#ThinkDigital: Finding Talent On LinkedIn

If as a startup entrepreneur, you are still relying on the traditional methods to source potential candidates for a position in your organization, it is time to change your scouting strategy. Social media provides the largest pool of potential candidates and talent diversity ever recorded in history. With platforms like LinkedIn, recruitment is becoming more effective when compared with conventional job recruitment methods like Career websites and Boards.

Even recently, sending out vacancy notices and pouring through emails and attachments like cover letters and CVs are way too cumbersome for HR professionals. Therefore, it may be easier to easily scan through a potential candidate’s experiences, recommendations and skill sets, reach a decision before initiating contact for a conversation. This is where LinkedIn transits from a professional networking site to a recruitment portal. LinkedIn allows employers to search for the exact candidates they are looking for. Recruiters have the opportunity to view a candidate’s profile which shows the candidate’s work history and educational attainment, giving them the opportunity to compare prospective candidates with the responsibilities of the job.

Here are the things you must do in other to make your recruiting process effective on LinkedIn:

  1. Search

After identifying the specific skills and experience necessary for a role, conduct a search for prospective candidates by using specific key words. For instance, if you are looking for a social media analyst, use keywords like social media, analyst, multimedia personnel etc. You should also encourage your present employees to spread information about job openings on their LinkedIn profiles. You can also subscribe to a premium service option that gives you the opportunity to grade a pool of applicants directly and send them InMails without adding them on LinkedIn.

  1. Engage

Are you into manufacturing? Join a group that discusses manufacturing on LinkedIn. LinkedIn Groups also provide a great forum for finding experts. Identify active group members who fit your hiring criteria, and start a conversation by commenting on their posts or reaching out to them directly.

  1. Identity

Having a corporate identity on LinkedIn would go a long way in projecting your firm in a good way. Prospective employees want to work in an organization with a strong online presence. Brand identities like logos and a sound company summary helps your page look more professional, and helps your job adverts stand out.

    4. Get Started

Do you want to get started immediately? Then, review how to advertise a Job on LinkedIn.

  1. Sign in to LinkedIn.From your account, go to the “Business Services” tab and click “Post a Job.”
  2. Enter the essentials about your job, including the title, company and location.
  3. Create your advert
  4. Sponsor your advert.The next screen gives you the option to sponsor your advert in other to reach even more people outside your network. This feature is optional.
  5. Post the job advert.

#ThinkDigital is an original 234Finance series that provides you with articles, resources and information to assist you in achieving better productivity whilst saving costs. Please let us know those you will be implementing and how well they have worked for you. Feel free to share using the hash tag, #234FinanceThinkDigital.