3 Tips for Recruiting on LinkedIn

With LinkedIn as one of the leading tools job seekers use to find the next step of their career, small business owners need to learn how to make their job listings stand out from the competition, especially when the big companies have even bigger budgets.

We’ve compiled the three most important tips you’ll need to know to recruit job candidates on LinkedIn effectively.

Build Up Your Company Page

If you haven’t created a company page, you’re missing a huge opportunity. Creating a company page is easy, free, and is a great way to give job seekers some insight into your business’ background, mission, and culture. Use this space to tell your prospects – and your clients for that matter – about what makes your company tick and differentiates you from the pack. Have fun with it: emphasize why a candidate would want to work with you, rather than one of the big guys.

If your existing employees have LinkedIn profiles of their own, ask them to connect with your company page, as it will help build out the company’s profile. As most people go to LinkedIn to view employee profiles, having your employees link to your company page will drive awareness to your business and increase your opportunities to be seen by others.

Advertise Job Openings on a Pay-for-Performance Basis

Posting a job on LinkedIn is the best way to get your listing in front of a wide audience of potential candidates. LinkedIn uses an algorithm that creates intelligent targeting, meaning that the most qualified and relevant prospects see listings. As a small business, you might not have a huge budget to spend on recruiting, so using pay-per-click for your job posting is likely the most cost-effective way to draw in candidates, especially if you’re only hiring a few people. That way you’ll only be paying for the number of views your job receives, and you can set an average daily budget or cap to make sure you’re not charged more than you’re prepared to spend.

Depending on how many positions you are hiring for, you can also use Job Slots, which are essentially reoccurring, reserved job posts that you can rotate in and out each month as needed. This allows you to post as many as twelve positions through the year for a lower cost than buying individual job posts.

Again, don’t be afraid to ask your existing employees to share your job postings on their page, as it will optimize visibility and increase your odds of getting a hit.

Consider LinkedIn Recruiter

If you’re looking to hire many people but don’t have a lot of experience with sourcing prospects, consider using LinkedIn Recruiter. This paid service helps you reach more prospects, organize talent with hiring workflows and project management tools, and engage with candidates directly (up to 150 InMails per month). You have to buy a license to access these tools, but if you’re looking to place a lot of people in a short period, it’s likely worth the cost.

LinkedIn also offers a Recruiter Lite option, which has fewer capabilities than the package above, but still gives you a wider reach than you might have otherwise. Depending on how many people you’re looking to hire, this option might fit your bill – and your budget – better than the advanced version, while still helping you draw in the right candidates.

Bottom Line

As a small business owner, you have to wear a lot of hats, and it’s normal for some of them to feel less natural than others. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to recruiting new hires, LinkedIn is a great place to start. By creating a strong LinkedIn presence, you’ll build up your small business’ credibility and profile, while also positioning yourself to draw in qualified candidates, which in turn can simplify your whole recruiting process. Remember, while some of these tools require a small investment, finding the right candidate saves you money in the long run.