Power Formula LinkedIn Blog

What percentage of your LinkedIn connections are in your target audience?

That's a question I've been asking the people with whom I've had one-on-one consultations over the past few years. Here are the answers I get from the majority of the people:
.

• I don't know
• Never thought about that
• Maybe 10 to 15 percent

That tells me most people aren't being very strategic in adding connections to their LinkedIn networks and maybe need a little tuneup on how to strategically grow their networks.

Building a strong network is one of the main strategies I'll be addressing in great detail at my upcoming virtual workshop "Using LinkedIn to Generate a Steady Stream of Sales Prospects" on March 28. Here is a link to check out the details and register: https://linkedinsalesspring2022.eventbrite.com
.

Who should be in your network?

Let's start with this idea. Connections are the gas in your LinkedIn tank, and every time you connect with someone on LinkedIn, it affects the quality of your network—just like the quality of the gas you purchase affects how your car runs. In other words, not all connections are created equal.

Most people add connections haphazardly, but to be highly successful on LinkedIn it's important to develop a strategy for growing a dynamic network that will help you reach your most ambitious goals.

Everyone's situation is unique, but here are some general suggestions that will help you understand what types of people you should connect with to strengthen your network and help you grow your business, find a job, enhance your brand, or assist your favorite nonprofit.
.

Who can help you generate sales leads, market your company's products and services, and grow your business?
.

• Individuals who are the direct decision-makers for the purchase of your products and services
• People who are indirectly involved in the decision to purchase your products and services (strategic influencers or people from the company who weigh in on the decision)
• High-ranking officers at the companies that purchase your products and services, even if they're not the direct decision-makers
• Individuals who hang around with the people listed in the first two bullets (probably deliver similar services to the same purchasers)
• People who are recognized industry experts
• Leaders of your industry associations and/or people who manage industry events
• Individuals who are well networked in your region or industry
• Experts who provide educational content for the industry
  .

Who can help you find a new job or advance your career?
.

• People who work in your industry and region
• People who work for companies you are interested in
• Recruiters who specialize in your industry
• Consultants and experts in your industry
• Human resources professionals who work at your target companies
  .

Who can help you enhance your personal brand?
.

• People who have had similar career paths to yours
• Leaders in your industry associations
• Individuals who have large networks (LinkedIn or otherwise) concentrated in your region or industry
• People who work for some of the well-respected companies in your region and industry
  .

Who can help your favorite nonprofit thrive?
.

• People who volunteer for or sit on boards of similar nonprofits
• Individuals who work at large corporations, foundations, etc. and tend to support nonprofits like yours
• People who are involved in groups that have large volunteer pools (e.g., religious organizations, schools, clubs, etc.)
• People who work for media outlets

If you strategically improve the quality of your LinkedIn network by connecting with the above-referenced people, you'll be better positioned to grow your business, find a job, enhance your brand, or assist your favorite nonprofit.

A final reminder, if you'd like more winning LinkedIn sales strategies, be sure to register soon for my workshop Using LinkedIn to Generate a Steady Stream of Sales Prospects on March 28 by clicking here. 

 

Ever wonder if you are doing the right things on LinkedIn in order to get the most out of the site?

Well, LinkedIn has an awesome FREE grading system called the LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI). However, most people have not taken advantage of it.

And don't be turned off by the word "selling" just because you're not a salesperson. Let's face it—we're all selling something. If you're not selling products or services, you're selling yourself or your organization every day. And with the rise of social media, this has never been more true.

Get your score by simply clicking the Get your score free button on this page: https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/social-selling/the-social-selling-index-ssi

By the way, I'll be discussing easy ways to improve your SSI score as well as lots of tips, tricks, and strategies for growing your brand and making more money at my virtual workshop Using LinkedIn to Generate a Steady Stream of Sales Prospects. The workshop will be on March 28, noon-2pm CT. No worries if you're busy, because all registrants will receive a recording of the session.

What's your score?

Yes, 100 is a perfect score, and I doubt anyone has achieved that score other than maybe Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn) or Ryan Roslansky (current CEO of LinkedIn). But be sure to look past just the raw score and see how you rank in your industry and your network, both in total and in each of the four scoring categories (maximum of 25 points for each category). Also, take note of the trend line for your score. These spots are where the information gets particularly helpful for you personally.

What is SSI and why should you care?

LinkedIn came up with SSI to score sales professionals and their corporate teams and track improvement and results, thus proving the ROI from upgrading to their most expensive premium sales upgrade called Sales Navigator. So, of course, LinkedIn has a motive for spending time and effort to generate this information. They're hoping companies will upgrade all their salespeople to Sales Navigator.

However, now all users can learn and improve by tracking their Social Selling Index (SSI). It's easy to set goals after you receive your score from LinkedIn.

LinkedIn surveyed over 5,000 sales professionals, and they've shared the following fairly significant results that demonstrate the importance of becoming an SSI leader:
.

• SSI leaders create 45% more opportunities per quarter than SSI laggards
• SSI leaders are 51% more likely to hit quota than SSI laggards
• 78% of social sellers outsell peers who don't use social media

How does LinkedIn determine your SSI score?

Your SSI score is based on what LinkedIn refers to as "The Four Pillars of Social." 

1. Establish your professional brand. Complete your profile with the customer in mind. Become a thought leader by publishing meaningful posts.

2. Find the right people. Identify better prospects in less time using efficient search and research tools.

3. Engage with insights. Discover and share conversation-worthy updates to create and grow relationships.

4. Build relationships. Strengthen your network by connecting and establishing trust with decision makers.

I'm in total agreement with LinkedIn that these are the four critical elements for getting results from all your social media channels—and not just for selling purposes but also for growing your brand, improving your business and personal marketing, and finding your next great job.

And just in case you're wondering, my SSI is currently 86, and I rank in the top 1% of my industry and network—but I won't be happy until I get to 100. I only scored 16.42 out of 25 in the "Engage with Insights" category, and I'm going to work on that.

So get busy and see how much you can improve your score and then reap the business and career benefits.
.

REMINDER:  Using LinkedIn to Generate a Steady Stream of Sales Prospects Workshop

If you'd like to learn more simple ways to not only improve your SSI but to find and connect with more prospects, grow your brand, and make more money with LinkedIn, register now for my upcoming two-hour workshop on March 28. Click here to get more details and register. And remember—if you aren't able to attend the live virtual event, your registration includes a link to the recording.

 

If you owned or managed a retail store and someone walked into the store, what would you do? Obviously, you'd say, How can I help you? and engage in a conversation, because the person may be interested in what you have to sell.

LinkedIn has something similar to your very own retail store—your profile. People are viewing your profile (stopping into your store) each and every day. So why not take these visits seriously and engage in a conversation with at least some of your visitors.

LinkedIn's Who's Viewed Your Profile feature can help you with this. However, in spite of this feature's tremendous potential, it's a bit confusing to navigate, so most users fail to capitalize on it. And if you're trying to fill open positions at your company, you certainly want to know how to use this feature.

To learn all of my secrets for capitalizing on LinkedIn's recruiting potential, join me on Monday, February 28, from noon-1:30PM CT, for my 90-minute webinar Using LinkedIn to Recruit Top Talent Without a Premium Account. 
.

How to access Who's Viewed Your Profile and how it works

To access this feature, click the words Who's viewed your profile on the left side of your home page.

If you're on the free account, you'll see some of the details on the last five people ("stalkers") who looked at your profile. Premium members see the same amount of details but have access to a list of all of their stalkers for the last 90 days.

The details you see for each stalker is based on a setting chosen by the stalker and not by you. Thus, even with a paid account, you'll see no more than the person has chosen to reveal to you. But the good news is that the vast majority of LinkedIn users give you access to their full name and title.
.

How to adjust your settings when you're viewing people's profiles

Go to your Me tab on the top toolbar and select Settings & Privacy. Then select Visibility in the sidebar menu, and click the first option, Profile viewing options. There are three options to choose from.

Personally, I want my name and headline to show up in every possible place. Hey, it's free advertising. But you may have a different strategy.

If you choose full disclosure but want to be anonymous for a short time while you stalk, say, a competitor, change your setting to Private mode while you gather your competitive intelligence. But don't forget to change it back when you're done, because on the free account LinkedIn penalizes you for choosing Private mode.

When you're in the private mode on the free version of LinkedIn, you cannot see who looked at your profile. They also remove the five people who looked at your profile immediately prior to your choice to remain anonymous. So you'll want to check out the list before changing your setting.
.

Why should you care who's looking at your profile?

People typically don't look at LinkedIn profiles to pass the time when they're bored. Trust me—if someone is on your list, one of three things has probably happened:

1.  Someone has referred you. In other words, someone you know has passed along your name and maybe some information about you with a statement like, "Check out Wayne Breitbarth's profile; this guy really knows his LinkedIn stuff."

or

2.  You stood out in a LinkedIn search, a discussion, a comment you posted, or LinkedIn selected you to be listed in one of these features—People Also Viewed and People You May Know—and the person was interested in seeing more, so (s)he clicked through to your profile.

or

3.  Someone is looking for a job and is interested in your company. They might have found you through a general search or found your profile on your LinkedIn company page and decided to take a look.

But no matter how the person found your profile, it's a good thing he or she is there!
.

What should you do with this list of stalkers?

There's nothing you can do if they've chosen to be totally anonymous or mostly anonymous. But if any of the others look interesting to you, click through and review their profiles to see if there's any reason to message them (if they're already a first-degree connection) or connect with them. They obviously have an interest in you, so you should probably contact them if they look interesting to you.

Remember, with a free account you only see the last five people who've viewed your profile. So check your list frequently. You wouldn't want to miss someone who's dying to be your next customer, future employer, or exceptional employee.
.

Final thoughts

The more time I spend using this feature and discussing it with LinkedIn power users, the more I understand why Who's Viewed Your Profile is a top-rated feature on LinkedIn.

And if you're looking for some great new employees at your company, why not attend my February 28 webinar  Using LinkedIn to Recruit Top Talent Without a Premium Account.  I'll show you how to capitalize on this feature as well as other valuable features for finding and attracting top-notch candidates.

LinkedIn's database includes over 800 million professionals, and smart companies are capitalizing on this massive database. However, LinkedIn is not very user-friendly when it comes to searching for great new employees.

LinkedIn's simple solution is to purchase their Recruiter product—but Recruiter licenses come at an annual cost of $6,000 to $8,000 per user.

Well, as a past CFO myself, I never really thought much of one-size-fits-all solutions—especially those with hefty price tags.

So, as your trusted LinkedIn advisor, I have some simple ideas to help you use LinkedIn to recruit great employees for your organization, and my solutions have the perfect price tag—FREE!

To learn all of my secrets for capitalizing on LinkedIn's recruiting potential, join me on Monday, February 28, from noon-1:30PM CT, for my 90-minute webinar Using LinkedIn to Recruit Top Talent Without a Premium Account. 

If you can't attend live, no worries, because you'll receive a link to view the recording at your leisure. Seating is limited, so grab your seat now at https://feb22linkedinrecruiting.eventbrite.com.

Here is a sneak peek at a few of the secrets I'll be sharing.

Personal status update. Share a status update to ask your network if they know of anyone who is qualified for the position you're attempting to fill. People in your network know you well and understand the nature of your company. If someone in your network is aware of a prospective candidate, he/she should be able to quickly introduce you to the candidate.

This is the easiest and most efficient way to find your next hire. I suggest you post your request a couple times per week, maybe even once on the weekend.

To get additional exposure, ask a few of your most connected coworkers or friends to like, comment on, or share the post. That will get the post in front of all their connections as well.

I know a president of a local company who found a new VP for his company in just five days after using a status update to ask his network for help. Think of the time and money that saved him.

Company page post. On your LinkedIn company page, post a similar update. This shares the information with all followers of your company page. Job seekers interested in working for your company are probably among your followers.

To broaden your reach beyond your followers, ask your employees to like, comment on, or share this update so all their connections view it as well.

Consider “pinning” your status update to the top of the update feed.

Company Followers.  Review the list of your company followers periodically to look for good candidates. Several HR directors have told me they found the exact right candidate (sometimes working for competitors) in that list of followers just waiting to be contacted.

If you are an administrator of your company page, you can view a list of your followers, in reverse chronological order of when they began following your company. Go to your company page, and just click the word followers next to your number of followers (see screenshot). If you find someone interesting, consider sending a connection request (or InMail) with a message asking them if they might be interested in a role with your company.

On Monday, February 28, I'll cover these strategies in depth and many more—including a simple way to start receiving regular notices from LinkedIn that include prequalified candidates for your job openings.

Be one of the smart companies that uses LinkedIn to recruit and hire top talent—without a premium account.

Get more info about the webinar and register here: https://feb22linkedinrecruiting.eventbrite.com

Have you taken advantage of your free LinkedIn job posting?

What???  You didn't know you could do that?

Yes, and it has been that way for quite a while now. However, in typical LinkedIn fashion, they failed to let you know.

Here is an article from the LinkedIn Help Center that will give you the blow-by-blow details. Of course, they will encourage you to boost that free job post, but you don't have to do it.

https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/121660

But is that really the only way—or the best way—to use LinkedIn to find your next great employee?

My answer to that question is a solid "maybe." It might be all you need to do, but my experience in working with lots of companies is that it isn't the only thing you need to do. What really works is to put together multiple LinkedIn strategies in addition to just posting the job and hoping people will find the post.

During my upcoming virtual workshop Using LinkedIn to Recruit Top Talent Without a Premium Account on February 28, I'll show you eight ways to effectively use free LinkedIn to directly find and reach out to people who have the perfect experience for your open position. You can check out the details of that workshop and register here.

Here is a preview of just one of the eight highly productive LinkedIn strategies I will be sharing during the workshop.

LinkedIn Alumni Tab on the University Page. Use the Alumni feature to find potential candidates who attended a specific school. Fellow alumni of the schools you attended is a good place to start.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. In the large search box on your top toolbar, type the name of the school you're interested in. When it shows up in the drop-down list, choose that entry—or you can just click the name of a school on anyone’s profile.

2. Once you're on the university's page, click the Alumni tab. This will take you to that school's Alumni page.

3. You can now filter the entire list by entering words in the Search alumni by title, keyword or company box, entering years in the Start year and End year boxes, or selecting or entering information into one or more of these six columnar filters:

• • • Where they live
    • Where they work
    • What they do
    • What they studied
    • What they are skilled at
    • How you are connected

If you are looking for a person from a certain age group or years of experience, use the Start year or End year filters on the top right to find alumni who are probably in that age range. Granted, it isn’t exactly an age search because not everyone gets an undergrad degree at age 22, but it should still provide some valuable information.

4. Once you have selected your filters on the Alumni page by clicking the bars under your desired selections, LinkedIn displays a mini-profile for everyone who meets your filtering criteria.

Without leaving the page, you can send a message to any first-degree connections or use a personalized message to invite anyone on the list to join your network. As part of your personalized invitation, you can begin a conversation about your job opening.

If you'd like to see this strategy demonstrated on live LinkedIn or learn about my other seven proven ways to find great employees with a free LinkedIn account, then join me on February 28—or at least register so you can get the recording after the event. The full 90-minute workshop is only $99 plus fees.

Here is the link to check out all the details and grab your seat:

https://feb22linkedinrecruiting.eventbrite.com

 

LinkedIn just keeps the changes coming, and today I will focus on a few of the exciting changes relating to your LinkedIn company page (LinkedIn now refers to this simply as your "page"). And more good news—they don't require any kind of premium account or paid advertising.

(Note: If you're not the person responsible for your company's page, be sure to share this article with that person—(s)he will thank you later.)

Note: Don't miss your last chance to register for my virtual workshop next Monday, January 24, Optimize Your LinkedIn Company Page & Effectively Market Your Business. 
.

Best recent LinkedIn changes/updates for your company page

Here are three game-changing LinkedIn company page changes, along with the action you need to take to make sure your company gets the exposure you need to grow your business and attract new employees.

Detailed list of followers. This list was available back in the early days of LinkedIn, then it disappeared, and now it's back. I hope and pray it's here to stay, but—just in case it isn't—be sure to review this list ASAP.

So, what exactly are you looking for?

You're looking to see if there is anyone on the list who looks like a potential employee, customer, supplier, someone you could partner with on a new product or service, etc. These people have made the purposeful choice to follow your page, which means they have an interest in your company. Therefore, it's your job to reach out and inquire about what their interest may be.

The simplest tactic is to send an invitation to connect with a customized note that inquires about their interest in your company. Sure, there will be spammers or totally unrelated people who follow your page, but don't let that fact stop you from finding the gold in that list. Be diligent, and mark your calendar to periodically check out the new followers. They're listed in the order they started following your page, and the month and year they became followers is also listed.

To get to your list of followers, click the down arrow to the right of the Analytics tab on your toolbar. Then select Followers. Scroll down, and you'll see a list of all your followers. The most recent ones will be at the top of the list.

Easy way to invite 100 people to follow your page each month. Another real goodie here (and one that people have been asking for) is each month you can invite a selected group of your personal connections to follow your page—and it's simple, too. Just check the box next to each person's name.

More good news: For every person you've invited who doesn't decide to follow your page, you receive a credit you can use to invite someone else the following month.

These invitations show up in your connections' open invitations list, right along with their new invitations to connect. Therefore, there's a high probability that your notification will be seen, and that's a good thing.

To get started, click the down arrow next to Admin tools on the top right of your company's home page. Please note that you need to be viewing this page in Admin mode and not Member mode in order to see the Admin tools arrow. Once you select Invite connections, you can check off up to 100 of your connections and invite them to follow your company page.

LinkedIn company page activity notifications. I can't believe this took so long, but now you can see exactly who is engaging with any of your company page posts. Because notifications are shown with a bold red indicator, you won't miss any opportunities to engage with the folks who are engaging with your posts.

People engaging with your posts and then you engaging with them will really help the organic reach of your posts. Reaching out to these people will help you strengthen relationships and begin new ones, which should ultimately lead to new customers and talented new employees.

You can access your company page Notifications tab by clicking Activity on your company page toolbar.

These are a few of the most helpful changes LinkedIn has designed for your company page in at least ten years. Take full advantage of them, and not only will you gain some new customers, but you'll undoubtedly discover some terrific new team members as well.

To learn about more terrific changes, how to address the mistakes you're making, and formulate a specific strategy for your company, be sure to check out my January 24 virtual workshop Optimize Your LinkedIn Company Page & Effectively Market Your Business.

 

Connecting with people has always been easier when you know that they attended the same school you did. Those mutual warm, fuzzy feelings can open a lot of doors. Personally, I've done a lot of business with fellow Marquette and UW-Whitewater grads whom I've found on LinkedIn.

The school(s) people attended are prominently displayed on their LinkedIn profiles, which means you can easily search for classmates. But then you can use the numerous filters on your school's Alumni page to laser focus your search for the perfect prospects.

Once you find those prospects, you'll want to reach out to them with a LinkedIn message (if you're already connected to them) or send a personalized invitation to join your network (if they're not already a first-level connection).

If you approach them in a friendly manner, mention that you're a fellow alumnus, and then nurture the relationship, there's a good likelihood that it could lead to your next client, job, employee, or other important business relationship.

Want more actionable strategies like this? Then join me for my upcoming two-hour virtual workshop Using LinkedIn to Generate a Steady Stream of Sales Prospects on December 13. Check out the details and register at https://linkedinsalesdec2021.eventbrite.com. And all registrants get a link to the recording, so you don't have to attend live to get the benefit of this workshop.
.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Using LinkedIn Alumni Page

1. In the large search box on your top toolbar, type the name of the school you're interested in. When it shows up in the drop-down list, choose that entry—or you can just click the name of a school on anyone’s profile.

2. Once you're on the university's page, click the Alumni tab. This will take you to that school's Alumni page.

3. You can now filter the entire list by entering words in the Search alumni by title, keyword or company box, entering years in the Start year and End year boxes, or selecting or entering information into one or more of the six columnar filters which include:
.

• • Where they live
  • Where they work
  • What they do
  • What they studied
  • What they are skilled at
  • How you are connected

If you’ve been looking for a way to sort people by age range, this is your ticket. If you sell products or services to a targeted age group, use the Start year or End year filters on the top right to find alumni who are probably in that age range. Granted, it isn’t exactly an age search because not everyone gets an undergrad degree at age 22, but it should still provide some valuable information.

4. Once you have selected your filters on the Alumni page by clicking the bars under your desired selections, LinkedIn displays a mini-profile for everyone who meets your filtering criteria.

Without leaving the page, you can send a message to any first-degree connections or use a personalized message to invite anyone on the list to join your network.

To learn more quick and easy strategies to improve your sales pipeline, join me on Monday, December 13, for my webinar Using LinkedIn to Generate a Steady Stream of Sales Prospects. 

 

Whether you've had lackluster results this year or great results and you want to keep things rolling in the new year, I've got good news for you. If you follow these simple LinkedIn tips, 2022 just may be your best year ever.

And these suggestions are not just for salespeople and business owners. If you're looking for a new job, in need of volunteers or donors for your nonprofit, or interested in growing a strategic network to accomplish your professional goals, these tips are perfect for you, too.

And here's the really good news. You can do it all with a FREE LinkedIn account.

Outlined below are the "low hanging fruit," the strategies that will produce the most significant results in a short period of time. "Pick" a few and get started today.

Note: I will be covering these strategies and so many more at my upcoming two-hour virtual workshop on December 13. Check out the details and register here.
.

Five LinkedIn strategies that bring big results

After the broad comments, you'll find a link to an article with step-by-step details for executing each strategy.
.

1.  Reach out to targeted members of your network

This strategy works well if you've done a good job of building a network that includes some people with whom you have a high level of trust and will thus be more likely to respond to your request.

Do a search of your first-level connections, and use filters like location, title, industry, current company, etc. Then you'll have a great list of people you can contact with a LinkedIn direct message or by email, phone, etc. and invite them to an event, share important industry news, let them know you'll be in their area, or ask for help with your job search.

I find that many people don't take advantage of this strategy because they don't know how to use LinkedIn's advanced search function.

Additional Resource:  Your LinkedIn Network is a Gold Mine of Opportunity

.
2.  Leverage the networks of your current clients or other referral sources

This is the ultimate referral strategy on LinkedIn. Once you see who knows whom, you can ask for an introduction.

Start by identifying your connections who are well networked and love connecting people with each other. Next, do filtered searches of their networks, and put together a list of six to twelve people you think could improve your chances of landing a new client or that new job. Then contact your connections and ask them to introduce you to the people you've discovered.

Additional Resource: LinkedIn Is the Best Referral Tool You've Ever Had

.
3.  Improve and expand your profile Headline to 220 characters

Headlines are meant to draw attention to the full article or in this case your full profile. Have you taken advantage of the 100-character expansion of this section? If not, get this done right away, including things like additional descriptions of your products and services, your job skills, or a specific call to action (more on that next).

Additional Resource:  How Much is Your LinkedIn Headline Helping You? 

.
4.  Revise your profile to include specific calls to action

Most people's LinkedIn profiles look like resumes—and many times they aren't even good resumes. Don't be one of those people!

Start by thinking of your profile as your main online marketing tool or your weapon to win the professional battle. No matter what your current LinkedIn objective is, you should have several specific calls to action strategically placed in your profile to move readers from being interested to taking action—visiting your website, downloading resources or your resume, viewing video, listening to a podcast, etc.

Additional Resource:  Great, You Viewed My LinkedIn Profile...Now What?

.
5.  Engage directly with LinkedIn users who have viewed your profile or invited you to connect

You'd be surprised how many people do absolutely nothing when others attempt to engage with them on LinkedIn. Granted, there will be spammers who check out your profile or invite you to join their networks, but most people are legitimately interested in engaging with you.

If you're already connected to people who viewed your profile, you may want to send them a note to ask how you can help them.

If you notice that interesting people outside your network have viewed your profile, invite them to join your network and offer them something of value (free quote, white paper, informative video, etc.) or ask if they'd be interested in a phone call or meeting with you.

When you receive an invitation to connect from people you'd like to have in your network, accept their invitation, thank them for reaching out, and propose one of the next steps outlined in the above paragraph.

Additional Resource:  Are the Right People Waiting to Hear From You on LinkedIn?

Now that you know about the "low hanging fruit" on LinkedIn, get busy and put some of these strategies into practice. Then on New Year's Eve 2022, you just may be celebrating one of the best years you've ever had.

A final reminder that I will be sharing a live LinkedIn demo of these strategies and more at my upcoming two-hour virtual workshop on December 13. Check out the details and register here: https://linkedinsalesdec2021.eventbrite.com

And all registrants get a link to the recording, so you don't have to attend live to get the benefit of this workshop.

 

It's amazing to me how many people have been on LinkedIn for six, eight, even ten years or more and still don't know how to find the exact right person on LinkedIn—and it doesn't even require a premium account to do it!

If that sounds like you, I'm about to show you (step by step) how easy it is to search into LinkedIn's 780 million profiles and find top-notch candidates for your job openings. I'll also give you a template for starting conversations with those potential employees.

To learn all of my best strategies for capitalizing on LinkedIn's recruiting potential, join me on Monday, November 15, from noon-1:30PM CT, for my webinar Using LinkedIn to Recruit Top Talent Without a Premium Account.

If you can't attend live, no worries, because you'll receive a link to view the recording at your leisure. Seating is limited, so grab your seat now at https://linkedinrecruitingfall2021.eventbrite.com.

.
Simple steps to discover highly qualified candidates

The key to this strategy is taking advantage of LinkedIn's robust search capabilities and sending a short message (300 characters) to a potential candidate as part of an invitation to connect.

Here are the steps:

To get to all the free Advanced People Search filters, put your cursor in the top search box > click Enter or Return on your keyboard > click the People button on the left of the new toolbar that shows up right below the main toolbar > choose the All filters button on the right of the same toolbar. What then floats in from the right are all the available filters to get yourself the very best list of candidates.

Use these filters when building your Advanced People Search:
.

• Title. Be sure to try some different words for the same job.
  .
• Keywords. Here you can get very creative, using things like specialty software, skills, specific industries, territories or regions of the country, etc. Find interview-ready candidates by including words like pursuing, seeking or looking.
  .
• Companies. Put your competitor's name(s) here. You can choose current or past, based on your desire to hire someone who is still there, has left their employ, or either. This is really helpful. It's how I found the last employee I hired.
  .
• Connections of. Drop the name of one of your connections in this filter box, and then use any of the other filters to get a great list of potential candidates that he or she knows.

Once you find a combination of filters that produces a good list of qualified candidates, spend time reviewing details on the individual profiles of the best-looking candidates.

.
How to engage with impressive candidates

The next step is to click either the Connect button on their profile, or if the Connect button is not on their profile, click the three dots to the right of the Message button, and then you'll have a choice in the drop-down that says Connect.

LinkedIn will then ask if you want to forward a message to the individual (maximum of 300 characters), and in it you can share with them your desire to have them consider your position. This message can vary, but try something like this:

Hello, [insert first name]:

Based on a review of your profile, I think you might be a great fit for an outstanding opportunity at our company. If you'd like to have a CONFIDENTIAL conversation about this, let me know. In the meantime, I'd be honored to have you join my network. 

I hope to talk to you soon.

Wayne

By simply cutting and pasting the message and inserting each candidate's name, you can quickly reach out to lots of prequalified candidates without spending a dime.

To learn more quick, easy, and FREE strategies to fill your company's open positions with top-notch people, join me on Monday, November 15, for my webinar Using LinkedIn to Recruit Top Talent Without a Premium Account. 

 

LinkedIn could quite possibly be the greatest tool you have to address all of the openings you currently have at your company, and I don't mean just paying LinkedIn to post your open positions.

So how much time did you spend on the site last week taking advantage of the world's largest professional network with over 775 million members?

Don't feel like you're alone if you answered "very little time." I find that most people still don't know how to take advantage of LinkedIn to find and reach out to people who could be just the right fit for openings they have.

In this article, I will share with you some of the best strategies to do just that—and you don't need a premium LinkedIn account.

To learn all of my strategies for capitalizing on LinkedIn's recruiting potential, join me on Monday, November 15, from noon-1:30PM CT, for my webinar Using LinkedIn to Recruit Top Talent Without a Premium Account.

If you can't attend live, no worries, because you'll receive a link to view the recording at your leisure. Seating is limited, so grab your seat now at https://linkedinrecruitingfall2021.eventbrite.com
.

Four easy ways to recruit on LinkedIn

1. Individual Update.  Post an update to ask your network if they know of anyone who is qualified for the position you're attempting to fill. After all, this is your network, and the people in your network know you well and understand the nature of your company. If someone in your network is aware of a prospective candidate, he/she should be able to quickly introduce you to the candidate.

This is the easiest and most efficient way to find your next hire. That being said, I would not post this update every day, but try to limit this update to a couple times per week at different times of the day, maybe even once on the weekend.

To get additional exposure, ask a few of your most connected coworkers or friends to like, comment on, or share the post. That will get the post in front of their connections as well and increase your organic reach.

I know a president of a local company who found a new VP for his company in just five days after using the status update to ask his network for help. Think of the time and money that saved him.

2. Company Update.  On your company page, post a similar update. This shares the information with some of your company page followers. Job seekers interested in working for your company are probably among your followers.

To get more viewers of this update beyond your company followers, ask all employees in the company to like, comment on, or share this update so their connections may see it as well.

Consider “pinning” your status update to the top of the update feed.

3. Company Followers.  Review the list of your company followers periodically to look for good candidates. Several HR directors have told me they found the exact right candidate (sometimes working for competitors) in that list of followers just waiting to be contacted.

If you are an administrator of your company page, you can view a list of your followers, in reverse chronological order of when they began following your company. Go to your company page, and just click the word followers next to your number of followers (see screen shot). If you find someone interesting, consider sending a connection request (or InMail) with a message asking them if they might be interested in a role with your company.

4. University Page.  Here you can find potential candidates who attended a specific school. Fellow alumni of the schools you attended is a good place to start.

Access this by clicking the name of one of the schools on your profile. Once you’re on the university’s page, click the Alumni tab.

You can sort the individuals by:
.

• Where they live
• Where they work
• What they do
• What they studied
• What they're skilled at
• How you're connected

Reach out to qualified candidates about your job openings. Because most people have warm, fuzzy feelings toward fellow alumni, they'll probably respond to you if they're interested in a new job.

On Monday, November 15, I'll cover these strategies in-depth and many more. Join me, and be one of the smart companies that use LinkedIn to recruit and hire top talent without spending a dime.

Get more info about the webinar and register here: https://linkedinrecruitingfall2021.eventbrite.com