Why Recruiters Don’t Respond To Your LinkedIn Messages
Step-by-Step Guide On How To Craft A Great Conversation Starter Message
We all know one thing about job search — resumes, but other than having a well-written resume that displays all of your professional experiences, qualifications, and skills, what else do you need? Many recruiting professionals will probably say networking. Even colleges and universities are hosting career events to help their students and alumni network with companies’ recruiting teams. Professional networking events might be a bit overwhelming due to the fear of approaching others, worries about being part of an awkward or stressful situation, or internal fear of being too “sale-y” about yourself. Many may use the alternative way of approaching recruiters virtually — Cold Messaging on LinkedIn or Cold emailing them. While this may be a way for you to overcome your fears, you probably hit a dead end as recruiters don’t seem to reply to your message. Why? Well, we will uncover why recruiters ignore LinkedIn messages and provide a step-by-step guide on crafting an excellent conversation starter message.
While we complain about why recruiters don’t respond to our messages, we should understand what they are looking for in a cold message. First and foremost, recruiters are BUSY people! They earn money when a candidate they represent is hired by an employer they work with, therefore, to receive the best results? Reach out only to recruiters who specialize in your work field, says Biron Clark, Founder at CareerSidekick. Recruiters receive tons and hundreds of messages from job seekers each day, and they have no time to do everything for you. If you would like to stand out in a vast talent pool, you should find a recruiter specializing in your area. JobSeer is a free tool that can help you find recruiters’ and employees’ emails specifically for the company and position you are interested in. It makes the process easier for applicants to engage with recruiters for possible inquires about their roles.
Cold messaging — yes, you send a message to a random stranger who happens to be recruiting for the positions you are interested in. However, before you cold message any recruiters, do some homework by building a relationship with them first. Joe Wilson, a Senior Career Advisor at MintResume, recommends starting by commenting, sharing, or liking their posts on LinkedIn to allow them to know you “exist”. Also, if your LinkedIn profile does not look professional, recruiters will not even look at it. Michael Dovhanenko, the HR Manager at GetCoverLetter, says the main reason he does not reply to LinkedIn messages because the profile is empty or looks unprofessional. He has had experiences in which the job seekers have no profile photos or work experiences or a description of their career goals. If recruiters like Michael see job seekers don’t put in the smallest effort to provide information about their candidacy, it is just a big turn off, and they most likely don’t want to make an effort to answer them.
Now that you know why recruiters might ignore your LinkedIn message, it is time to talk about your message’s central part — content.
“To Whom I May Concern, my name is Rene, I am a Content Writer at XYZ Company. I am reaching out to inquire about the position you posted on LinkedIn. PLease let me know if I am a great fit for this position. Attached is my resume.”
-No response-
There are several problems with this message. First, your message seems ingenuine and disrespectful because there is no actual name in the message. Therefore, it shows you have not done your research about this recruiter or company. Second, what position are you referring to? Some recruiters recruit for different roles and have no time to find a position that fits you. Even business founders have to do their own recruiting sometimes! It is your job to find the position you are qualified for. Third, there is a typo! Scott Hasting, a Co-Founder at BetWorthy, is super frustrated about typos in a cold message. It makes them feel the applicant is not respectful enough or simply just don’t care enough. Either way, it is an instant turn off. While we are all humans and make mistakes, in a professional setting like cold messaging recruiters, check your grammar and spelling before sending all messages!
To craft a well-written cold message to recruiters, you should follow this guide provided by Linda Ferrante, VP at RFT Search Group, and Alex Kovalenko, Senior IT Recruiter at Kovasys:
Step 1: Start with an introduction.
This is critical for a conversation starter. It is where you explain who you are and your current title. And what do you want to do? Also, why does this recruiter have to care about this message?
Step 2: Explain why you are reaching out to this specific recruiter.
This step is to tell them that you have noticed them already. Simply do some research about the company or this recruiter specifically and tell them why their content or company is relevant to you.
Step 3: Let them know what you would like from them.
Politely ask them if they are interested in connecting with you. There are times where recruiters might be too busy to a point where they miss a message in a flooded mailbox. However, send a follow-up message to remind them that you are incredibly interested in having a conversation with them regarding the position.
Step 4: Ask for their contact information.
Request for their business email so that you can send your resume. It is crucial because you can not only connect with the recruiters; they can also have your resume in hand. If you may not be the right fit for the position they are recruiting for currently, they may reach out again when there are other openings.
So here are all the reasons why recruiters don’t respond to your LinkedIn Messages and steps you can take in crafting a great conversation starter message to recruiters. If you are struggling to know whether the position is the right fit for you, JobSeer is a one-stop tool to help you understand where you stand in a vast talent pool from position qualification to company research. Instead of having multiple tabs of job boards, companies sites, and spreadsheets of recruiters’ information, JobSeer has it all in just one tab. Good luck, and start crafting your first conversation with a recruiter!
Special Thanks To:
Biron Clark, Founder at CareerSidekick
Joe Wilson, a Senior Career Advisor at MintResume
Michael Dovhanenko, the HR Manager at GetCoverLetter
Linda Ferrante, VP at RFT Search Group
Alex Kovalenko, Senior IT Recruiter at Kovasys
Scott Hasting, Co-Founder at BetWorthy
