Q: I work in HR and hear a lot about using LinkedIn to find a job, but do you have any tips for us on “the other side” about using it to recruit and hire candidates? So far all I’ve done is connect with a bunch of people.

A: Although we may think of LinkedIn more often as a tool for job seekers, plenty of recruiters and employers use it as well. Many of the same tips that apply to job seekers using LinkedIn would apply to you, too. For example:

• Make sure your profile works for you – if your primary role at your company is to recruit and hire, make sure that’s spelled out in your profile. You’ll get more on-target communications that way. Also, be sure to use the status feature to let your connections know when you have a job opening or when you’ll be at a networking event. You can also use the status feature to link to job- or company-related news to let people know what you’re focused on.

• Use LinkedIn for company searches – just as a job seeker would use LinkedIn to research a company or find people who work there, as a recruiter you can use LinkedIn’s search feature to find people in particular roles in your target industry.

• Participate in groups – LinkedIn allows users to create groups around specific interests and you can join groups for your industry, company, college/university alumni or start a new group. For instance, if you’re a recruiter in the technology industry, find and join groups related to the technology field; doing so will help you stay on top of events and network in that field and potentially meet qualified job candidates.

• Post jobs – you can make LinkedIn part of your job posting process by posting jobs within the groups that you belong to and by announcing the job openings in your status update. For each job opening, consider which groups might be interested in hearing about the opportunity and then use the same language and specific information you include in other online postings to post the job within the group. If you’re announcing the job opening in your status update you won’t have room to include the full post, but can include a link to the full online posting.

• Email your connections – use LinkedIn’s email to send a group email to your connections when you have an open position and want their referrals or when you have other recruiting updates to share.

• Check recommendations – some candidates’ profiles will be more complete than others, but if a candidate has recommendations on their profile they may be useful sources of background information.

About the Recruiter
Jessica Salerno Incerto has 10+ years of experience in the staffing and recruiting industry. As a director and member of the management team at Professional Staffing Group (PSG), she oversees recruiting and placement for HR and Technical careers. Jessica is also a member of NEHRA’s Diversity Committee. Connect with her on LinkedIn by clicking here.