Should You Contact Recruiters on LinkedIn?

Here’s what recruiters say

LinkedIn is the world’s largest online professional network, with about fifty million listed companies and available in twenty-four languages. One of the key reasons to network on LinkedIn, is the potential it offers for job seekers to land their dream jobs.

It has become a favourite job board for many recruiters, who favour LinkedIn because of the opportunity to view the profiles of job applicants. When it is enabled, job applicants also have the chance to see the recruiter behind a vacancy and potentially send them a message on LinkedIn to pitch themselves for vacant roles. Although some job applicants claim that this LinkedIn feature has helped them land the job of their dreams, many applicants still wonder whether it is right to send recruiters a LinkedIn message. Immigrant Muse asked recruiters and hiring managers about their perception of job seekers reaching out to them on LinkedIn. Here are some of the responses we gathered.

Would you like job applicants to reach out to you on LinkedIn?

Christina Antoniou, Director of Corporate Affairs at Pfizer Canada, says, “yes”.

Reshmi Raveendran, a Senior Technical Recruiter at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), opines that “job seekers should reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn because it will improve their chances of landing a job in the organization”. She also added that “the job seeker’s LinkedIn profile should be as detailed as possible with a good summary and details about their work experience and educational certifications because most recruiters will look at the entire profile of the candidate before responding to a (message or) connection request”. 

Amel Cheema, a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Vendasta, says she gets tons of LinkedIn messages every day, and it is impossible to reply to all applicants; hence, the selection process. She looks out for “value-added, as opposed to generic statements”. She adds that she looks for information that “show(s) us you’ve done your research – tell us how you heard of Vendasta or share an interesting insight from a video or article you’ve viewed”. Amel suggests: “Tailor your message to the employer and position…mention a mutual connection…and don’t be afraid to (tell us) you know a current employee or business connection. Let your personality show. We want to know our prospective future Vendastians, so don’t be afraid to let a little of your personality shine in your message”. 

Fola Adebawo, Specialist, Talent Acquisition at BHP affirms that she would also like applicants to reach out on LinkedIn.

David S, Talent Acquisition Manager at Monstercat says, “I don’t mind candidates reaching out to me with specific questions about a role. But it’s often a waste of time when they try to send me their resume instead of applying directly through the job link.” David clarifies that when he receives resumes unrelated to open requisitions; he uploads them to the internal CRM for future reference.

What specific information should applicants include in outreach message? 

Christina Antoniou says when reaching out, “the individual should highlight how their background and experiences relate to the specific open role only. It’s best practice to reach out for specific roles and not general opportunities”. 

Reshmi Raveendran says, “when sending a connection invitation to a recruiter, I suggest the job seeker include a crisp and clear summary of their skills and the reason they want to connect. For example, if they are looking for a job opportunity, they should include the type of job, their skills and contact information to take the conversation forward. If the job seeker has a specific job opportunity that they are interested in, it will be helpful to provide the job ID when contacting the recruiter. The recruiter (will be able) to reach out to the hiring team with the candidate’s profile.

“LinkedIn invitation messages have a word limit, so the message should be to the point. The LinkedIn profile should be detailed, almost like a curriculum vitae, so the recruiter can scan through the skills and connect with them. Many job seekers send a connection request with no content in their invitations. Generally, recruiters receive many connection invitations and may get missed if there aren’t enough details in the message or the profile”. 

Fola Adebawo agrees with Christina and Reshmi that candidates should include “a brief writeup on their background (education and experience), and what they’re looking for. If they have reached out to me in response to a specific role, they need to tell me that they’ve applied to the position I posted. I may not oblige their requests if they ask for a meeting because of my busy schedule. I’ll be able to oblige their requests if they ask for information about their career”.  

David S adds, “the most powerful way to utilize LinkedIn messaging is by applying for a role and then sending a follow-up message via LinkedIn”. 

Are there any downsides or upsides to reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn?

Christina says, “the upside of reaching out is being able to connect with someone within the organization. You may not get an immediate response, given the volume of messages received. The ideal approach is to apply directly to each open opportunity via the posting links. Only applications received formally will be considered”. 

Reshmi shares a similar sentiment: “most recruiters connect with talent who reach out to them on LinkedIn and match them with open roles. Sometimes, if there’re too many messages, some may be missed. To avoid being overlooked, it is beneficial to only apply to roles which seem like a good fit before reaching out to the recruiter. Job seekers should review the company website for open positions, connect with the recruiter, and provide the specific job ID”. 

On the downside, Fola says, “some people don’t know how to go straight to the point. They say hello or hi and wouldn’t type anything else. Some do not know how to articulate their thoughts, while some are outright condescending”. On the upside, she adds, “they may reach out to someone who needs their services, and increases the chances of referral”. 

Amel says, “there are both sides to this. On the upside, it will likely never hurt their chances to reach out on LinkedIn as long as they are respectful and professional. If the message truly helps them stand out, mission accomplished! On the flip side, some recruiters might be getting hundreds of messages and unable to reply. The candidate will have used their time and energy to reach out, and it can be disheartening not to get a reply. Just know we appreciate the time spent connecting with us and taking a genuine interest in our opportunities”. 

Are there situations where job seekers should avoid reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn?

The recruiters all said NO. You can reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn as long as you do it right by following the tips from these recruiters. What if you consistently follow these tips and still get no response? Don’t be discouraged! The recruiter’s inbox might be overflowing with similar messages; perhaps, it’s time to add some value with some of these suggestions.