LinkedIn Tips to Help You Connect with the Right Candidates

Scientific recruiting often requires a unique approach, because there are smaller pools of candidates who are qualified to work in such technical positions. If you consistently turn to the standard job boards that many other companies use, it is likely that you are going to come up with dismal results.

Luckily, there are common online resources that are perfect to help you connect with the candidates who possess the skill sets that you need. Many companies are finding scientific candidates on LinkedIn; Herd Wisdom published information showing that 85% of recruiters have said that they hired candidates through the social network.

Here are a few tips to help you leverage LinkedIn in order to maximize your results:

Free Ways to Use LinkedIn

If you have a tight recruiting budget, you are probably looking to use LinkedIn without spending a lot of money. Here are a few ways to use the platform for free and still find the right candidates:

• Use the Search Feature: As you would expect, the advanced search feature on LinkedIn will help you search your connections’ profiles. You can narrow down the results, and additional filters are available for upgraded accounts. It’s not necessary to have the paid LinkedIn account though, especially if you are creative with the search terms that you are using.

To get the most out of this feature, you should be using LinkedIn yourself, joining relevant groups and interacting with other users. That’s a solid way to grow your connections, thus expanding the potential of the advanced search feature.

• Post in Group Pages: On that note, if there are any groups related to your industry, post a message about the job opening that’s available. You can also search through the members’ portion of the group to find candidates that have keywords matching your search terms.

• Setup Saved Searches Weekly Alerts: Instead of manually completing the same search over and over again, setup saved searches that will send you alerts on a weekly basis. This way the information will come to you consistently, so that you don’t miss out on the opportunity of connecting with potential candidates.

Paid Option: Use LinkedIn Recruiter

LinkedIn Recruiter is a tool that can help you target people who are actively looking for work, as well as passive candidates. Share job details with highly skilled individuals who are looking to make a change in their career. At the same time, you can message any candidate, allowing you to encourage the right person to consider the benefits that your company can offer. Their dashboard serves as a “command central”: work with your team members, set reminders, and create folders to organize the hunt. (If you’re not looking for a platform approach, you can aways post more one-off listings.)

This tool on LinkedIn is ideal for scientific recruiting, because it allows specialized searches so that you can identify people who have the exact skill set that you need. It can be used to fill all types of positions, whether you are hiring for a high level, technical position or an entry level scientific position.

How have you used LinkedIn for recruiting?