Key Takeaways:
- Leverage LinkedIn recommendations and endorsements to enhance both individual and company profiles.
- Showcase these features in job descriptions and through social media to attract skilled candidates.
- Integrate tools like LinkMatch to optimize recruitment processes and manage candidate data effectively.
We continue our series of recruitment strategies on LinkedIn with 2 often overlooked tools: recommendations and endorsements. In this article, we will cover how to integrate them in your recruitment strategy and increase your chances of hiring the right people for your business.
Understanding LinkedIn Recommendations and Endorsements
What are LinkedIn Recommendations?
LinkedIn recommendations are personal testimonials written by LinkedIn members to recognize or commend a colleague, business partner, or student. It’s the easiest way to see a person’s background and work history.
They are also a great source of understanding the set of skills that ex colleagues might appreciate about that specific potential candidate.
What are LinkedIn Endorsements?
Endorsements on the other hand are a shorter way of confirming someone’s professional skills directly on their LinkedIn profile.
Let’s imagine you’re a graphic designer. Colleagues who’ve worked with you on projects might endorse you for skills like “Graphic Design,” “Adobe Photoshop,” or “Creative Concept Design.” Each of these endorsements reinforces your professional identity as an expert in your field.
Similarly, a project manager might receive endorsements for “Project Management,” “Team Leadership,” and “Agile Methodologies.” These endorsements help paint a clearer picture of their capabilities to potential employers browsing their profiles.
Leveraging Recommendations for Recruitment
Recommendations aren’t something only candidates should explore, but something your company should proactively do to increase employer brand awareness.
Building a Strong Profile with Recommendations
The first thing you can do is encourage your team members to ask for recommendations. It’s a win-win situation: They improve their online profile, and the company gains more visibility.
Showcasing Employee Testimonials
Another thing that you can do is to ask for testimonials and use them in your recruitment efforts. Studies show that about 90% of consumers trust suggestions from family and friends, including recommendations about jobs.
You might also consider rewarding the colleagues who do that and motivate them further.
You can use the testimonials on your website, LinkedIn company page and even sharing on your personal profiles.
Encouraging Peer-to-Peer Recommendations
Recommendations and testimonials shouldn’t be something that only ex-employers do. You should encourage your colleagues to leave recommendations for each other. They are the ones that work together so many hours per day and they might spot interesting abilities as well.
Analyzing Candidate Recommendations
Another interesting way recommendations can help your recruitment efforts is that you can browse through them to identify the skills your potential candidates have.
No matter the role you are hiring for, look for clues about their interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and professional attitude.
Utilizing Endorsements to Attract Top Talent
Enhancing Visibility with Endorsements
Once you apply everything for above you should be able to start working on enhancing your company visibility with endorsements.
Here are 8 strategies that you can apply:
- Prioritize Key Skills: Identify the core skills crucial for roles in your company and encourage your team to endorse each other for these specific skills. This targeted approach helps to build a strong skillset reputation that is visible to anyone visiting your profiles.
- Engage Your Network Regularly: Regular interaction with your network increases the likelihood of receiving endorsements. Engage with your connections by endorsing their skills, which often leads them to return the favor, thus enhancing the visibility of your endorsed skills.
- Educate Your Team on the Importance of Endorsements: Conduct training sessions or workshops to explain how endorsements can impact professional visibility and why they should actively participate in endorsing each other.
- Create a Culture of Recognition: Encourage a workplace culture where colleagues regularly acknowledge each other’s skills and expertise through endorsements. This not only enhances each profile but also elevates the company’s overall skill credibility.
- Leverage Endorsements in Recruitment Campaigns: When promoting job openings, highlight the skills that your team has been highly endorsed for. This shows potential candidates that you value and develop those skills, making your company more appealing.
- Utilize Endorsements During Performance Reviews: Incorporate LinkedIn endorsements into performance reviews to acknowledge individuals who are highly recognized in certain areas, encouraging others to seek similar recognition.
- Promote Endorsement Milestones: Celebrate when key team members reach endorsement milestones (e.g., 100 endorsements for a particular skill). Sharing these achievements on company social media pages or internal newsletters can motivate others and attract attention to your team’s expertise.
- Connect with Alumni and Industry Groups: Members of industry-specific groups or company alumni can be great resources for endorsements. Engaging with these groups increases your visibility among professionals in your field who might view your company favorably.
Promoting Endorsements in Job Descriptions
Another way you can use them is to include them in your job descriptions. People trust other people, so when candidates see a picture and a couple of words from their potential colleagues, their trust level will increase.
You can also consider designing a Career Page on which you include endorsements from people working in the department for which the job is open.
Encouraging Endorsements from Industry Experts
To enhance your company’s credibility and attract top talent, actively seeking endorsements from industry experts is a smart strategy. Here are several methods to effectively engage with industry leaders and earn their endorsements:
- Identify Relevant Experts: Start by identifying influential figures within your industry who are respected for their knowledge and experience. These might include thought leaders, seasoned professionals, and even academics who specialize in your field.
- Engage on LinkedIn: Connect with these experts on LinkedIn. Engage with their content by commenting thoughtfully on their posts and sharing their articles. This builds a relationship and keeps your profile visible to them.
- Host Expert Panels and Webinars: Invite experts to speak at online panels or webinars hosted by your company. This not only enriches your network but also positions your company as a hub for thought leadership, increasing the likelihood of endorsements
Enhancing Recruitment Management with LinkMatch
With everything going on you will definitely need a system to help you manage all. LinkMatch serves as a bridge between LinkedIn’s capabilities and your recruitment management system. Integrating it with your CRM allows you to better track and utilize recommendations and endorsements, making your hiring process more efficient and targeted.
Discover More with LinkMatch
For a seamless recruitment experience, consider exploring LinkMatch’s CRM extension. It’s designed to enhance your recruitment strategies by streamlining data management and maximizing the impact of LinkedIn’s networking tools.
Conclusion
Using LinkedIn recommendations and endorsements strategically can significantly amplify your recruitment efforts. By building a rich, endorsement-filled profile and fostering a culture of mutual support and recognition, your company will stand out as a desirable place to work and also attract the kind of talent that can propel your business to new heights.
FAQs: Leveraging LinkedIn Recommendations and Endorsements for Recruitment
What are LinkedIn recommendations?
LinkedIn recommendations are written endorsements from LinkedIn members, validating the professional abilities and experience of their colleagues. These testimonials enhance credibility and visibility.
How do LinkedIn recommendations improve recruitment?
LinkedIn recommendations provide genuine testimonials that increase a candidate’s trustworthiness and appeal, making it easier for recruiters to assess potential hires based on real feedback.
Can endorsements affect the visibility of my LinkedIn profile?
Yes, endorsements for your skills can significantly boost your profile’s visibility on LinkedIn, making you more discoverable to recruiters and potential business connections.
How should I ask for LinkedIn recommendations?
Request recommendations from colleagues or clients who can speak directly about your work or impact. Be specific in your request and perhaps suggest points they might include.
What’s the best way to showcase recommendations on my company’s LinkedIn page?
Highlight standout recommendations prominently on your company’s LinkedIn page. Use them to tell success stories and reflect the company culture to attract talent.
This article is part of the comprehensive guide on LinkedIn Recruiting Strategies. Read our related content on Searching for Candidates, Linkedin Networking for Recruiters, LinkedIn Groups, Strategies for Searching Passive Candidates on LinkedIn, Gender Diversity in Recruitment: Best Practices Using LinkedIn, Advanced LinkedIn Search Operators and Filters, Utilizing LinkedIn Analytics for Recruitment Success, and Using LinkedIn’s Open to Work Feature for Candidate Search.
