How to Find and Engage Candidates on LinkedIn

LinkedIn offers recruiters a wealth of potential candidates, but finding and connecting with the right people takes a considered approach. 

1. Common challenges recruiters face on LinkedIn

• Account restrictions: These often result from sending too many connection requests, messaging people in bulk or posting spam. 

• Ineffective searches: Searching only by the advertised job title or using isolated keywords can fail to reach relevant candidates. 

• A limited candidate pool: Returning to the same small groups of candidates for current vacancies, without expanding your industry network, restricts your access to potential candidates. 

• Posting as you would on Facebook: Facebook tends to support a more passive approach centred on posting vacancies. LinkedIn calls for proactive outreach and ongoing relationship building. 

💬 A familiar example: A recruiter posts a “Sales Executive” vacancy without specifying the product, target customers or required skills. Dozens of candidates apply, but none meets the requirements. 

2. How to find relevant candidates on LinkedIn without a paid account 

Search directly using keywords: 

• Use quotation marks (“) to search for an exact phrase. 

💬 Example: Searching for “Sales and Marketing” and Sales and Marketing on LinkedIn produces 2 different sets of results. 

• Use AND to find candidates who meet all specified criteria, and OR, NOT to broaden or narrow the results. 

💬 Example: [Sales OR “Account Manager” OR  “Sales Manager”] 

💬 Example: [Developer AND Hanoi AND Vinfast] 

Search by skills or equivalent job titles 

Example: Expand a search for “Account Manager” to include “Client Executive” or “Relationship Manager”. 

Find candidates through posts and networks: 

Entering keywords in the search bar is a conventional way to find candidates. You can also use the following approaches: 

• Look at posts by managers or HR professionals in the relevant industry. Check who has liked or commented on them to identify candidates to connect with. 

• Review candidates’ posts, including those announcing a job search or sharing resources. Candidates often include an email address or phone number. 

• Build connections with HR professionals and executive search consultants. When they engage with your posts, their followers also see your content. 

3. Create posts that attract candidates on LinkedIn

• Write a clear, engaging headline: Include the job title + salary + location. 

💬 Example: “Hiring: Senior Java Developer | Up to $2000 | Remote” 

• Choose relevant hashtags: Consider the terms candidates would search for, including the job title, experience level, requirements and industry. 

Alongside #tuyendung, add hashtags such as #backenddev #remotejob #seniorlevel. 

• Highlight what makes the role attractive: Go beyond the requirements to describe benefits such as an international working environment, flexible overtime arrangements or a supportive team. 

• Vary your posts: Test different formats to see which achieve better reach, including informative posts, stories, images and illustrated PDFs. 

4. Maintain your personal LinkedIn presence 

• Make connections every day: Prioritise people who have engaged with content related to the relevant industry. 

• Mix job advertisements with posts that encourage discussion. Share career perspectives, recruitment experience and real situations.  

• When your account is new, share posts with friends and ask them to like and comment to increase initial visibility through LinkedIn’s algorithm. 

5. Avoid crossing LinkedIn’s boundaries 

• Respect diversity: Do not specify gender or nationality unless it is necessary for the role. 

• Avoid spam: Sending connection requests in bulk or identical messages can easily trigger spam warnings. 

Key takeaways: 

Alongside posting vacancies, you can use LinkedIn to: 

• Expand your industry network. 

• Build your personal reputation as a recruiter and your organisation’s employer brand. 

✍️ More from CNK Insights: The Candidate Persona Map You May Be Overlooking in Recruitment

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