LinkedIn is an incredible platform that often scares people away. They fear the complexities of it and don’t always get the same joy scrolling as they would on Instagram or Facebook. But hold on just a second! We are here to tell you that LinkedIn is the perfect platform to leverage when finding and hiring great talent! Read on to learn how.
Create a Job Listing
First things first, and potentially the most obvious, you will want to create a job post. With LinkedIn, the more specific you can be…the better! Candidates want to know if the position is hybrid, remote, or in-person. They want to know what the pay level will be, what benefits are offered, and what the specifics of the job entail. The higher the attention to detail, the higher the number of applicants you will receive.
Post The Job
Next, you will want to post the job for others to see. LinkedIn offers two ways to do this. You can promote the job for free (up to one job listing a month) or you can pay to promote it. LinkedIn automatically surveys the market in your area and makes suggestions regarding how much money you will want to pay to promote in order to get a strong pool of candidates. It is important to know that while it does make suggestions, you are not obligated to spend what they suggest. You determine how much per day you are comfortable with.
If you choose to promote paid and want to move to a free listing, you will have to close the job and list it again. However, if you wish to upgrade from a free listing to a paid, you can do this easily. If you aren’t in a rush, listing for free first is low risk and worth it!
Vet Candidates
LinkedIn will automatically sort candidates into four categories dependent upon what it thinks you are looking for. It will automatically separate them based on location and years of experience. If someone’s years of experience are not a high priority or if the position is remote, you will want to be sure you dig into all applicants because you would hate for an amazing candidate to get lost in the shuffle.
As you review the applicants, you will have access to their LinkedIn profile and their resume. Here can learn a great deal about your applicant: their job experience to date, connections, and personal voice in their posts. We recommend diving into their resume first to see if they meet the qualifications for the job. Then we often look at their connections to see if they know anyone in the industry that you are connected to. This is a great way to check references! Lastly, we visit their page to see what they are posting. People post what they are passionate about and you can learn a lot about their personality and voice. If the stars align, it is time to make a connection.
Make Connections
A huge benefit to LinkedIn is the messaging feature! You can send a message to an applicant asking follow up questions that can help you further vet your candidates. This amazing little feature can keep you from round 1, 2, and even round 3 interviews! It also gives you the opportunity to get to know them a little better and determine if their character aligns with your business. Pro Tip: you can teach someone to have the level of competence you wish in your business but you can’t teach them to have the character that aligns with your mission statement.
Schedule the Interview
If you feel confident that they are a strong candidate, it is time to schedule the interview. Most of the time this occurs as a Zoom meeting but if you are filling a local position, you will want to meet in person. Be sure that you are prepared for the interview before it begins by curating a list of questions you wish to seek answers to. Pro Tip: if you don’t know what to ask, you will want to download our hiring guide for a printable of top 20 questions!
Hire
You’ve posted, you’ve sorted, you’ve done your research, and you’ve met the candidate. If the stars are aligning and you feel it is a good fit, you will want to hire this incredible candidate!! Within our hiring guide, you can gain access to an offer letter template that can help you and your new hire set clear expectations of the position and compensation so that you can get started working together right away! Pro Tip: Don’t forget to send rejection letters to other candidates. We know this is the tough part but you’ll be glad you took the time to let them know. Besides, some of those great runner ups might apply for future openings!
Next Steps
If you are looking to hire but feeling overwhelmed, grab our Complete Guide to Hiring! Our Complete Guide to Hiring is a 33-page resource with everything you need to get started hiring! Gain access to a worksheets to get you started, a guide with samples on how to write your description, additional places to post your job, vetting tools, interview questions, and 5 templates (including an offer letter!) that are ready for you to take and implement right away!
Still have questions?
We know that there is a lot to sift through when determining what is best as you are building your team! If you are finding yourself with more questions than answers, please reach out to The Abundance Group! You can find us on Instagram @theabundancegroup.
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