It’s no secret that LinkedIn is every recruiter’s favourite platform to use.
Not only is it great for advertising open roles and sharing them with a huge network, it also enables them to proactively reach out to potential, qualified candidates. Thanks to Linkedin InMails — a feature made available to premium LinkedIn users — recruiters can send messages to professionals they aren’t connected with. And get that shiny gold icon.
But while it’s a highly effective way to recruit, how can you make your message stand out amongst the multitude of InMails professionals receive from others?
Lots of InMails go ignored and unanswered because it just doesn’t leave a great first impression. But fret not, we’re to help. We’ve put together some LinkedIn InMail templates that are ready to use and completely free, to help you find the perfect candidate.
Disclaimer: This isn’t sponsored by LinkedIn, we’re just sharing tips that can help recruiters.
In this template, we cover:
- Formal message template
- Informal message template
- ‘Mutual connection’ message template
- ‘Impressed by your skills’ message template
- ‘Like the post you’ve written’ message template
- ‘Take your career to the next level’ message template
- Follow-up message template
LinkedIn recruiter message template sample
Here’s a preview of the template;
Hi [candidate’s name],
I hope you’re well and having a great week.
I’m [your first name] and I’m a [your job title here] at [company name]. I wanted to reach out because we’re currently looking for a [title of job opening] with [insert specific knowledge or skills]. Based on your experience, I think you could be a great fit.
Keen to see the full version? Download the template now.
Why do recruiters use LinkedIn InMail messages?
LinkedIn InMail messages are a valuable tool that recruiters can use to connect and engage with potential candidates in a targeted and efficient way.
First and foremost, it provides them with access to a large pool of candidates — LinkedIn is one of the world’s largest professional networking platforms, with more than 900 million users worldwide. InMail allows recruiters to connect with these candidates directly and message them accordingly — regardless of where they are geographically based.
Especially with the increase in remote work, this enables businesses looking to expand internationally to hire locally where they want to. There’s also a higher chance of recruiters finding the talent they want when they’re not limited geographically.
LinkedIn also has advanced search filters that enable recruiters to narrow down their search to specific industries, locations, job titles, or other criteria. This gives them access to the most relevant candidates which they can then tailor their messages to.
InMail messages can be personalised to the candidate, making the message more engaging and increase the chances of getting a response. This helps recruiters build relationships with potential candidates, and establish a strong connection immediately with those who are genuinely interested.
Another huge advantage ofLinkedIn InMail messages in recruitment is how cost-effective it is. All recruiters need is a premium LinkedIn account, rather than spending on advertising on job boards or engaging a recruitment company.
InMail messages also make things so much more efficient for recruiters. They can reach out to multiple candidates simultaneously, increasing the possibility of finding the perfect candidate and reducing the time needed to fill a particular role.
What types of candidates can you recruit with these LinkedIn message templates?
Passive candidates
Passive candidates are individuals who are currently employed and not actively looking for a job, but may be open to new opportunities. These LinkedIn message templates can be used to pique their interest and start a conversation about new job openings.
Apart from these InMail templates, we’ve also got an awesome passive candidate outreach email template that you can check out.
Active candidates
Individuals who are actively looking for a job and are likely to be more receptive to recruitment messages are known as active candidates.
These InMail templates can be used to offer them relevant job opportunities, schedule calls, and encourage them to apply for the roles they are interested in.
Candidates with specific skills
InMail message templates can be used to target candidates proficient in specific skills, or have specific experience that are required for the job opening.
These allow recruiters to connect with candidates who have the skills they need, and increase their chances of finding the right person for the job.
Candidates based in specific locations
If the business is looking to expand internationally, or is a remote-first company (like us!) — then hiring across borders is something that recruiters can utilise InMail message templates for. By targeting candidates in specific locations, recruiters can better fill roles that require local knowledge and language skills.
What should you find out about prospective candidates during outreach?
As a recruiter, you’ll need to gather as much information as possible to determine if a prospective candidate will be a good fit for the company or client. Some things to look out for include:
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- Experience and qualifications: Find out all about the candidate’s work history, education, and any relevant qualifications or certifications they may have.
- Motivation for considering a new job: Why is the candidate interested in a new job? Why are they open to leaving their current company and what are they looking for in their next role? This information can help you determine if they will be a good fit for the company.
- Career goals: What are their long-term career goals? This will help inform whether growth opportunities within the company aligns with their aspirations.
- Availability: When can the candidate start a new job? How long is their notice period? Are there any other potential constraints such as relocation needs or visa requirements? These are all important factors to consider.
- Communication skills: Are they fluent in expressing their thoughts and opinions? What is their working style? Do they work well with others? It will determine whether they fit into the company culture and excel as a team player or leader.
When you have a better understanding of all these areas, only then can you make more informed decisions about whether to move forward with this candidate in the recruitment process.
6 tips for maximising the impact of your LinkedIn recruiting messages
If your Linkedin InMail message doesn’t grab their attention, it’s easy for candidates to just scroll past it and ignore your outreach message. Try out the following tips to engage them.
1. Personalise the message
No one likes receiving a generic, copy and pasted message that’s vague and doesn’t address them directly. All the more so if you’re a complete stranger that they’ve never encountered before.
Consider personalising the subject line and your message to include mentions of their skills, experiences, and recent accomplishments. That not only instantly grabs the candidate’s attention, it also shows them you’re sincere, because you’ve done your research and are genuinely interested in their profile. Don’t forget to double check you’ve spelled their name correctly! Simple things like this go a long way and show you care.
2. Keep it short and straightforward
Avoid sending long messages that the candidate may not have time to read. Keep the message short and succinct, highlighting the most important information about the job role, what you’re looking for, and why you think the candidate would be a good fit.
3. Highlight the benefits
It’s likely that the candidate is only going to give your InMail message a quick readthrough, so you need to really shout about the most attractive parts of the role to make them pay attention.
Highlight the key benefits of the role and the company. According to our Talent Insights Report, 51% of candidates are looking for a salary increase in their next job. Monetary bonuses or rewards (30%), flexible working options (28%), and extra annual leave days (22%) were also keen pull factors.
Make sure you mention competitive compensation, flexible working arrangements, opportunities for learning and development, a supportive work culture, and other employee benefits in your outreach message. This will make the role more attractive to the candidate, and they’ll be more inclined to continue the conversation.
4. Have a clear call to action
Include a clear call to action in the message, such as asking the candidate to apply for the role, schedule a quick call, or respond with their availability for a call. Doing so will help to increase the likelihood of a response.
5. Follow up accordingly
If the candidate does not respond to your initial message, don’t give up!
Follow up with a friendly reminder a few days later, or try reaching out to the candidate through a different channel, such as email or phone. But don’t be that person who doesn’t take the hint – if you’ve had two failed attempts, it might be time to call it a day and move on.
6. Use trial and error
If you’re not getting great response rates from your current message template, it’s probably time to switch things up.
Test different message templates and strategies to see what works best for your target candidates. Track your response rates and adjust your approach as needed. Once you find that sweet spot, you’ll be able to save time in finding the right candidate.
How else can you use LinkedIn to find top talent?
Apart from using LinkedIn Inmail messages to reach out to potential candidates, there are many other ways you can use LinkedIn to find top talent!
Referral programs are a great way to start. Encourage your employees to refer their connections to the company by providing incentives for successful referrals. Getting employees to share job openings also helps you tap into their extensive network — all they have to do is repost the job listing.
If they’re up for it, you could also ask them to write a post on LinkedIn sharing about their experience thus far with the company, how great it is to work for, and mention available roles with links to the open positions. Alternatively, you can look for potential referrals by looking at the LinkedIn profiles of individuals with connections to your employees.
Consider investing in LinkedIn Recruiter, a premium tool that allows you to reach out to qualified candidates using advanced search filters and messaging capabilities. You can even get smart recommendations as you refine your search — LinkedIn Recruiter learns from your actions to provide you with a list of recommended candidates for your role.
In fact, candidates found in Recommended Matches are up to 35% more likely to accept InMails than candidates found in Recruiter search alone. You can then send a personalised InMail message or bulk-message multiple candidates at once — and even save your messages as templates for easy future use. It also provides you with analytical data that allows you to better understand your recruiting successes and improve where needed.
Join relevant LinkedIn Groups in your industry to connect with potential candidates and share job opportunities. Be sure to pay attention to group rules and avoid spamming them instead focus on building quality relationships. The talented candidates you’re looking for are likely using these groups to stay up-to-date on industry trends and news.
Your company’s LinkedIn account can also be a powerful tool in helping you find interested candidates. It’s a great way of showcasing your company culture, values and mission.
Maintain an active and engaging page so candidates can get a peek inside before applying. Supercharge this effective tool today with our guide to LinkedIn company page best practices for recruitment.
LinkedIn’s Talent Insights platform also empowers you to make smarter workforce decisions and investments, with real-time supply and demand data. You can source for talent more effectively by using talent pool data to refine your search, pipeline for the future using detailed talent snapshots and talent pool recommendations, and even address current and future skill gaps using skills trends and competitive benchmarking.
Make your recruitment process even easier with Employment Hero
Looking for your star candidate doesn’t need to be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Employment Hero can help make the full recruitment life cycle an absolute breeze — with our handy Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
You can upload a job ad to multiple job boards, sort applications, build shortlists, process applicants, and move standout applicants through the pipeline with just a few simple clicks. It wipes all of the tedious, manual administrative work out.
Talent sourcing isn’t easy. We feel you. Download these templates for recruiters now — we wish you all the best in your talent search!
Check out our Resources page for more.