Critical Talent Hiring Requires More Than A LinkedIn Job Posting to Be Successful

In today's digital age, there are clear advantages to having your job opportunities posted online, especially if you have a limited budget. When you first start recruiting, posting on LinkedIn or other job boards, such as Indeed or Zip Recruiter, is a good starting point to generate leads for your hiring initiatives. However, these platforms do have their limitations, especially starting at the manager level, and should not be the only approach you take.

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Let’s discuss the benefits of posting your open position online and how you can go beyond a simple job post to ensure you find the best-fit candidate for your organization.

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The Benefits and Challenges of LinkedIn Job Posting

LinkedIn has transformed from a platform created for professional networking to a hiring tool that has revolutionized the industry. The platform not only enhances how hiring directors and teams source candidates to fill open positions in their business, but also how job seekers find new positions in other companies.

While online job boards can be a piece of your search process, when hiring critical or management talent it is important to understand how relying on job postings alone will limit the quality of your candidate pool.

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Access A Large Talent Pool

With 774 million users in more than 200 countries and territories across the world, LinkedIn is the largest professional network. This gives your organization access to a diverse pool of potential candidates who might see your job posting. But, this can be a double-edged sword.

Due to a large number of users, it is difficult to prevent unqualified applicants from submitting applications –– ultimately increasing the amount of time your hiring team spends screening candidates. Even those who may be qualified may not fit your culture or some other leadership or technical qualifications that are critical success factors. Finally, most postings only attract active job seekers and not necessarily passive candidates.

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Engage With Candidates Where They Already Are

LinkedIn users are likely in a business mindset when they browse news articles and educational resources. When your job postings are placed in front of more qualified candidates, you improve the chances of catching their eye at a moment when they are most likely to show interest and ultimately take action. Regardless of which job boards you use, you know that the audience already has a certain degree of interest, which is why these platforms are useful for sourcing potential candidates.

Unfortunately, for management positions, few candidates will turn to LinkedIn job postings as their first point of contact for new opportunities. Instead, they will likely target specific companies and leverage their existing network to seek out new leadership positions. Furthermore, a job posting is static, it does not tell the story of your company, culture, position, and the advantages of why someone would be interested in being part of this team.

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Start The Conversation In A Casual Way

Social media is meant to be a conversational space to connect and get to know one another organically. Most talent acquisition professionals use LinkedIn to begin casually engaging with potential talent, much like a networking event. When you represent your brand professionally, it will help you build rapport with your prospects. By clearly communicating your business vision and values, you improve your chances of attracting the ideal candidate to join you on your mission.

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On the other hand, a job posting is a “yes/no” option - there is no relationship formed and due to the number of submissions, most applicants never hear back from the company. Instead of engaging and building relationships, you may actually be turning off potential candidates and harming your company’s reputation.

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Create A Positive Experience For Your Candidate

Making a good first impression is essential to ensure exceptional talent doesn’t slip away. Fortunately for hiring departments, LinkedIn makes it easy for candidates to apply and for hiring teams to communicate with them, creating a smooth process for all parties involved.

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Additionally, because so many people interact with LinkedIn job postings on their app, a positive mobile experience with your brand occurs by default. Moreover, you can use this as a chance to improve your employer branding by showcasing your company in a non-disruptive manner.

One of the biggest challenges for candidates interested in an online posting is that after they submit their application, they don't receive any additional information. They are not given a point of contact or a way to check the status of their application, or about the process itself. Ultimately, this lack of communication and connection may limit your ability to get the best talent, and possibly harm your company’s reputation.

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Why Only Posting a Job Online Is Not Enough to Find the Best Candidate

In the initial stages of your search, online job postings are a quick and easy way to make it known you are searching for new members to join your team. Although helpful, you should not limit your hiring initiatives to online job postings. Once you publish a job opening, your teams must utilize all the resources available, as it will shorten the time to fill a position, reduce your overall hiring costs, and ensure you are getting the best candidates.

Here are a few strategies and tactics to consider implementing in your process to make the most of your hiring initiatives at the executive level.

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Take Advantage of Your Current Employees

Your current employees are an integral part of your employer brand –– a network of avenues to strengthen the way others perceive you and attract like-minded people to want to work for you. Keep your teams informed about open positions you are trying to fill to leverage their professional network for potential hiring opportunities.

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Invest in Your Hiring Process

The biggest investment you can make for your business is in your employees –– and supporting your hiring department will guarantee you make better decisions. You may want to update the technology and resources you use for interviewing and candidate assessments to improve the experience for your potential candidates. Another opportunity that fosters growth is hiring consultants that can look at your team with an unbiased perspective.

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Partner with an Executive Search Firm

While online job boards and LinkedIn do provide valuable tools and resources for employers, they don't provide the same level of value as executive search firms do in the process. If you find yourself unable to dedicate the time and resources necessary to fill a position at your organization, partnering with a firm is your best option.

Given their expertise across a wide range of industries, a firm proactively connects with passive and active candidates within your targeted industry and geography and provides powerful insights into current trends to make better decisions while reducing turnover. Rather than focusing exclusively on recruiting a high volume of candidates, they look deeper into intricacies that make an individual the best fit for your company and culture. With the partnership of an executive search firm as an extension of your team, your hiring initiatives will gain more traction and ensure a faster, more streamlined experience, while also freeing you/your team up to focus on other critical deliverables.

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The Kinsley Sarn Difference

As a premier Executive Search firm, our team provides personalized services to each client. By dedicating the time and resources necessary to achieve a successful hiring experience, we shorten the time-to-hire and the overall experience for both our clients and potential candidates. With a 98% retention rate, you can trust that our refined process will help you grow your leadership teams in a way that works for your organizational culture.

We center our initial efforts around crafting a candidate profile that is designed to organically attract and engage with prospective candidates. During this step of our process, we strive to ensure that both parties are treated with a high degree of attention. This allows us to make informed decisions as we narrow down the talent pool and provide clients with our professional recommendations.

After our clients make their selection, we provide additional support to the selected candidate to guarantee they are supported through their transition. Using this approach, we help the candidate navigate the adjustment period and positively impact the organization they're joining.

As you can see, no online job posting can match the level of personalized attention working with an executive search firm provides. If you would like to discuss your specific hiring needs with one of our senior partners, contact us and we will be in touch shortly.

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