Key Takeaways:
- Use Xing to focus deeply on the DACH region. Connect with top talent in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for localized recruiting success.
- Discover recruitment tools and strategies, including Xing’s AI-powered search, TalentManager, and CRM integration through LinkMatch for efficient talent acquisition.
- Track and optimize results with Xing’s analytics tools. Measure recruitment performance and improve your hiring strategies.
Ever felt overwhelmed trying to find the right candidates in a crowded market? Need help to connect with top talent in niche industries or German-speaking regions? With so many platforms and strategies, it’s hard to know where to focus.
This guide introduces Xing, a powerful tool to help streamline your recruitment process and expand your network effectively. Xing is a professional networking platform aimed at the European market. It mainly focuses on German-speaking countries.
The platform helps HR professionals and recruiters to connect with potential candidates, build effective talent acquisition, and manage recruitment strategies. Let’s explore using Xing for recruitment together.
With this guide, we invite you to explore Xing for recruiting. Discover how Xing’s tools and strategies can help you find top talent in the DACH region and optimize your recruitment process. Dive in and start transforming your hiring approach today!
Understanding Xing
Xing was launched in 2003 and has become a top recruiting platform in the DACH region. It connects over 22 million members. Xing is essential in dealing with hiring issues as a localized platform for specific regional markets. According to the EU Commission’s 2023 employment research, European industries still have talent shortages. Understanding how to use Xing can give recruiters an edge in these regions.
Let’s find out what makes Xing a suitable place for recruiters.
First, there are basic inner features like search tools, built-in AI, and a CV-builder to create an attractive portfolio and find suitable candidates easily.
The platform also allows the creation of engaging job postings. It covers the need for businesses to be visible on the market. However, of particular note are the following Xing’s recruiting solutions.
A key part of services is Onlyfly, a new talent acquisition platform. Onlyfy integrates Xing’s e-recruiting solutions, taking talent management to new heights. Another service connected to Xing is Kununu, a platform for employer reviews. It allows job seekers to research company reputations.
Overall, Xing offers a broad suite of services like TalentManager for direct outreach or TalentService for professional sourcing support. Mixing active and passive sourcing lets recruiters find their way to success.
Xing vs. LinkedIn: Which is Better?
Many of us automatically think of LinkedIn when it comes to professional social networks where you can post your resume, find a job, or recruit employees. With a solid presence in the USA, LinkedIn has become a crucial hub for professional exchanges worldwide. LinkedIn has a user base of over 700 million people from many different countries.
However, Xing is also rapidly gaining popularity and is the right choice for those focusing on German-speaking countries. One of Xing’s significant strengths is its focus on the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region, making it a better option for recruiters looking for local professionals.
Get to Know Xing’s User Base
Here are some stats highlighting Xing’s regional solid focus compared to other global platforms like LinkedIn:
- Active Users: Xing has approximately 14.2 million monthly active users across the European Union as of early 2024.
- Total Users: It has over 22 million registered users, primarily from the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
- Demographics: Xing’s user base includes professionals from various industries, including IT, marketing, consulting, engineering, healthcare, and financial services.
- Age Range: Most users are in the 30–49 age group. But, it attracts younger users, especially new grads and early-career pros.
- Purpose of Use: Users primarily use Xing for professional networking, job searching, business opportunities, and industry-specific discussions. Companies also use it to post job listings and search for candidates.
Xing’s strong user base and regional focus make it a perfect place for seeking top talent. Exploring effective recruitment strategies is essential for companies to better their approach.
You can find more insights in the Recruitment Methods, which show different techniques for attracting, hiring, and onboarding new employees for the company.
Creating Your Winning Recruiter Profile
To create a winning recruiter profile on Xing, follow these steps:
- Set Up Your Xing Profile:
Visit Xing’s website and sign up for a new account. It takes about 3 minutes, and the website interface is user-friendly.
- Complete Your Profile Information:
Create an engaging headline reflecting your recruiter role or business function. Upload a professional, high-quality photo. Briefly describe your experience as a recruiter, the industries you recruit in, and how you benefit candidates.
- Add Your Professional Experience:
List current and past positions, outlining roles that speak to your experience in recruitment. Add relevant keywords. These will help your profile appear in search results.
- Upgrade to Xing Premium or ProJobs (Optional):
Recruiters may benefit from the additional features available with Xing Premium or ProJobs. These upgrades give access to advanced search functions, profile visibility statistics, and communication tools.
Building a Talent Pipeline
Master Xing’s Search Tools
To search for candidates on Xing, recruiters can use its advanced search tools in the TalentManager. These tools offer various filters such as industry, job title, location, and skills to help you quickly find the ideal candidates. Xing also uses AI-powered algorithms to provide smart recommendations based on your search criteria.
Efficient Candidate Management on Xing
Xing allows recruiters to create and manage candidate lists. You can save profiles of potential hires into custom lists, categorize them by job roles, and track their application stages. Additionally, the platform offers features for sending messages and attaching important documents directly to candidates in your lists.
Effective Communication Strategies
How a recruiter builds communication with candidates is the foundation of success. Effective communication shows you care. It helps create a connection. Using the candidate’s name, acknowledging their qualifications, and stating the following steps show respect for their time and interest.
Best Practices for Candidate Follow-Ups
In this guide, we would like to highlight what we believe are the key practices on which successful communication is based:
- Timeliness: Follow up within 24-48 hours after an interview or initial contact. This helps maintain the candidate’s interest and shows professionalism.
- Feedback: Inform candidates of their status, even if they do not meet your expectations. Providing feedback, even for those who are not accepted, leaves a positive impression.
- Personalization: Avoid common messages. Address the specific qualifications and concerns of your candidates.
Engage Candidates Beyond the First Contact
These strategies help to keep candidates after the initial outreach:
- Share information about your company’s hiring process and culture.
- Connect different types of content, such as videos or testimonials, to excite the candidate.
- Use working templates to send out follow-up messages while keeping a personal tone. A template could be, “Hi [Candidate’s Name], we’re excited about your application and wanted to share more about our team culture. Let’s set up another chat soon!”
Check out Top Sales Recruitment Strategies for more advanced techniques for engaging candidates.
Posting Jobs on Xing
Creating Job Postings That Stand Out
To create great job postings on Xing, use clear, concise language. Highlight the role’s key responsibilities, qualifications, and benefits. Use an engaging job title and a well-structured format with bullet points, and emphasize company culture to attract suitable candidates.
Visuals like your company logo or photos can enhance your posting’s appeal. AI tools on Xing help tailor job descriptions to specific audiences.
Maximize Reach with Xing Job Ads
Xing offers targeted job ads to reach a broader audience in the DACH region. Use advanced filter options such as location, industry, and experience level to ensure your job ads reach suitable candidates. Xing’s AI-powered recommendation system further improves visibility by suggesting your ad to relevant profiles.
Pros and Cons of Xing Job Postings
Speaking about the pros and cons of Xing, it is worth noting that, on the one hand, Xing’s focus on the German-speaking market makes it ideal for work in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. On the other hand, its coverage outside of these regions is limited.
A wide range of recruiting tools dramatically enhances the ability to hire the perfect candidates faster and easier. However, certain services can be more expensive, especially with premium features.
Explore 10 Out of the Box Recruiting Ideas for practical steps and creative strategies.
Measuring and Analyzing Success
Track Your Recruitment Success
Xing offers several tools to track hiring success. To evaluate your efforts, monitor critical metrics:
- Application Completion Rate—how many candidates completely fill out applications after viewing your job ad.
- Time to Hire—how quickly positions are filled after posting a job ad.
- Candidate Engagement—how many candidates view and engage with your ads.
- Offer Acceptance Rate—how many candidates accept job offers after being selected.
Tools for Analyzing Recruitment Performance
Xing provides in-platform analytics tools to measure performance, but combining it with external tools can give deeper insights. For example:
- Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Integrating Xing with an ATS helps track candidates’ progression through the hiring funnel.
- LinkMatch: This tool simplifies profile management, making analyzing candidate data easier and improving communication across platforms. Learn more about how LinkMatch can optimize your recruitment process by seamlessly integrating Xing and your CRM.
Better Recruiting on Xing with LinkMatch
LinkMatch is a powerful browser extension that integrates with Xing to simplify recruiting. With LinkMatch, recruiters can:
- Manage Candidate Profiles: Instantly save Xing profiles to your CRM. View and edit profiles while still in Xing.
- Improve Data Synchronization: LinkMatch automatically updates candidate data between Xing and your CRM, keeping everything organized and up to date.
- Enhanced Communication: With LinkMatch, you can easily monitor candidate interactions and keep track of correspondence, enhancing your effective communication strategy.
One of the biggest advantages of LinkMatch is its seamless integration with popular CRMs like HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Zoho. This feature allows for easy data synchronization, enabling you to streamline your recruitment efforts and boost efficiency.
Conclusion
Xing is the best choice for recruiters focused on the DACH region. Utilizing its features like search tools, TalentManager, or Onlyfy service can significantly ease the process of recruitment. Use AI features and analytics tools like LinkMatch to measure performance and skyrocket your results. Begin implementing Xing recruiting strategies today to improve your hiring success.
FAQs: Xing Recruiting Strategies Guide
What are the key differences between Xing and LinkedIn?
Xing is more suitable for talent acquisition in German-speaking markets (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), while LinkedIn is better suited for international hiring.
How do I create an effective recruiter profile on Xing?
To optimize your Xing recruiter profile, include a professional photo and detailed experience, and specify the industries you recruit for. Mentioning successful placements and adding relevant keywords boosts your profile’s visibility in Xing recruiting searches.
What are some best practices for engaging with candidates on Xing?
Xing talent acquisition will be more successful with a personalized outreach. Providing feedback, regular follow-ups, and clear job details are essential Xing recruiter tips to build strong candidate relationships.
Can I use Xing for recruiting internationally?
Although Xing is mainly used in German-speaking countries, it may be more effective in its home market. However, combining recruiting on Xing with platforms such as LinkedIn is recommended to attract a more comprehensive international talent pool.
How does LinkMatch improve my recruitment efficiency?
LinkMatch enhances Xing recruiting by integrating candidate profiles with your CRM. It automates profile saving by reducing manual data entry and helps track communication history, offering more streamlined candidate management in Xing for talent acquisition.
