How to Connect with Recruiters on LinkedIn

Most job applicants don’t realize they should connect with recruiters on LinkedIn because of how much sway recruiters have in the hiring process. Many people try to apply to jobs by connecting with recruiters on LinkedIn, but often underestimate how many people do this on a daily basis, and how hard it is to stand out from the crowd.

In this article, we’ll give you 3 tips that will help you effectively connect with recruiters on LinkedIn to accelerate your job search, and provide tested message templates for when you’re ready to start your outreach.

You can also take our LinkedIn Profile Assessment, and you’ll get our FREE LinkedIn profile checklist to make sure your LinkedIn profile is the best it can be.

Your primary goal when you connect with recruiters on LinkedIn is to ask for an introduction to someone who currently works in the role you’re interested in.

There are three good reasons why this is the right way to connect with recruiters on LinkedIn.

Recruiters, like most people, want to help those who help themselves

This message shows that you are proactive and taking the right steps in your job search process, which means you have a skill that’s desirable to any company.

You’re demonstrating you have effective problem-solving skills

This is skill that is applicable to all industries. You emphasize that, as an outsider, you cannot assess if you would be a good fit for the role. Though, connecting with someone currently occupying that position would be the quickest way to learn more and make a determination.

You’re demonstrating you’re polite and considerate

Although you’re still asking a favor, a personalized request will always be better received than a generic one. So when reaching out to recruiters, make sure your ask is specific. This also demonstrates you’re aware you’re asking someone for their precious time, and have a good, and specific reason to do so.

Here’s why you should always connect with someone who is already working in the position you’re applying for.

Not only will this make you a more attractive candidate during the interview process, but it will also help you figure out if the day-to-day work is something that suits you. To avoid discovering that the job you landed isn’t what you were expecting, it’s important to do your research upfront.

Here’s the three-step process to effectively connect with someone who is already working in a position you’re applying

Step One: Send a LinkedIn connection request to a recruiter, and include a personalized message, before bringing up that you’d like to connect with someone in the role.

A message that has the highest likelihood of getting the recruiter to accept your connection request has one or more of the following 3 components.

• You relate with them in some way
• you compliment them
• You add some sort of value

Let’s say you’re interested in a product marketing position at a technology company, here’s what your message could look like.

“Hi Phoebe, I see that we’re both working for tech companies based out of New York, and that you also went to undergrad in Atlanta. Would love to connect with someone with so many shared connections in the city if you’re open to it!”

Notice we didn’t yet bring up the request to talk to someone in the role you’re applying for. This first step is all about getting the recruiter to accept your connection request and start to engage.

Step Two: When your request is accepted, write the message asking to be connected with someone working in the role that you’re applying for.

Here’s a template of what that message could look like.

“Hi Phoebe, thanks for accepting my connection request. I saw you have an open product marketing manager role. I’m in the middle of a job search and I’m doing some research to understand whether I’d be a good fit. Is there someone on the team you could connect me with to have a chat about the role? I’m currently working in product marketing at a similar tech company, so I’d love to learn more about the day-to-day and team culture to ensure if I do apply, that I’m a good fit for what the team is looking for.”

Here’s a breakdown of the important parts of this message.

• You’re able to send a longer message than the first one now that you’re connected on LinkedIn and have established some sort of rapport.
• You’ve demonstrated that you’re most likely a high-quality candidate because you work at a similar company and are already working in this type of role.
• You’ve shown that I’m considerate of the recruiter’s time by mentioning that you want to do more research before scheduling a meeting.
• You’ve made the request to be put in touch with someone on the team.
• Step 3: Follow up with the recruiter after your conversation with a team member.

The goal of this message is to stay at the top of a recruiter’s mind, show you have the necessary skill-set, and demonstrate that you have a strong desire to join the company.

Here’s an example of a follow-up message after you’ve chatted with a team member.

“Hi Phoebe, wanted to update you and let you know that my conversation with Gigi went great. Thank you again for making that connection. I learned a ton about the amazing work the team is doing I hadn’t realized before, like the initiative to integrate AR technology into the product. After chatting with Gigi, I’m super interested in joining the product marketing, and I would love to officially reply for the role and send over my resume and materials. I’m confident I have both the management skills and product marketing experience to thrive in the role and the ability to positively contribute to the team. What makes the most sense for next steps?”

Here’s a breakdown of the important parts of this message.

• Bring up something specific from the conversation shows the recruiter that your professional interest are aligned with the company and team’s directives.
• Reinforce your strong desire to join the team.
• Ask to send over a resume or instructions for the next best steps.
• Bring up a specific skill the recruiter is likely looking for in a strong candidate.

Using this outreach framework is a low-risk tactic that is likely to materially help you in your job search process.

While the recruiter may not put you in touch with a team member, remember that it’s a recruiter’s job to source high-quality candidates, and you’re actually making their life easier by being active in the recruitment process.

Most recruiters will provide you with some kind of path to bring you into the recruitment process, like setting up a screening call with someone on the recruitment team, or forwarding your resume directly to the hiring manager.

These alternatives are infinitely better than applying through the website and getting lost in the stack of what may sometimes be hundreds of candidates for the role.

By following the three simple steps outlined in this article, you can increase your chances of landing a job interview. The most important thing to remember is that it’s important to be proactive and reach out to recruiters instead of waiting for them to find you, and ask to be connected with someone in the role you’re interested in applying for.

Don’t forget to take our FREE LinkedIn Profile Assessment to make sure your LinkedIn Profile is the best it can be, including our LinkedIn Profile checklist.