How do you pitch someone for a job on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has become one of the most popular platforms for networking and job searching. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn offers access to a massive pool of professionals and opportunities. One way job seekers can maximize their use of LinkedIn is by directly pitching or messaging recruiters, hiring managers, and other relevant connections about open roles. However, effectively pitching someone on LinkedIn requires strategy and finesse. Here are some tips on how to craft an effective LinkedIn pitch.

Do Your Research

Before reaching out to someone, learn as much as you can about them, their company, and any open positions. Visit their LinkedIn profile and website to understand their background, skills, experience, interests, and more. This allows you to tailor your pitch and show you’ve done your homework. Some key things to research:

• What is their current job title and responsibilities?
• What industry, companies, products, or services do they focus on?
• What skills, certifications, or other qualifications do they have?
• Where did they go to school and what did they study?
• What types of roles, industries, companies have they worked for in the past?
• Who are some of their main connections?
• What groups, caucuses, or professional associations do they belong to?
• What topics do they post or comment about?
• Are they hiring for any open positions right now? If so, what are the requirements?

This information allows you to establish common ground, speak their language, and show sincere interest in connecting.

Craft a Personalized Connection Request

When reaching out to someone for the first time, focus on introducing yourself and asking to connect. Avoid pitching yourself or asking about jobs right off the bat. Instead, send a polite, personalized request highlighting why you’d like to connect. For example:

“Hi Jane, I saw that you work in social media marketing for XYZ Company. I recently completed a social media marketing certification and am very interested in a career pivot into that field. I’d love to connect with you to learn more about your experience and any advice you may have for someone new to the industry. I greatly appreciate any insights you’re willing to share!”

This shows you took the time to review their profile, establishes shared interests, and explains why you’d value connecting. Focus on how you can add value by bringing a fresh perspective, enthusiasm to learn, or complementary skills. Share any common experiences, associations, or connections you may have.

Express Interest in Specific Opportunities

Once connected, you can express interest in specific open roles or opportunities at their company. However, avoid a spray-and-pray approach blasting the same generic pitch to everyone. Review each position and tailor your message to explain how you’re a great fit. Highlight relevant skills, projects, results, or past experiences that map closely to the job description. Provide examples versus just stating you have a skillset. Share why you’re passionate about the company’s mission and products. You can also pose thoughtful questions about the position, team, projects, skills needed, or company culture.

Here’s an example pitch focused on a specific role:

“Hi Tom, I saw that XYZ Company recently posted for a social media manager role. This caught my interest right away, as social media marketing has been my passion and focus for the past 2+ years. In my current role at 123 Company, I’ve led social media campaigns that have achieved a 20% increase in engagement. I’m very familiar with your company’s products and brand voice through my experience as a loyal customer for many years. I would thrive in an opportunity to manage XYZ’s social presence. Would you have time for a quick phone call to discuss this position and whether it might be a potential fit?”

This shows you took time to view the role posting and highlight relevant qualifications. Ask if they’d be open to further discussion, while respecting their time.

Leverage Shared Connections

One way to strengthen an outreach pitch is leveraging mutual connections. For example, you can note:

“I see we’re both connected with Jane Smith. I’ve collaborated with Jane in the past through the Digital Marketers Meetup group, and she had great things to say about your social media strategies at XYZ Company. I’d love to connect and continue the conversation.”

This social proof lends credibility and gives your request added context. However, only mention a connection if you’re certain they will recognize the person and view them positively. Verify the connection is comfortable with being mentioned before name dropping them.

Follow Up and Provide Value

After connecting with someone, continue to nurture the relationship by engaging with their content, commenting on posts, liking their updates, and sharing relevant articles or information. Don’t immediately push for a job opportunity. Organically develop the relationship first. Offer to connect them to people in your own network who could be assets. Provide tips and advice if they ask for your input. Follow up any conversations with a thank you note. Finding ways to provide value builds goodwill and trust that pays off when opportunities arise.

Time Your Pitch

Timing is important when pitching over LinkedIn. Avoid reaching out at odd hours or holidays that may irritate recipients. Instead, target normal business hours when people are most likely active. But don’t message multiple people from the same company all at once in a way that looks spammy. Carefully stagger outreach in waves. Also, aim to pitch early in the hiring cycle for open roles to get ahead of the pack. Follow company pages to stay on top of new position postings.

Showcase Your Personal Brand

Beyond direct messaging, you can pitch yourself in other ways through your LinkedIn profile. Be sure your profile is complete, professional, and reflective of your personal brand. Include a strong photo, headline, summary section, work history, skills, recommendations, portfolio projects, volunteer work, certifications, awards, and any other details that make you stand out. This gives people a full picture of your background when evaluating you for opportunities. Also, regularly post interesting content such as articles, videos, polls, advice, insights, and industry commentary to build your reputation and visibility on the platform.

Customize Your Profile URL

Customizing your profile URL is an easy way to make your LinkedIn pitch more memorable and ownable. For example, linking to your profile as LinkedIn.com/yourname versus a random string of numbers and letters. Steps to customize your profile URL on desktop:

1. Go to your profile page
2. Click “Edit public profile & URL”
3. Enter a customized URL using your name or other professional username
4. Click “Save”

This creates a cleaner link you can include in your email signature, resume, business cards, and other materials.

Join Industry Groups and Follow Companies

Leverage industry groups and follow leading companies in your field to boost your visibility, network, and discover opportunities. Here are some tips for getting involved:

• Search for relevant professional groups and join the most popular and active ones
• Engage in group discussions by commenting, liking posts, and sharing resources
• Follow key companies in your industry as well as ones you aspire to work for
• Comment on company posts and pages to get noticed
• Like and share company updates to increase reach
• Subscribe to receive notifications so new jobs and content appear in your feed

This raises your professional profile and helps you stay on recruiters’ radar for new openings.

Seek Referrals and Endorsements

Another way to strengthen your LinkedIn personal brand is by requesting endorsements and recommendations from colleagues, managers, clients, business partners, professors, or others who can positively vouch for your skills and accomplishments. Some tips for seeking referrals:

• Identify connections who could provide positive testimonials
• Request they write you a LinkedIn recommendation highlighting projects and impact
• Ask if they’d be willing to endorse specific skills that apply to your work together
• Offer to reciprocate by endorsing them or writing a recommendation in return
• Share, like, and thank them for taking the time to vouch for you

These social proofs serve as powerful validation when pitching yourself for new roles.

Utilize LinkedIn’s Job Search Features

Take advantage of LinkedIn’s robust job search features to identify and pitch yourself for relevant openings. Options include:

• Jobs tab – Browse listings and set up job alerts for easy application
• Search filters – Refine options by title, company, location, date posted, etc.
• Apply through LinkedIn – Submit application with your LinkedIn profile vs. traditional resume
• Open Candidates – Proactively flag yourself as open to be discovered by recruiters
• Career Pages – Follow specific company pages to see openings
• Recruiter Messages – Connect with recruiters reaching out through InMail

The more proactive you are in engaging with these tools, the more visibility you gain.

Conclusion

In summary, pitching yourself effectively on LinkedIn requires personalization, compelling content, strategic relationship building, and showcasing your professional brand. Do your homework, make focused asks, highlight relevant experience, and add value to stand out from the crowd. With over 70% of professionals on LinkedIn, it’s a pivotal platform for getting your pitch in front of the right people.

With a thoughtful strategy leveraging these tips, you can maximize your odds of pitching successfully on LinkedIn. Just remember to personalize, provide value, demonstrate professionalism, and highlight the unique experience you bring.