I have a surprising tip for you today. This secret tip may seem counter-intuitive, but will increase your ability to target and source the best candidates for your company.
Get connected!
Here’s the secret: Connect on LinkedIn with EVERY recruiter that calls you. I mean it. Every single one of them. What!!!! You may be saying? That’s crazy! You are probably thinking you will get a slew of calls from recruiters thinking that you will be their next client. Rest assured, you’ll get no more calls than you usually do.
But think about it. It’s predictable that those recruiters, particularly if they are good recruiters, have a larger LinkedIn network than you do. It’s a recruiter’s job to be a strong networker and 99% of recruiters use LinkedIn to source and vet candidates. According to Bullhorn’s 2013 North American Staffing & Recruiting Trends Report, the average recruiter in North America has 692 LinkedIn Connections.
If you were to connect on LinkedIn to every recruiter that specialized in your industry, their 1st and 2nd degree contacts would now be YOUR 2 and 3rd degree contacts. It’s the easiest way to have access to the right people.
I have over 4100 1st degree LinkedIn Connections and my total network has over 17,978,589 people in it. If you connected with me, even if you only had 100 connections, my 4000 1st degree connections would now be your 2nd degree connections. And, my 2nd degree connections would now be your 3 degree connections.
The approach
Here’s an easy approach. Every time a recruiter calls you, look them up on LinkedIn and send a connection request. Let them know that you are not currently looking for new recruitment partners, but that you are happy to include them in your network.
If you simply connected with all of the recruiters in your area, you would have access to 95%+ of the talent you would want to hire. So, the next time a recruiter calls, ask them to connect with you on LinkedIn. You’ll be happy you did!
Here’s to your success!
About the author:
Shanna Landolt has been featured as an expert on LinkedIn and Hiring on NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and CityTV. She is the Editor, Recruitment Strategy for The HR Gazette. Her recruitment firm, The Landolt Group specializes in pharmaceutical and biotechnology search. Her consulting firm, Secrets from a Headhunter works with corporations to leverage the combined power of their employee’s networks to attract talent. Secrets From a Headhunter also works with individuals and executives to create a unique LinkedIn profile to optimize their personal brand,
You can contact Shanna Landolt, President of Secrets From a Headhunter and The Landolt Group at 416-849-3855 or shanna@landoltgroup.com or on LinkedIn at ca.linkedin.com/in/shannalandolt/