Sourcing Top-notch Marketing Talent on LinkedIn: Best Practices for Hiring Managers and Recruiters

In the current highly competitive digital environment, searching for excellent marketing talent is critical in driving growth and maintaining a competitive edge. Fortunately, LinkedIn presents a valuable resource for sourcing and recruiting the best marketing professionals. With a global membership of over 740 million, LinkedIn provides an extensive pool of skilled marketers who are actively seeking new job opportunities or are open to considering potential career moves.

However, it can be daunting for hiring managers and recruiters to navigate the platform effectively and identify suitable candidates. We and best practices for sourcing top-quality marketing talent on LinkedIn, including suggestions for optimizing profiles, utilizing networks, and creating engaging job postings.

Nonetheless, the extensive scope of LinkedIn, which makes it an excellent resource, may also pose a challenge for hiring managers to filter and limit results to a manageable level. Therefore, how can hiring managers utilize LinkedIn optimally to maintain a robust talent pipeline? To assist in this regard, this article presents a guide to get you started.

Sourcing on LinkedIn: Expert Strategies for Hiring Managers and Recruiters

1. Establishing a company page on LinkedIn

If you want to improve your company's credibility and reputation, I suggest creating a LinkedIn company page. This way, interested candidates can easily check out your content whenever they have time. Nowadays, recruiting top talent involves more than just posting job openings. You have to market your business to the best potential candidates, and social media platforms like LinkedIn are the perfect place to do so.

Forbes’ “Recruitment Marketing 101: A Talent Pipeline Playbook” notes: “While applicants should still work hard to stand out among available talent, companies must also market themselves to the potential candidates, enticing them to apply. This is part of why 86 percent of HR professionals agree that recruitment is more like marketing than ever.”

When creating your LinkedIn company page, ensure you have a top-notch profile picture, a completed profile with a catchy headline, and up-to-date content that potential candidates will find interesting. A well-designed LinkedIn company page can indicate to prospective employees that your company is accessible, appreciates networking, and has a progressive mindset. Of the social media sites, LinkedIn is the most-used channel for recruiting at 77%, compared to Facebook at 63%.

2. Crafting a Winning Job Description for Sourcing on LinkedIn

Crafting a well-written job description is crucial in attracting top talent on LinkedIn. The job description must be brief, easy to comprehend, and concentrate on the job's objectives. Avoid using technical terms or excessively formal language that may confuse potential candidates. Emphasize critical duties, required skills, and the anticipated impact of the successful candidate on the organization.

Including visual elements such as images or videos that display your company culture and work environment can help your job posting stand out and attract the right candidates. By developing a winning job description on LinkedIn, you can effectively assemble a skilled and driven team that will help propel your organization forward.

It’s best to have job descriptions clearly outlining the position's objectives rather than just describing the perfect candidate. There are a couple of ways to advertise on LinkedIn - you can pay to post job openings formally or take advantage of the platform's status updates and group discussions to promote your opportunities.

3. Sourcing on LinkedIn through Your Connections

Research has indicated that employee referrals are often the most successful when it comes to finding the best candidates for a job. One approach is to ask your colleagues and team if they know someone who fits the position well. Share the job description with them and request their assistance in promoting it.

Moreover, posting the job opening on your organization's website and social media profiles is crucial. If you need to broaden your search, consider paid advertising or explore other online tools like LinkedIn to identify qualified candidates.

4. Ensure that You are Prepared to Conduct the Interview

Recruiting the right people to work with you is the most crucial aspect of business. When it comes to interviewing candidates, it's important to be prepared. One way to do this is to create a checklist that you can use for every interview. This should include reviewing the job description, the candidate's resume, and any additional materials they may have submitted, like cover letters or work samples. It's also a good idea to check out their profile on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

Make sure you print out a clean copy of your interview worksheet for each candidate. By spending 20-30 minutes preparing for each interview, you can increase your chances of making the right hiring decision and bringing the best talent onto your team.

5. Consider Interviewing Multiple Candidates for Sourcing on LinkedIn

When hiring, it's important not to rush the process and meet with multiple candidates. Don't make the mistake of falling for the first person who walks through the door. Meeting with different individuals will give you a better understanding of what you want in a candidate. Make sure to treat everyone with respect and ask plenty of questions while encouraging them to ask you questions. Keep your worksheet handy to make sure you cover all the important details. Doing this lets you learn more about your business's marketing needs and objectives.

6. Comprehend the Distinction Between Compatibility and Functionality when Sourcing on LinkedIn

Finding a candidate who can fulfil a job's responsibilities can be tricky sometimes. So, it's crucial to understand which skills are must-haves for the candidate from the beginning and which can be learned on the job.

For instance, if your industry is heavily regulated, you may need to hire someone with experience with compliance. However, if you already have a strong regulatory team, you can hire someone with expertise in CRM or email marketing, even if they lack regulatory experience. This way, you can work closely with your regulatory team to ensure content compliance.

7. Stick to a Thorough Background Check when Sourcing on LinkedIn

When you're fortunate enough to have several great candidates for a job, it's important to go the extra mile and perform a detailed background check. Contacting their references can confirm your assessment and gain valuable insights into their abilities and expertise. Sometimes, you might uncover surprising information about the candidate you wouldn't have found otherwise. It's not uncommon to receive unfavourable feedback from a reference provided to you, so it's crucial to do your due diligence.

Trust your intuition after gathering all the necessary information about a candidate. If you have doubts about them, it's best not to offer them the job. Don't settle for just anyone to fill the position because it could result in a poor fit and subpar work quality, ultimately leading to the need for termination.

8. Ensure a Smooth Onboarding and Training Process

When you bring a new employee on board, the first two weeks are crucial in helping them settle in and start contributing to your business. A training plan is a great way to provide structure and ensure the new hire gets the support they need.

The plan should cover important topics like introducing the new employee to the team, having one-on-one sessions with colleagues, sharing general administrative information, introducing them to the computer and software they will use, and providing training on the product and process.

Finding the Perfect Marketing Candidate through Sourcing on LinkedIn

1. Define your ideal marketing candidate

Once you start sourcing on LinkedIn, you must have a vision of the ideal marketing candidate you want to join your team. When sourcing on LinkedIn, you should consider their qualifications, experience, location, and other relevant factors. However, it's crucial to be adaptable and prioritize their core competencies and values over strict requirements.

2. Search on the right platform

When you're trying to fill a marketing position, looking for potential candidates on industry-specific platforms is a good idea. This can increase the likelihood of finding someone who fits the bill. You'll need to consider various factors to determine which platform(s) are best, including the candidate's online activity, LinkedIn presence, social media engagement, and whether or not they have a blog.

3. Communicate your employer brand effectively

When candidates think about your company as an employer, they form an image known as your employer brand. When sourcing on LinkedIn, the goal is to make your company appear as an attractive workplace, which helps attract the best marketing candidates. You can work on your employer brand by sharing your company's history, highlighting positive employee feedback, and showcasing career advancement opportunities.

4. Customize your outreach efforts

If you want to stand out as a recruiter, it's essential to personalize your messages. Sending out generic messages won't cut it. To create a positive and unique experience for each marketing candidate while sourcing on LinkedIn, you should take the time to learn about their background and skills before making any offers or requesting interviews.

This could include researching their interests, tailoring your message to their qualifications, and addressing any questions or concerns they may have. Personalizing your approach increases the likelihood of the candidate accepting your job offer and joining your company.

5. Convince them to be a part of your mission

To convince candidates to join your team, it's not enough to just present the benefits and opportunities of your company while sourcing on LinkedIn. It is crucial to understand their career goals, aspirations, and what they seek in their next job opportunity. To effectively persuade candidates, you should listen more than you talk. Take the time to understand their career objectives, what they seek in their next opportunity, and their values.

Benefits of Sourcing on LinkedIn

1. LinkedIn allows recruiters to reach out to passive candidates

Did you know that LinkedIn has reported that 70% of its users are not actively searching for a job but are still active on the platform? These users are called "passive candidates" and are perfect targets for recruiters looking to fill job vacancies while sourcing on LinkedIn. Luckily, LinkedIn provides an advanced search tool that recruiters can use to locate these professionals based on their experience and qualifications.

2. LinkedIn is Up-to-Date And encompasses

LinkedIn is a great platform for finding top talent. It's widely used by job seekers, who regularly update their profiles to highlight their latest skills and experiences. This makes it convenient for recruiters to discover potential candidates while sourcing on LinkedIn.

Recruiters must know that a candidate's LinkedIn profile provides more than just a summary of their job titles and skills. It also includes skill endorsements and recommendations from their professional network, giving recruiters a deeper understanding of the candidate's abilities and work style when sourcing on LinkedIn.

3. LinkedIn helps you hire the best talent quickly

A recruiter can leverage LinkedIn to find the ideal candidate for executive positions by targeting individuals with extensive experience and a well-established network of contacts. These candidates often have comprehensive profiles that can help the recruiter identify the right fit for the high-level job opening.

4. LinkedIn helps you conduct reference checks

A useful feature on LinkedIn for recruiters is the ability to check common connections for reference checks quickly.

Final Words

LinkedIn is more than just a social media platform; it's a valuable source of information for recruiters and candidates alike. Creating a forum for engagement and showcasing recruiters' strengths within the job placement industry can bridge professional connections and job opportunities.

When sourcing on LinkedIn, recruiting teams can improve their chances of finding ideal job-candidate matches by targeting specific groups via sourcing on LinkedIn. With the vast number of potential candidates on the platform, the possibilities for successful placements are almost endless.

If you're a LinkedIn recruiter looking forward to sourcing on LinkedIn, EasySource is the tool for you. Developed by the experts at HireQuotient, this platform is designed to make the recruitment process more efficient and effective. It's equipped with advanced algorithms and a user-friendly interface that easily allows recruiters to navigate through LinkedIn's vast talent pool. Plus, the free Chrome extension makes the integration process seamless. With EasySource, recruiters can take their talent sourcing on LinkedIn to the next level.