When you’re in the job market, it can pay to be proactive. According to LinkedIn, about 58% of people globally are actively seeking a job. With such high competition, you want to make sure you stand out—which is why learning how to reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn is vital to your job search.
Don’t know where to start? Let’s go over the basics, from finding recruiters to reaching out to them—plus expertise from one of our own recruiters, Alexis Lusk—and turn you into a pro at using LinkedIn to your advantage!
How to Find Recruiters on LinkedIn
Before you start reaching out, you first have to find the recruiters you’re hoping to message. This can be done in a variety of ways:
- LinkedIn search: At the top of your LinkedIn profile page, you can use the search bar to look for recruiters by typing in keywords like “recruiter,” “talent acquisition,” or job titles of roles you’re interested in.
- Advanced search filters: If you want to make your search more specific, you can filter by location, industry, company, job title, and other criteria to find recruiters that are in your area or specialize in your desired sector.
- Company pages: Another method is visiting the LinkedIn pages of companies that you would like to work with and search for recruiters who are listed as employees.
- Recommendations and referrals: If a friend or former colleague had the help of a recruiter during their job search, consider asking them to help you make a connection with their recruiter.
How to Reach Out to a Recruiter on LinkedIn
Now that you know how to find the recruiters you’ll be reaching out to, let’s get into the right techniques to use when sending a message on LinkedIn.
Step 1: Optimize Your Profile
Before you connect with a recruiter, it’s important to make sure your profile is up-to-date and fully filled out to ensure you’ll impress anyone who checks it out. To do this, you should:
- Update your profile picture with a professional photo
- Refine your LinkedIn headline to describe your skills or current role
- Create a professional summary for your LinkedIn “About” section
- Integrate keywords that relate to your skills or industry
- Include your job preferences and what type of work you’re open to
- List your skills, work experience, education, and any certifications or licenses
Your LinkedIn profile is your first impression when it comes to recruiters. To make sure it really stands out, you can also utilize the “Featured” section to highlight relevant achievements and show regular activity by posting or interacting with content.
Step 2: Send a Connection Request
Once your profile is good to go, it’s time to identify the recruiters you’d like to reach out to and send them requests to connect. We’ve already gone over how to find these recruiters, so by this point, all you have to do is send a connection invitation and click “Add a Note” when prompted to include an accompanying message.
Step 3: Message Your Chosen Recruiter
In the message you send along with your connection request, it’s important to be polite and personal. Recruiters can spot a mass text a mile away and will be less likely to respond. Personalize your message with a concise introduction of who you are and why you’d like to connect. You only have 300 characters, so make each one count.
We’ll dive deeper into the best practices and what to avoid while crafting a message to recruiters in a later section. For now, just remember to politely introduce yourself and express your interest in the recruiter’s field of expertise, industry, or company.
Step 4: Craft a Response or Follow-Up Message
If a recruiter is interested, they will likely ask you to send over a resume, cover letter, and portfolio after accepting your connection request.
When you respond to this message and send these documents over, keep your note brief and positive. Thank them for their interest and include your name, email, and phone number in the message so they can easily reach you.
If you haven’t heard back from the recruiter after around three or four business days, you can send a quick follow up message. “Don’t be afraid to follow up. Sometimes the connections get lost because a thousand people are trying to connect with us,” Alexis shares.
Stay polite and brief as you reiterate your interest and your relevant qualifications. If you don’t hear back after multiple tries, it’s important to respect the recruiter’s decision and move on.
Hopefully, you’ve found multiple recruiters that are relevant to your job search, so you can cast a wide net. Once you’ve managed to get a recruiter hooked, then the real work of interviewing will soon follow!
READ NEXT: How to Work with a Recruiter to Find a Job
Best Practices for Reaching Out to Recruiters on LinkedIn
As you reach out to various recruiters, keep in mind these best practices to ensure you have a higher chance of success.
Research the Recruiter and Their Company
Before you reach out to anyone, get familiar with each recruiter’s background, industry, and the types of roles they are typically looking to fill. This should be done while you’re searching for the right recruiter for your needs.
As Alexis says, “It’s helpful if they look at our job board beforehand and send the actual jobs that they’re interested in.”
Not only will this help you target the most relevant recruiters, but this will also allow you to personalize your message and show genuine interest in their work.
Send a Tailored Message
When you reach out, make sure you aren’t sending the same message to every recruiter you approach. Alexis says it’s important to take the time to give each message a personal touch and include specific details like why you’re interested in their industry or company, and how your skills and background align with what they’re looking for.
Be Genuine and Polite
If you are authentically you, this can help motivate recruiters to respond. Give recruiters a sense of who you are so they can relate to you on a more personal level instead of just being a name on a screen. This could make them more likely to see what they can do to help you.
Share anything you and the recruiter have in common, such as a mutual connection or a similar degree. If this isn’t possible, mention what impact any content they’ve written or shared on LinkedIn has had for you. You could also talk about your professional goals and why they are important to you.
And no matter what, always be polite in your messages. Nothing will make a recruiter less likely to answer you than a rude message, as this shows you don’t have any respect for them or the work they do. Include a proper greeting and introduction, compliment their work, and write a friendly goodbye.
Be Concise and Reasonable
Keep your message short—this will increase the chances it gets read while also showing that you respect how busy recruiters are. You don’t need to give all the details right away. If a recruiter wants more information or has follow-up questions, they’ll let you know.
Another important aspect is to ensure your message has a reasonable request. Alexis warns, “Don’t just send a message that says only ‘Are you hiring?’ Get more specific with your questions and give personal details.”
Instead of asking a recruiter to find a job for you, ask for smaller, more precise requests—see if a recruiter has time to discuss company or industry expectations, or if they know of job openings that match your specific skill set.
Reaching Out to Recruiters on LinkedIn: What Not to Do
Just as there are things to keep in mind to make your message stand out in a positive light, there are also tactics you should avoid, so your message isn’t received negatively.
You don’t want your message to be generic—if it sounds the same as all other message recruiters receive, then you won’t be memorable as a candidate. As Alexis says, “There’s thousands of jobs and thousands of candidates. The more generic your message is, the more forgettable it’ll be.”
Alexis also says not to ask if recruiters have any open positions without specifying details like pay range, employment type, and location because then they won’t know what you’re looking for—it’s better to know upfront what your dealbreakers are instead of them sending you opportunities just to get consistently denied.
Don’t send a follow-up message too early—you don’t want to come across as impatient. It’s also important, even when following up, that you don’t expect a response from a recruiter. Of course, you hope for one, but you aren’t entitled to a stranger’s time and effort.
If you avoid these pitfalls, you’ll have a much better chance of getting the response you want!
Find Your Career Fit
Now that you’ve received the tools to effectively reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn, it’s time for you to take the next step in your job search! Connect with recruiters to get help in finding your dream role.
In the meantime, check out the Insight Global job board to see if any of our positions would suit your needs.
by Alexandra Woodford 
