How to Reach Out to a Recruiter on LinkedIn: The Tech Geek‘s Guide
LinkedIn has radically transformed talent acquisition in the digital age. Over 90% of recruiters rely on LinkedIn to source job candidates according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Simply having an account is no longer enough. You need to strategically connect with key recruiters and stand out from the technically-savvy crowd.
In this data-driven guide, we leverage insider knowledge and recruiting analytics to arm tech professionals with proven tactics for cutting through the noise and landing on a recruiter‘s radar.
Fine Tuning Your LinkedIn Profile: Key Optimization Tips
Your LinkedIn profile needs to catch a recruiter‘s attention within seconds and motivate them to learn more. Follow these enhancements to pass that crucial first test:
Profile Photo
Ditch selfies and fuzzy photos. Invest in a high quality professional headshot displaying a friendly, approachable demeanor. Data shows profiles with proper headshots get 21% more profile views and 36% higher connection requests.
Background Photo
Carefully select a background photo that ties to your personal brand and area of expertise. Photos celebrating tech culture or innovation perform best.
73% of profiles now feature a background photo after LinkedIn added the capability in 2020. Don‘t get left behind on this expectation.
Headline
Summarize your specialties and the specific roles you are targeting in your headline. Include important keywords technical recruiters search for.
"Senior Python Developer Seeking Machine Learning Engineering Opportunities"
Recruiters filter searches assuming candidates have optimized these fields appropriately. Give them what they expect to see.
About Section
Briefly describe your core technical competencies, biggest accomplishments, and passion for problem solving in your about section. Share just enough personal color to form an emotional connection.
Call out any highly coveted certifications like AWS or PMP to validate your skills. Mention alma maters from top tech programs.
Featured and Recommended Skills
Curate which technical skills are visible front and center on your profile based on your target function and industry. Ensure you have at least 10 displayed skills – this positively correlates to more recruiter InMail according to LinkedIn metrics.
Portfolio
Display hard evidence of your programming expertise by linking to your GitHub account or website featuring case studies and code samples.
According to research conducted by CircleCI, profiles that include associated GitHub accounts showing quality contributions receive 3-5x more profile views.
The more tangible proof points of your capabilities you can provide, the better.
Finding the Right Recruiters: Advanced Search Tips
Once your LinkedIn profile is primed for discoverability, shift focus to proactively identifying and researching relevant technical recruiters.
The best recruiters operate at high velocity, so getting on their radar requires a targeted approach. Here are some Boolean search query examples to track down ideal candidates:
Recruiters by Speciality
"Technical Recruiter" OR "Engineering Recruiter" location:"Seattle Metro"
Alumni From Your School
university-of-washington alumni recruiters
Recruiters at Dream Companies
"Microsoft" AND ("talent acquisition" OR "technical recruiter")
Analyze several pages of search results, looking for recruiters who place candidates into roles you are qualified for. Focus on ones working in talent acquisition less than 3 years, as veterans tend to be slower making new connections.
Connect the dots between recruiter specialties, past positions filled, clients, events attended etc. to determine the best fit.
Then dive deeper into their profiles and companies to uncover personalization opportunities.
Optimizing Outreach: Tactics For Grabbing A Recruiter‘s Attention
With an ever increasing amount of outreach, how do you compel an overwhelmed recruiter to engage? Personalized appeals leveraging profile research are key.
Compare the results from 100 randomized connection requests on LinkedIn with varying personalization levels:
The difference is stark – personalized messages saw 2X the response rate of generic ones.
Here are ingredients for increasing your odds of a reply:
Flattery
Appeal to a recruiter‘s ego by praising their reputation for placing rockstar engineers. Stats show messages with positive sentiment get prioritized.
Name Dropping
Casually reference executives or contacts you have in common for instant rapport.
This signals you did your homework and are a serious, vetted candidate.
Position Details
Include the actual job ID in your message for open roles that fit your background.
Enables a recruiter to instantly match your capabilities to tangible openings.
Common Ground
Did you both study computer science at Cal? Work at Microsoft 5 years apart?
Highlighting shared experiences forges an affinity.
Tech Buzzwords
Communicate you speak their language by smoothly integrating industry jargon and acronyms like DevOps, SRE and CI/CD.
Following Up: Nailing The Balance
If your initial outreach goes unreturned, when and how should you circle back? Data indicates following up is worth the effort:
Yet over 50% of candidates make the mistake of either following up too soon or too frequently, which irreversibly damages rapport.
Here are science-backed best practices:
7 Day Rule
Wait 7 business days before your first follow up to allow a recruiter adequate time to respond given their high volume of messages. 13% of recruiters specifically state a week is expected.
Limit to 2 Follow Ups
Push beyond 2 follow up messages and your odds of a response rapidly decline according to the graph above.
Soften Tone
Scale back the urgency and one-sided interest levels in your tone. Disarm message blocking by politely offering additional information if needed.
Example: "If any questions on my background or I can clarify specifics on my experience, please let me know!"
CC Outside Channel
Provide your direct email address or cell phone number as an alternative channel, stating you are happy to connect there instead should LinkedIn messages get buried.
Prevents you from being lost in the shuffle.
Following these guidelines sets you up for follow up success without being perceived as a pest.
Relationship Lifecycle: Graduating From Candidate to Trusted Advisor
The highest tier recruiters operate as virtual headhunters, preferring to tap into established networks. Their outreach conversion rates correlate to relationship depth.
Here is the ideal lifecycle progression for tech pros to nurture this affinity:
While each stage can last months, the payoff is tenfold over transactional exchanges. Prioritize regular value building touch points to evolve past one-off placements into trusted advisors.
This lifecycle roadmap equips you to maximize recruiter partnerships over the long term.
Emerging Trend: AI & The Future of Recruiting
No modern guide is complete without addressing how artificial intelligence and automation are transforming recruiting.
LinkedIn forecasts that AI will handle 75% of recruiting workload by 2026, including tasks like screening candidates and scheduling interviews.
So while the fundamentals remain unchanged, expect recruiter response times to shorten and outreach volumes to increase as machines take over high volume tasks.
Stay ahead of algorithms by keeping your profile updated, leverageing optimal keywords and highlighting accomplishments PRIMACY SCORE can‘t easily evaluate.
Emphasize creativity, collaboration and resilience – inherently human traits. Strike an emotional chord. This influence and persuasion gives you an edge over automation.
For now, leveraging emotional intelligence and personalized appeals keeps you ahead. But remain nimble as AI evolves to increasingly dominate early stage interactions.
Key Takeaways: Top Recruiter Outreach Tips
We‘ve covered extensive ground on strategically connecting with technical recruiters online. Here are the key ranking takeways:
- Profile Optimization: Ensure your profile appeals to recruiters before initiating any outreach. Enhance all key sections with rich keywords and media.
- Recruiter Research: Identify relevant recruiters through advanced search techniques and analyzing their profiles. Qualify fit.
- Personalized Messages: Light up a recruiter‘s inbox by highlighting shared experiences and appealing to their ego.
- Disciplined Following Up: Circle back politely if needed, limiting to 2 follow ups and providing alternative contact channels.
- Relationship Building: Nurture recruiters over months and years through consistent value building interactions.
- Monitor AI Trends: Expect recruiters to increasingly leverage AI, shortening response times and raising outreach volume. Emphasize innate human strengths.
Now you‘re equipped with the complete tech guide to cut through the noise on LinkedIn and develop relationships with key recruiters! Commit to applying these data backed best practices and prepare for new career doors to open.
