As a career coach & executive resume writer, I receive numerous LinkedIn messages daily asking for advice & introduction to employers & decision makers. Although I cannot respond to all of them due to paucity of time, I have realised that some of the messages deserve replies more than others. Let us discuss in detail three ineffective LinkedIn messages, which job seekers usually send that do not get a response & what should they send instead:
- Can you have a look at my profile & see which jobs I am fit for?: This is a standard message anyone with the keyword “recruiter” in their headline receives from job seekers. Although it may lead to a quick glance by a desperate or inexperienced recruiter, you will get response from the best of recruiters. So what is it so that your message will remain unattended & would not elicit a response?
Recruiters receive many messages like this every week & most people who send them are not qualified for the jobs recruiters are currently filling in. In Fact some people sending this message are not from the same industry or function. There are higher chances that job seekers have sent this as a standard message to a number of recruiters.
You should expect more responses if you do a bit of research & send a clear message that you have gone through their profile to make sure that their work aligns with your background. Then tell them a bit about what you do so that they have a fair idea without clicking your profile. They are then mostly likely to click & study your profile in detail & respond to your message. An example of message could be:
Hello XXX,
I understand you recruit for supply chain positions in Singapore. I am a strategic sourciing lead at ABC Ltd & I am looking to make a switch. Do you know any of supply chain lead positions here in the city? Would love to interact if so. Thank you for your time.
Best regards,
YYY
Being appropriate & specific rather than sending a generalised message would increase the likelihood that message will be responded
- Please look at my resume & advise how it can be improved?: While going through your resume & forming first impression takes a few seconds, it takes much longer to give constructive feedback. So why won’t this get a response? This request is not a miniscule affair however many job seekers ask me for just “5 minutes” when making the request. It is important to note that evaluating a resume takes much more than 5 minutes.Given that a recruiter is occupied with their day to day work, it is highly unlikely that they will stop all the ongoing tasks & address your request- for free. So what should be the appropriate strategy?
Start small & ask their opinion about one specific thing you are struggling in your resume. Show them you have already put your thought on to this & give them one specific question to answer. This can open the door to build relationships with them & knowing them & evaluating if they are ready for helping more.
- Can you forward my resume to the hiring team for a XYZ position? Recruiters receive numerous requests like this daily. Effectively by sending this message to the hiring team, the recruiter is recommending the candidate. Although recruiters can do this favor for a colleague or to someone they have spoken to in the past, it is unlikely they are going to do for a stranger. The best game plan should be to build a relationship before asking. You can start the conversation by telling them about research you were doing some research & were considering applying for the job but were wondering how they would describe the work environment & what their experience has been working for the company since beginning.
Some golden rules for cold messages
- Ask for something small to start
- Show you have done some research & your homework already.
- Personalise this message for the recruiter. The message should not sound a standard message you have designed to send to multiple people
- Make your message as concise as possible.
Are you looking for some career advice & guidance about how to write an executive resume or have a rebranded LinkedIn profile. As the founder & executive resume coach at Sushant Kumar Ventures, offering executive resume writing & LinkedIn profile writing services for modern day job seekers, I would be happy to chat to help you meet your career goals; Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/fbPEMJ3
