Are you on the lookout for your next star employee? Do you have a definitive plan to source and recruit them? LinkedIn might be the helping hand you need. Angus Gill provides his tips for maximising what you can get from LinkedIn as a recruitment tool.
Are you on the lookout for your next star employee? Do you have a definitive plan to source and recruit them?
Chances are you will advertise on the job boards and in the press, go through countless CV’s, shortlist for interviews and then hire someone from there. It’s a tried and tested formula.
However, social media has made the process of finding a candidate with a specific set of skills and experience much easier. You no longer need to wade through mounds of applications from hopeful (but inexperienced) applicants. Thanks to LinkedIn, it’s easy to quickly find and contact potential candidates.
LinkedIn puts the power back in your hands – but it’s not just a walk in the park. You’ll need to strategies and use the social network consistently and efficiently if you want to utilise it to its full potential. Here are some tips:
Write a powerful profile
To attract good staff, you have to demonstrate that you are a forward-thinking, progressive company. Use your company profile to really sell yourself, outlining your specialities, accolades, awards and anything else that makes you stand out from the crowd. If you have a particularly good employee programme, make sure you outline this as well. Do not just copy and paste your mission statement into your profile – if need be, use a copywriter within your company (or hire one externally) to really make your profile stand out.
Use status updates
Use your status to let your network know you are looking for new employees. This will be seen by all of your-first level connections, and if you ask them to Like it and distribute it, it will reach much further afield. If you have spent time building relationships you are likely to receive some excellent recommendations early on.
Use LinkedIn jobs
With over 347+ million members registered on LinkedIn, there are countless individuals looking for a job. By using the facility on LinkedIn you can announce your position to a whole spectrum of professional people. Although there is a fee attached, the target market is much more qualified than conventional job boards. Your job post will also automatically be placed within the careers section of your company page, and LinkedIn will automatically send out notifications to candidates who have skills that match the position you are searching for. When you consider how this compares to traditional newspaper/online-job-board options, it’s worth the fee.
Build connections and join groups
Networking is a recognised aspect of business life, so use LinkedIn groups to build relationships. If your nest star candidate isn’t in your immediate network or following your company, you’ll need to branch out to find her – and groups are designed to help you do just that. Invest time joining groups and getting to know different people. You can also ask these groups for recommendations, and post your openings. Word of mouth has always been a powerful tool, and this is as true within social media as face-to-face.
Join discussions – and be active
Get active in discussions, rather than just reading what others post. Engage with as many people as possible in discussions, offering advice if applicable. Let the world see you as an expert in your field. This lends to your profile and helps attract quality staff when you are in the recruiting market place. At the same time, read the responses in your groups carefully to see which individuals within the group truly have the knowledge base necessary to become an asset for your business.
Subscribe to LinkedIn updates
LinkedIn updates let you know when individuals in your change positions, update their online resumes, receive awards, or celebrate an anniversary. Respond to these with congratulatory messages, and you will also be remembered when those candidates are looking for career changes in the future. This in turn will illuminate your strengths to others, and keep you and your company within the active radar.
Be mobile
The world moves at a fast pace, so it is easy to miss out on crucial updates or recommendations that could lead you to your next star employee. With the mobile app loaded onto your phone it is easy to keep up-to-date on everything LinkedIn has to offer. You can adjust the settings to provide you with alerts and notifications of important activities on the site, such as direct messages or new posts from candidates you are courting.
Review profiles
If you receive a recommendation, or someone has approached you or applied for your position through channels other than social media, you can use LinkedIn to review their profile in more detail. You can often glean more about a person through their profile than from their CV alone. Browse their history, and have a look to see if they have had skills recommended by other people. You can also find out about non-work related activities, such as volunteering and more. Their profile will also give you a feel for their professionalism and how they are perceived in general.
Using LinkedIn is not a short-term strategy; it takes time to build relationships and networks, and to become recognised. However, by building it into your long term strategy you can use LinkedIn successfully to find your next star employee.
About the author
Angus Gill is a Sydney-based marketing and management professional with over 7 years’ experience in business strategy, communications and scalability. Angus specialises in the relationship between sales, marketing and management with a primary focus on how technology and people act as a binding agent for strategy while influencing the business funnel. He currently works as the Group Marketing Manager for Saxons Group.
References:
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/5-tips-for-using-linkedin-to-find-star-employees-sharlyn-lauby/
http://www.crackerjackmarketing.com/blog/how-to-find-a-star-employee-using-linkedin
http://www.techworld.com/startups/five-ways-make-linkedin-work-for-your-business-3351389/
http://www.brandyorkshire.com/features/marketing/item/236-use-linkedin-to-do-these-10-things
http://www.pcworld.com/article/253798/5_ways_to_put_linkedin_to_work_for_your_business.html
http://www.webrecruit.co.uk/employer-blog/hr-professional/build-employer-brand-linkedin
http://www.powerformula.net/3262/how-to-use-linkedin-to-find-your-next-great-employee/
http://www.incore.com/blog/using-linkedin-find-great-employees/
