LinkedIn recruiter is a powerful tool that allows recruiters to search for qualified candidates on LinkedIn. The recruiter search function enables recruiters to use advanced search filters and Boolean search operators to find candidates that match their hiring needs. Here is an overview of how recruiter search works and the key things recruiters need to know about using it effectively.
How Does Recruiter Search Work?
Recruiter search allows recruiters to search the full LinkedIn database of over 722 million members. This gives them access to far more profiles than just searching organically through LinkedIn. Recruiters can search for candidates using criteria like:
- Keywords
- Job titles
- Companies
- Locations
- Skills
- Years of experience
- Schools attended
- Groups and interests
Boolean search operators like AND, OR and NOT can be used to get more precise results. Parentheses can also be used to group search parameters. Some examples of Boolean searches are:
- (Engineer OR Developer) AND Python AND Miami
- Product Manager AND (Stanford OR MIT) NOT San Francisco
Recruiters can save these searches to quickly re-run them. They can filter further by things like profile language, current company size and when the profile was last updated. Advanced filters are also available for criteria like willingness to relocate or years of experience.
Premium Recruiter Search Features
With a LinkedIn Recruiter seat, recruiters get access to several premium search functions including:
- Boolean Search – Use of AND, OR, NOT operators to refine searches.
- Keywords – Search for keywords found on profiles.
- Name Search – Search by first, last or full name.
- Current Company Search – Find candidates by the company they work for.
- Past Company Search – Find candidates based on previous employers.
- Title Search – Search for specific job titles.
- Group Search – Find members of specific LinkedIn groups.
- School Search – Search by university or school attended.
- Location Search – Find candidates by city, state or country.
- Language Search – Search for candidates fluent in specific languages.
- Skills Search – Find candidates with listed skills.
- Experience Level Search – Search by years of experience.
- Field of Study Search – Find candidates based on their degree major or field of study.
- Company Size Search – Search by the size of a candidate’s current company.
- Personal Interests Search – Find candidates based on listed interests.
These allow recruiters to precisely target prospects with very custom and specific search parameters.
Search Filters
Recruiters can apply filters to search results to further refine the candidate pool. Some key LinkedIn Recruiter search filters include:
- Profile Language – Filter by the language used on a candidate’s profile.
- Current Company – Filter by company size for current employer.
- Industry – Filter by the candidate’s industry.
- Seniority Level – Filter by seniority such as director, manager, VP, etc.
- Years Experience – Filter by minimum years of experience.
- Time Filters – Filter by when profile was last updated.
- Willing to Relocate – Filter for candidates open to relocation.
- Willing to Travel – Filter for candidates willing to travel.
Using these filters enables recruiters to quickly drill down to find the most relevant candidates from a larger search pool.
Accessing Full Candidate Profiles
With a LinkedIn Recruiter seat, recruiters can access full profiles of candidates that come up in searches. This allows them to see additional profile details including full work experience, education history, skills, certifications, awards and contact info if provided.
Recruiters can also save candidate profiles to collections to easily access them later. This allows building targeted talent pools that can be exported and shared with other team members.
Contacting Candidates
LinkedIn Recruiter allows several ways to contact prospective candidates including:
- InMail – Send direct messages to candidates’ LinkedIn inboxes.
- Open Candidates – See a badge on profiles of members open to new opportunities.
- Referrals – Get introduced through shared connections.
- Contact Info – Call or email if contact details are provided on profile.
This gives recruiters several options to choose from when reaching out to engage candidates.
Integrations With Applicant Tracking Systems
LinkedIn Recruiter integrates with many popular applicant tracking systems (ATS) including:
- Greenhouse
- Lever
- SmartRecruiters
- Jobvite
- JazzHR
- Breezy HR
- iCIMS
- Bullhorn
This allows saving LinkedIn profiles and candidate data directly into ATS databases. Recruiters can sync candidate information between the two systems.
Team Collaboration
With a LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate account, team admins can add seats for other recruiters. Search settings and talent pools can be shared between team members to collaborate more effectively.
Recruiters can communicate within the platform using tools like:
- Comments on profiles
- Mentions
- InMail conversations
- Notes
This allows seamless collaboration without switching between systems.
Reporting and Analytics
LinkedIn Recruiter provides real-time reporting and analytics. Recruiters can see data like:
- Most common titles and skills of searched candidates
- Top companies candidates come from
- Best sources for quality candidates
- Average response rates
The platform uses aggregated and anonymous data to generate insights. This reporting helps recruiters refine sourcing strategies and improve results over time.
Customized for Different Industries
LinkedIn offers tailored versions of Recruiter for specific industries including:
- Recruiter Corporate – For corporate and in-house recruiting.
- Recruiter Staffing – For staffing and agency recruiting.
- Recruiter Lite – For small business recruiting.
This allows functionality to be customized to how hiring is done in each industry.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn Recruiter gives recruiters powerful search functionality to identify qualified candidates on LinkedIn. Boolean search, premium fields and filters allow honing in on the right people. Integrations, collaboration tools and analytics make it a robust platform for recruiters. Using recruiter search effectively enables sourcing higher quality candidates in less time.
