Better yet, draw an explicit line between the candidate’s achievements and the reason you’re interested in them — like spotlighting a rare skill that your company needs or expressing that they were referred to you by people in the know.
“Make sure that whatever skill or accomplishment you recognize aligns with why you’re reaching out,” advises Cam Pezet, a senior recruiter at Nike. “Otherwise, it may cause confusion and drive a potential candidate to not respond.”
In fact, LinkedIn research found that over half of all candidates expect recruiters’ messages to contain specifics about why their particular accomplishments make them a good fit for the organization. So if you don’t take this step, don’t hold your breath for an enthusiastic response.
6. Share “what’s in it for me?”
Just as you have criteria for evaluating a new employee, your candidates have criteria for evaluating a new job. Pique their interest in your opportunity by sharing some details around what’s in it for them.
It may be difficult to decipher what would be most appealing to each candidate, but you can still make some headway with a few educated guesses.
LinkedIn’s 2023 The Future of Recruiting report found that candidates’ top priorities were:
- Compensation
- Work-life balance
- Flexible working arrangements
- Advancement
- Skill development
These are a good starting point to discuss what your organization can offer. Briefly share some key information to entice your candidates to respond to your InMail message.
7. Offer next steps
Adding a simple next step or call to action tosses the ball into the candidate’s court, encouraging them to pick it up and toss it back to you. Share your calendar availability to schedule a call or ask the candidate to offer a few times that work.
Be polite and respect that they probably have other things going on, especially if they’re currently employed elsewhere and potentially have childcare or eldercare responsibilities at home.
Most LinkedIn InMail responses arrive pretty quickly: 65% arrive within 24 hours and 90% arrive within one week.
8. Keep InMails short
Less is more, as the saying goes. And when it comes to cold outreach, that’s definitely true.
LinkedIn data reveals that InMails under 400 characters tend to be met with 22% higher response rates than the average response rate for all InMails. Messages that are over 800 characters, on the other hand, see below average response rates — so keep your InMails short and sweet.
