Promoting terrific job opportunities is serious business. And nothing is more serious about business than LinkedIn, the professional networking site.
With over 200 million members—in 200 countries—LinkedIn has truly become a global phenomenon. More than 2.6 million businesses now have LinkedIn Company pages, making it a valuable resource for employers, employees and job seekers.
LinkedIn Groups can play a significant role in your recruiting strategy as millions of potential employees add their profiles each year.
LinkedIn: A Matter of Trust
The biggest reason for LinkedIn’s popularity is trust; users look to if for accuracy and veracity. In a recent survey of LinkedIn users, 47 percent say they rely on the site for real word of mouth info on brand experiences; 87 percent trust LinkedIn when making critical business decisions.
This reputation for truthfulness makes LinkedIn a natural for recruiters and candidates—both active and passive—to turn to when looking for quality job posts and genuine career advancement.
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
Network with Professionals in LinkedIn Groups
One of the most popular LinkedIn features is LinkedIn Groups. Groups are where professionals with similar interests, or in the same industry, can share content, place job posts, establish business contacts, and shape reputations as industry experts.
LinkedIn Groups are ideal for employers to network and recruit exceptional talent. Fostering LinkedIn contacts is an effective way to refer potential employees and establish contact for difficult-to-fill positions.
It is just like face-to-face networking, but considerably easier and with a significantly larger reach.
Several Ways to add Job Posts to LinkedIn Groups
As a member of a group, you have three options:
- Use the LinkedIn Commercial Job Posting Service for job posts.
- Search for an existing job post and share it with the group.
- Add a job post to the Jobs Discussion tab.
Even though LinkedIn gives a company different ways to promote job posts, the most effective is the commercial job posting service. Remember, for this method, there are fees involved. The cost for a job post depends on the geographical location. To find out how much it will be for a single job post, go to the Post a Job page. Then enter the location of the job at the bottom of the page.
Employers can also buy a 30-day listing for a job post, or purchase a discounted 5- or 10-pack of job credits.
The Job Discussions Tab
Group members can share and discuss job posts from outside the LinkedIn job post service in the Jobs Discussions tab of the group. A job post on the job discussions tab is easy; simply copy and paste the short-URL into a post in LinkedIn Groups. Job seekers can follow the link back to the original job post to apply.
The job post link will refer interested candidates to the company website or other location, such as posts through Ovation Technologies. Ovation helps you broadcast posts to a wide range of social networks (including LinkedIn), as well as job boards, social media and more.
Although there is no charge for posting on a group’s discussion tab, timing is limited. The page automatically removes the job post after 14 days.
Best Practices for Job Posts in LinkedIn Groups
- If you can, put a LinkedIn share button on every job post. This way, all interested parties—even those who not right for the position, but know someone who is—can pass it on to others in their network.
- When using the discussions tab for job posts, it is essential to avoid appearing to spam the group. Group managers and administrators monitor all posts and have the ability to move, cancel or reassign job posts they consider spam. Too many unrelated job posts and you risk being dropped from the group.
- LinkedIn Group members with good reputations, those regularly engaging in the group, will have the most successful job posts. Your best bet for participation is to start by asking and answering relevant questions, post related content and participate in discussions. Your standing in a LinkedIn Group is crucial, and can be vital to having a job post looked on favorably. A good group member will gain exposure to a larger audience of qualified professionals.
Yes, a good reputation on LinkedIn Groups means work. However, a long-term recruitment strategy for your business is certainly worth the effort, especially when you find your next superstar employee!
In the pursuit of the best employees, companies are using innovative methods to find the right people. Social networks are a great venue to post job ads. Up to 60% of businesses will use them this year either exclusively or in conjunction with other recruiting methods.
