LinkedIn has become an invaluable tool for recruiters to search for and connect with potential candidates for job openings. The “recruiter search” feature allows recruiters to search LinkedIn profiles and filter results to find candidates that match their hiring needs.
What Is a Recruiter Search?
A recruiter search on LinkedIn refers to the ability for recruiters who have LinkedIn Recruiter accounts to search the LinkedIn database for profiles that match their search criteria. Recruiters can search by keywords, location, current company, skills, education, and other parameters.
Recruiter searches allow recruiters to proactively look for potential candidates who are not actively job searching. This gives recruiters a broader pool of prospects beyond those who have applied to open positions.
How Do Recruiter Searches Work?
LinkedIn Recruiter is a paid subscription tool that unlocks special searching and messaging capabilities for recruiters. Recruiters with Recruiter accounts can performs advanced Boolean searches across the 600+ million LinkedIn members.
Some key features of LinkedIn recruiter search include:
- Boolean search operators like AND, OR, and NOT to combine keywords
- Filter by location, current company, skills, education, and other profile fields
- Save common search queries to reuse
- Search name variations and aliases using “Also search by name”
- Filter to only see 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree connections
- Search within groups and companies
- Filter by date profile was updated
- Search profiles without keywords or only with certain keywords
This allows recruiters to fine-tune their searches to surface very targeted lists of potential candidates based on precise criteria. Recruiters can search for prospects by skills, experience level, education, geographic location, and other attributes.
Why Do Recruiters Use LinkedIn Search?
There are several key reasons why recruiters rely heavily on LinkedIn’s recruiter search capabilities:
- Massive database of prospects – With over 660+ million members, LinkedIn provides instant access to a huge pool of professionals in every industry and location.
- Detailed profile data – Members’ LinkedIn profiles contain a wealth of information not found on resumes, including skills, education, certifications, recommendations, volunteer work, and much more.
- Passive candidate sourcing – Recruiter search allows recruiters to identify “passive” candidates not actively job searching but open to new opportunities.
- Relationship insights – Recruiters can see shared connections with prospects and groups in common to help with outreach.
- Proactive recruiting – Instead of waiting for applicants, recruiters can use searcher to build a pipeline of prospects.
- Boolean search capabilities – Recruiter accounts allow robust Boolean searches using keywords, filters, and operators to target precise candidate pools.
In summary, LinkedIn’s depth of profile data, network insights, huge member base, and powerful search tools make it an essential sourcing resource for recruiters.
What Shows Up in a Recruiter Search?
When a recruiter performs a search on LinkedIn, their results will display limited profile information for each prospective candidate, including:
- Profile photo
- Full name
- Current job title and company
- Location
- Industry
- Profile headline
- Any shared connections
The summary profile data gives recruiters a quick overview of each search result. Recruiters can then click on prospects they’re interested in to view full profiles and reach out to potential candidates.
How Members Appear in Recruiter Searches
For members, certain settings and profile details can impact visibility in recruiter searches:
- Profile visibility – Members must have a public profile to appear in recruiter searches. Private profiles are not searchable.
- Open to opportunities status – Members can indicate if they are “open to job opportunities” which may increase recruiter outreach.
- Keywords – Skills, job titles, education, etc. mentioned in the profile boost searchability for relevant roles.
- Groups – Joining industry or local groups makes members more discoverable by recruiters.
- Connections – Recruiters often filter searches to 2nd and 3rd degree connections, so a robust network helps.
Members who want to be found by recruiters should be sure to have a detailed, keyword-optimized public profile and build out their LinkedIn network.
Recruiter Messaging with InMail
Once recruiters find prospects through search, they can send InMail messages to start a dialogue. InMail allows recruiters to directly contact anyone on LinkedIn, even if they’re not connected.
Some key facts about InMail:
- Appears in the LinkedIn message inbox like an email
- Only recruiters with Recruiter accounts can send InMail
- Lets recruiters reach members outside their network
- InMail credits are required to send messages
- Recipients can respond for free
- Must be individually written personalized messages
InMail gives recruiters a way to introduce opportunities to prospects identified through recruiter search. Members receiving InMail can respond to engage with recruiters at no cost.
Pro Tips for Recruiters
Here are some top tips for recruiters to maximize their success with LinkedIn recruiter search:
- Leverage all available Boolean search operators like AND, NOT, and OR to refine large result sets.
- Personalize InMail messages using the prospect’s name, experience, shared connections, and profile details to boost response rates.
- Respect member settings – don’t contact members who indicate they aren’t open to opportunities.
- Search within Groups relevant to your open positions to surface engaged prospects.
- Save common search queries to reuse and tweak when sourcing for new openings.
- Filter searches by date profile updated to see newly active members first.
- Use search alerts for hardcoded requirements to be notified of new prospects that match.
- Integrate LinkedIn Recruiter with your ATS to manage prospects seamlessly.
Pro Tips for Members
Here are some ways members can boost their visibility and appeal to recruiters searching LinkedIn:
- Make your profile public and indicate you’re open to job opportunities.
- Include plenty of keywords relevant to your experience throughout your profile.
- Maintain an up-to-date profile – edit any time you take on new projects or roles.
- Build your network by connecting with colleagues, clients, peers, etc.
- Join industry and local Groups that recruiters may search within.
- Add certifications, courses, volunteer work, publications, patents, honors, etc.
- Get endorsements and recommendations to showcase skills and build social proof.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of searches can you do on LinkedIn recruiter?
LinkedIn Recruiter allows Boolean searches on all profile fields including name, location, current company, past companies, schools, skills, job title, and keywords. Recruiters can combine search operators like AND and NOT to refine searches.
Can anyone see your LinkedIn recruiter views?
No, recruiter profile views are anonymous. Members cannot see who specifically viewed their profile from a recruiter search.
Is there a limit to LinkedIn recruiter searches?
LinkedIn does not share specific limits, but recruiters can run extensive searches and filter through millions of profiles. Limits likely exist to prevent overloading LinkedIn’s servers.
Can I message someone on LinkedIn who viewed my profile?
No, LinkedIn profile views are anonymous. You cannot message someone specifically because they viewed your profile. You can only message connections or pay to send InMail.
Is there a free version of LinkedIn Recruiter?
No, a paid Recruiter subscription is required to access advanced searching and messaging capabilities. However, all members can use LinkedIn’s basic search to find profiles.
| Recruiter Search Feature | Free LinkedIn Search | Paid Recruiter Search |
|---|---|---|
| Boolean Operators (AND, OR, etc) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Filter by profile fields | Limited | ✓ |
| Keywords search | ✓ | ✓ |
| Search within Groups | ✗ | ✓ |
| InMail messages | ✗ | ✓ |
| Save common searches | ✗ | ✓ |
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s recruiter search functionality is a game-changer for sourcing job candidates. The combination of LinkedIn’s depth of profile data, huge member base, and advanced search filters gives recruiters unparalleled access to passive prospects.
Members should optimize their own profiles to be discoverable by relevant recruiter searches. Building out skills, experience, groups, and connections improves visibility. When done right, recruiter search is a win-win – recruiters easily find great candidates and members get surfaced exciting new job opportunities.