How to Reach Out to a Recruiter on LinkedIn (+ Examples)
10 min read
With a membership that is rapidly approaching one billion users, LinkedIn’s reputation as one of the top social media platforms for business professionals is well-earned. Each day, millions of professionals connect with one another to share ideas, build relationships, and develop their careers.
It’s also a popular platform for recruiters, who regularly use it as a tool to identify and reach out to new talent for their client companies. But what if you want to know how to reach out to a recruiter on LinkedIn, rather than just waiting for them to find you?
In this post, we will consider why you might want to initiate that outreach yourself and explain the best ways to achieve that connection. We will also examine some examples of messages that you can use to make first contact with a recruiter on LinkedIn.
Why learn how to reach out to a recruiter on LinkedIn?
If you’re not familiar with how recruiters operate, you might wonder why you would even need to consider reaching out to one of these professionals on a site like LinkedIn. That’s especially true if you’re accustomed to relying on traditional job posting outlets to learn about new opportunities. Here’s the thing, though: there are a lot of job opportunities that never get published publicly. That means that you may never hear about those open positions unless you have the right network connections.
With those facts in mind, it’s easy to understand how you can benefit from making recruiters a part of your job networking strategy. Once you’ve established a rapport with a successful recruiter, you can gain access to new job opportunities, obtain invaluable guidance to enhance your career journey, and acquire insight into the steps you need to take to reach your career goals. Over time, you can also enhance your professional brand by working with an expert who understands your industry and its needs.
Tips you can use to contact a recruiter
Of course, that all raises some interesting and important questions. For example,
What do you need to do to reach out to a recruiter and begin that relationship?
Do you just start messaging recruiters on LinkedIn and hope they respond?
Is there a better way to navigate the opening stages of that contact process?
The following tips can help you sort out those questions and successfully learn how to reach out to a recruiter on LinkedIn.
1. Start by overhauling your LinkedIn profile
Before you even bother reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn, you should first make sure that your LinkedIn profile is ready for their review. The last thing you want to do is contact a recruiter and have them visit your page – only to find a disorganized mess that does nothing to sell your value as a professional.
Take the time to optimize your page by:
Adding a professional headshot that can make a lasting positive impression on visitors
Crafting a compelling headline that advertises your unique value proposition
Creating a dynamic summary that conveys your professional narrative to prospective employers and recruiters
Inserting industry and job-related keywords that make your profile easy for others to find
Highlighting your core skills, experiences, and achievements, with an emphasis on the value you’ve provided for prior employers.
Customizing your URL so that it is easier for others to remember
Expanding your network by making valuable connections with others in your field
Remain active and post relevant content
Asking for recommendations and providing recommendations to others
Regularly updating your job status, skills, and other important information
2. Find the right recruiter
Once you’ve got your LinkedIn profile ready for public review, it’s time to move on to the next stage of your plan: contacting the recruiter. Before you can do that, however, you will first need to find the right recruiter to contact.
Here, you can use LinkedIn’s search features to identify recruiters in your industry. You can search for them by industry and region to find an active recruiter who is working in your general area. If possible, do a little research to see how much you can learn about that person’s recruiting activities prior to reaching out to them.
3. Begin your outreach outside of LinkedIn
You should resist the urge to make that initial connection through LinkedIn since they may not immediately respond to someone they don’t recognize. Instead, begin by locating a recruiter on a different social media outlet, like X (the platform formerly known as Twitter).
When you start following that recruiter on a different platform, they will receive a new follower notification – including your name. That notification will help increase the odds that they recognize your name when you eventually reach out to them on LinkedIn. Of course, you can do more than just follow them if you want. You can also respond to their social media posts, report their content, and interact with them prior to sending that first LinkedIn message.
4. Send an initial connection request
Once you’ve done everything you can to introduce your name outside of LinkedIn, it’s time to send that first connection request via your LinkedIn account. This request should be a relatively brief message that formally introduces you to the recruiter in a compelling way. The goal here is to capture their attention with a message that is interesting enough to make them want to connect with you.
Remember these simple tips when you’re creating that connection request:
How you connect may depend on which type of account you’re using. Premium account users can connect directly via the InMail feature, even with people who are not currently part of their network. Free account users will need to deliver their message by using the Connect button on that person’s profile page.
Make sure that your connection request includes a personalized message. Never send a connection request without that introductory message since it will likely be ignored. In that message, try to give them a reason to want to respond by either noting some common interest or history, mutual friend, or colleague that you share. For example:
“Hello, Stephen. I found you on X and have been enjoying your insights and advice for some time. I am currently a marketing advisor in the greater Memphis area and have been searching for new career advancement opportunities in that field. I would be thrilled to receive any advice and guidance that you might be able to offer me. Would you be open to connecting with me for further discussion?”
Examples of messages you can use to reach out to recruiters
Once a recruiter responds positively to your connection request, the next step is to begin a more productive dialogue with them. You can either continue to reach out to the recruiter on LinkedIn by sending direct messages or send them an email message. You can often find email addresses on their profile page in their contact information.
The message you send the recruiter can include more information about your professional experience and skills, along with some brief details describing the type of career opportunities you’re currently seeking. Think of this as your opportunity to market your capabilities. Remember to focus on the value you can offer to employers since you want the recruiter to be able to properly assess you as a candidate. After all, they need to be able to clearly understand why they should invest their time in connecting you with an employer.
Here's an example of the type of message you can send in that first follow-up after they accept your connection:
“Hello again, Stephen. I know you’re a busy person, so I want to thank you for taking the time to connect with me. As I mentioned in my initial message, I’m an experienced marketing advisor who’s currently looking for new opportunities in my field. While I am interested in a new, challenging role with a dynamic company, I would also appreciate any advice you might have to offer that could help me refine my career path.
Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to work in roles where I’ve led teams and projects that have dramatically expanded my employers’ market reach, customer acquisition, and brand loyalty. I would love to hear your thoughts on how I might be able to have an even greater impact in my industry. Are you aware of any companies that could benefit from my experience and skills?
I have also attached my resume for your consideration. Thank you again for your time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if there is anything I can do that will be of service to you.”
Never “ghost” a recruiter
When you’re learning how to reach out to a recruiter on LinkedIn, don’t forget to monitor your communications on that platform. The last thing you want to do is miss a reply. If you fail to respond to an email, LinkedIn message, or phone call from a recruiter, you could run the risk of alienating them and destroying that connection. Even if you find a great job before the recruiter locates one for you, respond to their messages. It only takes a few minutes to compose a message that lets a recruiter know that you’ve found a position.
Maintain an open dialogue
Like other network connections, recruiters are more than just assets that you can call upon when you need help. They should be looked at as meaningful connections, which means that you should invest time and energy to develop a professional relationship with any recruiters who are willing to connect with you. In addition, you should be prepared to follow up with a recruiter on LinkedIn until you get the results you are seeking.
If you’ve sent your resume and the recruiter hasn’t responded except to let you know that they received it, try to ensure that they don’t forget about you. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should send them daily reminders – in fact, that would be annoying for most recruiters. But you can do other things to remind them that you’re still alive and active:
Consider dropping them a short message every few months to ask if they’ve come across any openings that might be a good fit for you
When you see an interesting article or news item, forward it to them
Periodically send a message to ask if there’s anything you can do for them
Engage with any content they post on LinkedIn’s feed
Knowing how to reach out to a recruiter on LinkedIn can help you in your job search!
If you’ve thought about getting more help with your job search, learning how to reach out to a recruiter on LinkedIn can be a great place to start. Just update your LinkedIn page, do your research to locate the right recruiter, create a compelling message, and follow up to strengthen that relationship. The recruiter you connect with today could be the key that opens the door to tomorrow’s great job opportunity!
Want to make sure your resume is ready to capture a recruiter’s interest? Get a free resume review from our experts today!
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Written by
Ken Chase, Freelance Writer
During Ken's two decades as a freelance writer, he has covered everything from banking and fintech to business management and the entertainment industry. His true passion, however, has always been focused on helping others achieve their career goals with timely job search and interview advice or the occasional resume consultation. When he's not working, Ken can usually be found adventuring with family and friends or playing fetch with his demanding German Shepherd. Read more resume advice from Ken on ZipJob’s blog.
