By Michal Jonca
Recruiters may get a lot of benefits from LinkedIn, but only if they use it correctly. According to the Passport Photo Online LinkedIn Recruiting research, most recruiters are making frequent mistakes that might jeopardize their recruiting efforts before they even start. Let’s have a look at some of the biggest LinkedIn hiring blunders committed by recruiters and employers.
Candidate Outreach and Communication
LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media platforms among job seekers, with 77 percent of professionals expressing optimism or very great hope that employers will contact them on LinkedIn. The majority (64 percent) are fine with two to three follow-ups.
At the same time, sixty-two percent of respondents have a negative or extremely negative view of employers who ghost them (i.e., by not responding to their applications or inquiries).
That’s crucial since 63 percent of respondents said they would avoid applying for jobs from firms that had previously ghosted them. Make sure you respond promptly to all job applications and queries if you want to maintain a positive reputation for recruiting top talent. For more tips, make sure you read the All-inclusive guide to the Linkedin recruiter.
5 reasons why job candidates don’t respond to recruiters’ communications
Over a half of surveyed candidates pointed out to five most common reasons why they ignore recruiters’ messages. Those are:
- too generic message (according to 58 percent of professionals);
- the job opportunity doesn’t fit the candidate’s experience and/or skills (57 percent);
- the firm has a poor online presence on LinkedIn. (55 percent);
- the recruiter might be too reliant on corporate jargon and buzzwords. (52 percent);
- grammatical errors in the outreach message (51 percent).
Job Description
One of the most common mistakes employers make when recruiting on LinkedIn is an uninteresting job advertisement. It’s important that your employment ad be attention-grabbing and indicate what to anticipate from the position since it’ll be the first thing prospective employees notice. It’s a good idea to keep your job ad brief and succinct with a clear emphasis on the role.
The majority of interviewed professionals agreed that the following are the most important aspects of any employment ad:
- title (69 percent);
- location (62 percent);
- a job summary – simply an overview of the firm’s operations and responsibilities (61 percent);
- the type of employment – if it’s remote, on-site, or hybrid (58 percent);
- perks and benefits (58 percent);
- key duties (54 percent);
- experiences and required skills (53 percent).
Salary transparency
The salary information in job advertisements is important to a vast majority of professionals (95 percent). Even 69 percent are likely or extremely likely to skip LinkedIn job advertisements without a salary range, according to the survey. Surprisingly, only 12 percent of employment ads include wages.
Spiced-up job titles
64 percent of job seekers feel positive or very positive about employers using terms like “rockstar”, “superstar”, or “Jedi” in their job postings.
Ageist and sexist language
Using ageist or sexist language in your ad is a big blunder. This might turn away potential applicants, especially if they don’t feel they are “the type” you’re looking for. Using phrases like “digital native” or “tech-savvy,” for example, may be interpreted as ageist since they exclude older people.
Why is it crucial to avoid gender-specific or ageist language? According to respondents, 69 percent are likely to skip job advertisements on LinkedIn if they use exclusive language.
Candidate Expectations in the Application Process
The application procedure is another area where recruiters frequently fail. 64 percent of professionals find it inconvenient to have to fill out an application after completing a resume on LinkedIn.
According to SHRM, the majority of people abandon a job application halfway through due to its length or complexity. In this situation, it’s critical to keep the time it takes for candidates to apply under 15 minutes.
Candidates are also unenthusiastic about interview responsibilities. 14 percent find it extremely annoying, 34 percent – quite annoying, and 15 percent – slightly annoying.
To reduce the pain, you may offer financial compensation for completed interview activities, especially those that take a long time.
The Takeaway
The most crucial thing to remember when using LinkedIn to find people is to be clear, succinct, and include a salary range in your job ads. You should also devote time to developing a strong company profile and delivering a positive applicant experience throughout the application process. If you can accomplish these goals, you’ll be well on your way to attracting top talent through LinkedIn.
About the Author
Michal Jonca is passionate about travel and food experiences who visited 40+ countries on four continents. He is a Travel Leader at the largest adventurous travel company Solisci and the Community Manager at PhotoAiD.
After spending a couple of months in Thailand, he currently enjoys a new workation adventure in Georgia and Armenia. You can follow his Instagram profile @opowiescipodrozne