidates should check LinkedIn before using other sources. When you do, make sure you know the best methods for recruiting on LinkedIn to get better results.
LinkedIn makes it easy to find high-quality sales candidates if you know how to use this tool to your advantage. Below are the most effective LinkedIn recruiting tips to recruit and find a sales candidate that matches your needs.
Similar to other social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn allows users to create their own groups. They are focused on different industries and niches and help others connect more easily around a common business topic.
The reason this becomes a valuable recruiting tactic is that some groups are specifically made for companies that need to find sales candidates. Joining these groups immediately connects you with warm leads for your open position.
Not only that, but participating in group discussions and sharing valuable content can help you attract the attention of potential candidates who may be interested in working for your company. Through these interactions, you can also gain insights into the latest trends and developments in your industry to help guide your decision process.
Searching through hundreds of job candidates won't be fruitful unless you are segmenting those candidates using keywords. This will help you filter out the individuals that aren't a good fit for your job posting and help you focus your search.
Knowing how to search LinkedIn for candidates is simple, much like searching Google or putting them on your job ad for better visibility. When you want to find a good blender for your kitchen you probably google "best blender for kitchen" or something similar. The same method applies to LinkedIn.
When you're looking for the perfect salesperson, you'll use keywords that best match what you're looking for. You can search topics like:
If you aren't finding good results with LinkedIn recruiting, change up the words you are using when searching. You'll find a different cluster of candidates that were not showing in search results previously.
Analyzing the profiles of your competitors' employees gives you insights into the types of skills and experiences that are valued in your industry or niche. This can help you better understand what qualifications to look for in potential candidates and what sets top performers apart from the rest.
Pay attention to companies that attract top talent so you can adjust your own recruiting strategy to be more competitive and appealing to potential candidates. Check to see whether these companies are taking out ads on LinkedIn. You may need to follow suit if you're to compete with the best in the industry.
A well-crafted company page gives potential candidates important insight about your business, such as your company culture, mission, and values. This can help attract individuals who are aligned with your company's goals and vision when you post jobs.
An optimized LinkedIn company page with clear job listings and descriptions also makes it easier for candidates to find and apply for open positions at your company. You won't have much success with applicants if no one understands where to apply.
By including relevant keywords on your company page and highlighting the benefits of working for your organization, you can increase the visibility of your job post and attract more qualified candidates.
To get the best results, you'll need to do more than just optimize your company page. Make your profile active and engaging with industry news, thought leadership content, and employee stories. It'll help build a strong employer brand that attracts top talent.
The People Also Viewed feature on LinkedIn displays profiles of individuals who are similar to the person you are currently viewing. Imagine finding a candidate who is a great fit for the company and then immediately finding four others. You'll increase your chances of finding the perfect candidate for your team.
Reviewing these profiles, you may discover individuals with relevant experience or education you may not have considered otherwise. This information can help refine your job description and interview process.
With this LinkedIn feature, you'll be able to identify competitors in your industry who may be attracting top talent. By analyzing the profiles of these individuals and their current employers, you can gain insights into what qualities and benefits are most attractive to potential candidates.
Once someone makes a connection with another person on LinkedIn, they automatically get tied into their entire network. That means you can check out your current employee's network and find a treasure trove of potential sales candidates.
This is an ideal strategy to hire on LinkedIn when filling niche positions or roles that require specialized skills and expertise. Leveraging your employees' networks can help you identify passive candidates who may not be actively looking for new opportunities but could be persuaded to join your team if presented with the right offer.
Additionally, when your employees share information about job openings at your company, it can help build credibility and increase the visibility of your employer brand. Candidates are more likely to apply for a position at a company that comes recommended by someone they know and trust.
Boolean search allows you to use specific keywords and phrases to narrow down your search results and find candidates who meet your specific requirements. It's more detailed than just using regular keywords though, so your results will also be more particular. Note that it is different than using advanced search filters.
For example, you can use Boolean operators such as "AND", "OR", and "NOT" to combine or exclude keywords in your search. This can be particularly useful when searching for candidates with specific skills, experience, or qualifications. Rather than searching a job title like "senior sales rep", try typing in "senior sales rep not sales manager." The results should filter out all sales managers and only show those who are actual sales reps.
By using Boolean search effectively, you can quickly identify top candidates who are a good match for your job openings without having to sift through irrelevant profiles.
By enabling candidates to apply for your job postings directly through LinkedIn, you make it easier for them to express interest in your company and submit their credentials. Using a LinkedIn Recruiter can lead to a higher volume of applications from qualified candidates who are actively seeking new opportunities. There are over 90 applications submitted every second on LinkedIn alone.
Using a platform like LinkedIn also streamlines your recruiting process by automatically populating candidate information into your applicant tracking system or database. This saves time and reduces the risk of errors that can occur when manually entering candidate data.
LinkedIn profiles also provide more comprehensive information about a candidate's work history, education, and skills than traditional resumes. If the candidate is active on the platform, you also get to see their interests and thoughts on the industry.
You've seen this last point referenced throughout the article, but it's validating and reassuring to check references and experience using LinkedIn to recruit. Most professionals have a profile already created for networking purposes, so you get to take an in-depth look at their experience and references in one location.
Instead of making calls and emails to get references and meticulously check the validity of their information, you can go straight to LinkedIn for quick confirmation. This is especially useful when onboarding new sales candidates.
You may also see endorsements and recommendations from past colleagues, hiring managers, or clients, which can provide additional validation of their abilities. This can help you make more informed hiring decisions based on first-hand accounts from people who have worked with them before.
LinkedIn is full of potential sales candidates looking for a great job offer. As long as you know the right methods, you'll never be short on qualified leads for an interview. Use the tips above to learn how to use LinkedIn for recruitment so you don't have to spend hours scouring through lackluster profiles.
Kayvon Kay
Kayvon has over two decades of experience working with high-level closers and perfecting his sales methodologies. He has earned the title of Canada’s #1 pharmaceutical sales representative and continues to share his expertise as a keynote speaker and through his multi-million-dollar coaching program.
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