How Small Businesses Can Use LinkedIn for Recruiting

With more than 55 million companies and more than 740 million active users, LinkedIn is one of the key recruiting tools at the disposal of companies. With 92% of Fortune 500 companies on LinkedIn, it has a bit of a reputation for being useful only for larger enterprise companies, but there are plenty of benefits for small businesses to take advantage of too.

As businesses of every size face obstacles with the ongoing labor shortage, LinkedIn can be a valuable and potentially untapped resource for small businesses to market their open roles and connect with potential employees. Here are 10 ways to use LinkedIn to advertise your business and recruit potential employees. 

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1. Create and update your company profile: You might have a personal profile on LinkedIn, but you can also create a free LinkedIn Company Page. All you need is an existing personal profile to start the Company Page, and from there you can give admin access to additional employees who will manage and post on the page. It’s also important to keep your profile current. Keep business information relevant and up to date and make sure you have a profile photo. Think of your LinkedIn like any other social media platform that legitimizes your business and showcases your strengths and professionalism to people who seeking employment.
2. Post and advertise open roles: Of course, one of the best ways to recruit employees on LinkedIn is to post openings and advertise them. Once you create job listings, share them on your profile, in groups, and through events.
3. Join groups: LinkedIn has over 2 million active groups across a wide variety of topics, so there is a high chance that there is a group aligned with your small business. You can use groups to find others with similar interests or goals, which can be helpful in finding like-minded potential employees who will be passionate about your business. 
4. Start your own groups: If there are limited groups that are relevant to your business or services, you can start your own and build a community. 
5. Be an active member of groups: With group participants garnering an average of four times the profile views than those who do not participate, it can be a great way to raise awareness for your business and get in front of prospective employees in relevant spaces. 
6. Find in-person and virtual events: Both in-person meet and greets and virtual events can be great opportunities to advertise your company and make connections. Keep an eye out for relevant events. For example, if you’re a photographer looking for an assistant photographer, try photography meetups or virtual events. You can also team up with others in groups to host your own event and position yourself as a thought leader or an expert in your field, which is helpful to establish the credibility of your business to job seekers. 
7. Post updates and share articles: As with any social media network, you can drive engagement by being active and maintaining a regular cadence of posts. Share business updates or industry articles and engage with commenters to help build a community.
8. Post pictures of your business: Visual updates with photos and videos are great ways to drum up interest in your business. Show happy employees and customers in your business or share creative displays and seasonal items.
9. Utilize SEO: Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential tool to drive traffic, to acquire new customers, and to get found online. For small businesses, ranking in search helps customers find you and can increase your credibility with them. LinkedIn profiles are discoverable through search engines, so utilize relevant keywords to increase chances of people finding your business, and ensure your profile includes your business website.
10. Encourage employees to use LinkedIn: Encourage your employees to create LinkedIn profiles for their own professional development and to share testimonials or endorsements if they choose. While this should never be required, happy employees who feel supported and invested in might be happy to share their positive thoughts and even share job openings to their own networks.