LinkedIn is by far the largest professional online social network; they are practically unrivaled in 
what they do. It is in the Forbes’ Global 2000 at #1620. Last quarter, they made $2.2 billion. Yet many companies do not yet actively use it for recruitment efforts. It’s clear they are missing out, considering that LinkedIn’s own Global Recruiting Trends Report says 61% of recruiters will look to social professional networks in 2015. Additionally, 38% of surveyed recruiters reported that they had gotten quality hires from social professional networks, up 73% over the past 4 years.
Here are 4 very good reasons not to miss out on LinkedIn as a recruiting tool:
- Job Listings and Apps are Driving Increased Engagement from Job Seekers
LinkedIn is where your prospective hires are looking for jobs. Over the past year, LinkedIn has expanded its job listings from one to four million listings, as part of a drive to make the platform centrally valuable to job seekers. Apps play a major role in this effort, as job search on mobile becomes an everyday reality. Apps include a main LinkedIn client app as well as LinkedIn Connected (which helps you reach out to your connections,) LinkedIn Job Search, and LinkedIn SlideShare.
- LinkedIn’s Tools and Metrics are There to Help You
LinkedIn releases reports on social media recruitment data throughout the year. Powerful analytics drive their business pages, including some premium tools built for recruiting: view a list of users who visited your page recently, allowing you to send personalized recruitment messages to, specifically, job seekers who looked at your company’s page. And LinkedIn’s Advanced Search is your new best friend—it’s amazingly powerful—and surprisingly, not a lot of companies manage to use it. Get an edge on your competition and target your best prospects by location or level of experience.
- LinkedIn’s Profile Options Make Recruiting a Dynamic Experience
With custom banners, video update posts, Spotlight pages and more, the tools LinkedIn offers a company allow for an unparalleled opportunity in promoting talent brand. The industry reflects this—61% of talent brand is built in social professional networks (of which LinkedIn is by far the largest,) according to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends Report. From the moment a prospective hire looks at your profile, you can build their experience to reflect the values of your company, and LinkedIn makes it easy to make your company as attractive to new hires as a marketing department would.
- Your Competitors are Using It!
Your competitors are LinkedIn recruiters! Across the world more recruiters have used LinkedIn this past year than ever before. Three million companies use LinkedIn. At the end of 2014 LinkedIn had 33,271 corporate customers; this is double what they had in 2012: 16,409.
So now what? Take the next step by learning how to maximize your social media recruitment strategy potential on LinkedIn with some expert help. Mary G. White, an expert in business consulting and HR, can walk you through the necessary steps to leverage your company’s LinkedIn page for recruiting. Her webinar, “Creative Ways to Use LinkedIn as a Recruiting Tool,” back on popular demand on Thursday, October 22, 2015 will provide practical, informative advice on using the premier social professional network. The on-demand conference will be available all day. Can’t make the conference date? No problem, it will be available on DVD or as an instant download so you can learn on your schedule.
