Utilizing Social Media for Recruitment

I analyzed 8,000+ recruiting emails sent through our platform. Basic personalization (name, company) now delivers ZERO lift in response rates. None. Ten years ago, this was revolutionary. Today, it's table stakes. What's working? Our customers using AI-powered personalization are seeing 60% higher response rates.  But even this is about to become obsolete because the market is about to get flooded with AI outreach that can do exactly that. The next frontier isn't just better personalization based on someone's online profile or resume. It's using the entire relationship history your company already has with each candidate. I'm talking about: - "I saw you attended our recruiting event 15 months ago" - "You interviewed with us last year and based on your feedback, this new role addresses exactly what you were looking for" - "You had conversations with Jill and Sam on our team 3 years ago - they still reference your insights" This hyper-personalized approach based on relationship context is what separates elite recruiting teams from everyone else. Here's what most people miss: Generic AI tools can't do this alone. The magic happens when AI is married with a system that captures every single candidate touchpoint in one place (hint, hint: we’ve been building this for almost 10 years). We're seeing early adopters of this approach fill roles 2x faster with candidates who are far better fits. This is the future of recruiting personalization. The companies who get there first win the talent war. Everyone else will be left wondering why their "Hi {{first_name}}" emails aren't working anymore.

It's Sunday—no better day to break down how I keep my funnel running and share this with you in simple steps. And the best part? You don’t need to comment “Richard, you’re the best” to unlock the method! 😉  The Method: The 5-Step Social Selling System   ↳ The Rule of 30: I always maintain 30 "active" leads in my funnel.   ↳ Active means leads that haven't converted yet and haven’t told me to "get lost."  Here’s how I manage this process step by step:  Step 1: Identifying Leads   I use Boolean search on LinkedIn or Sales Navigator, but there are plenty of tools that can help you discover leads across various platforms. The key is to find prospects who match your ICP.  Step 2: Engaging with Content   When your prospects post, this is your opportunity to make an impression:   ↳ Engage 2–3 times with meaningful comments.   ↳ Add value, share additional insights, or ask thoughtful follow-up questions.  Example:   "I really loved your insights on SaaS sales solutions—what do you think is the most important development we should watch for this year?"  Step 3: Outreach   No InMails here (response rates are terrible lately). Instead, I send personalized connection requests using one of these hooks:   1. Reference a recent post of theirs I engaged with.   2. Mention their reply to my comment (from Step 2).   3. Highlight something from their Featured Section.   4. Leverage a meaningful mutual connection or shared interest.   5. Reference something I found about them in the news.  Step 4: Building Trust   When a prospect accepts your connection request, resist the urge to immediately pitch! Instead, focus on nurturing trust over 3–4 days by offering valuable content.  Here’s how I do it:   Create a layered content sequence with 3–4 high-value items.   1. Start with something light and easy to consume, like an infographic (e.g., "10 Social Selling Trends for 2025").   2. Follow up with a more detailed report or guide. 3. End with a personalized invite to a webinar or event.  Key Tip: Always ask for consent before sending content. Step 5: The Ask   My golden rule? Wait for three positive interactions before asking for a meeting. Here’s what that might look like:   1. Your connection request is accepted.   2. They respond positively to your offer to share content (e.g., “Yes, I’d love to see it!”).   3. You send the content, and they provide feedback (e.g., “Thanks—this was really helpful!”).  This approach works because it follows Cialdini’s principle of commitment. My Funnel Rules:   ✔️ When a lead converts? Add a new one to the top of the funnel.   ✔️ When a lead says “not interested”? Add a new one to replace them.  It’s all about consistency. Keep 30 leads active at all times. Use whatever system works for you—CRM, spreadsheet, or even pen and paper. The tool doesn’t matter. What matters is staying disciplined and following the steps.  That's it Happy Sunday and Happy Selling,   PS: What Step do you need to work on?

Transparency in Hiring Matters Recently, I had an interaction that made me reflect on transparency in job hiring. As job seekers, we are expected to share our CVs upfront without knowing even the basic details—like salary range, job role specifics, or office location. But shouldn't hiring be a two-way conversation based on mutual trust? Recruiters in newspaper, LinkedIn and job portals do not publish complete and useful information for the candidates. And when the candidate asks them, they say “Send Your CV”. This has happened to me many times and I feel that they talk to the candidates as if they are hiring bonded labour or slave, about whom the candidate cannot ask anything. The recruiter has complete freedom to say, speak and behave whatever he/she wants. First send the candidate's CV Then send a message or mail to the recruiter to know your application status... still the recruiter has no responsibility. First share the CV through mail or whatsapp with the recruiter, then no video call, he has to see the candidate face to face, like one would have to see for marriage. At the time of digital, the first round can be virtual, but no. Then the candidate is called to the office and made to wait for hours, less work is talked about, more personal questions are asked like "are you single or married, what have you been doing for so many years, who all are there in your family, do you have your own house or not, do you have a vehicle or not." Even after sharing cv on email, recruiter needs a hard copy separately. Even in digital times, it is a waste of paper. It is a waste of the candidate's money. First of all the salary expectation is asked from the candidate, when the candidate refuses then the recruiter says "we will see your work and then think about it later, we don't know anything about you." By saying such things the morale of the candidate is brought down. The recruiter wants the candidate to fall for his words and join the job at underserving salary. The British are gone, but even today the methods of hiring candidates are no less than slaves. The recruiter says "they are paying". Organizations want to filter the right candidates, and candidates want to make informed decisions. If salary, work expectations, or office location are shared upfront, it saves time for both parties. A candidate should know whether the opportunity aligns with their expectations before applying. Building a Culture of Trust A transparent hiring process: 1. Helps candidates apply with confidence. 2. Saves time for recruiters by attracting the right talent. 3. Enhances the organization’s reputation and trustworthiness. So, why is salary or job clarity still a hidden aspect in many hiring processes? Shouldn’t it be standard practice to disclose at least the basic details before requesting a CV? Dear recruiters, hire with good sense and professional ethics. Hiring in a fraudulent manner is not the work of professionals. #Transparency #HR #JobSeekers

Most AEs can’t get a meeting with a CFO. My clients are getting them with CEOs, COOs, and CFOs—consistently. The secret? Not magic. Not spamming. Hyper-personalized, multi-channel outreach powered by ChatGPT. Here’s the exact framework we use (that gets replies when “short and sweet” emails fail): When I ask sales teams how many times they follow up with an executive before moving on, the most common answer is: “Two emails, maybe a call.” That’s why you’re losing. Executives don’t respond because: Your outreach is generic You stop before you break through the noise You rely on ONE channel (usually email) Here’s how we fix it. 1. Go narrow before you go deep Stop prospecting to everyone in your patch. Pick your A accounts—the top 10-20 that would change your year if you closed them. 2. Use 3-4 channels every time If you send an email and don’t follow it with a call, a video, and a LinkedIn touch, you’re invisible. I’ll use ZoomInfo or Seamless to get the cell number, call right after sending the email, leave a voicemail, then send a voice note or video if no pickup. 3. Reach out 10+ times (not 2) My largest deals took 10-15 touches before the first meeting. If you believe you can help them, they need to know you’re serious. 4. Hyper-personalize using AI Forget “Hope you’re doing well.” Here’s the structure: Line 1: Personal, sincere compliment tied to research Line 2: Observation about their stated goals/priorities Line 3: The gap between where they want to go and where they are today Line 4: How you can close that gap Close: Soft call to action 5. Steal my favorite ChatGPT-4o prompt “I’m a sales rep at [Company] targeting [Name, Title]. Write a personalized, executive-ready email that speaks to their role, their publicly stated goals or quotes, and how we can help them. Be concise, use bullet points, and end with a soft CTA.” (more in the video below) Combine this with deep account research before you ever reach out, and you’ll have emails that sound like you wrote them just for that exec—because you did. I’ve seen this method work when: - You’re selling to an account that already uses your product (reference it in the first line) - You can’t find public info on a prospect—personalize at the account level instead - You need to enable champions to sell internally You don’t get meetings with executives by sending “short and sweet” emails. You get them by showing you’ve done the work— And proving, in detail, that you understand their business better than 99% of reps hitting their inbox. Get my top 4 ChatGPT prompts for tech sellers here: https://lnkd.in/gbznEjgq

The surprising place where 40% of my clients found remote dream jobs (hint: it's not a job board)... 👇🏼 Successful job searches always come down to the details…🍊 The more we take action, the more clarity we get. Everyone's fighting over the same positions on LinkedIn and Indeed. But after helping thousands of professionals build remote careers, I've discovered many of my most successful clients landed their roles through an entirely different channel. The surprising source? Online communities dedicated to their specific industry or skill set. ✅ 1 // Niche communities deliver higher-quality opportunities Most remote job seekers exhaust themselves scanning job boards. Meanwhile, hiring managers for the BEST remote positions are posting in specialized Slack groups, Discord servers, and community forums where they already know qualified candidates hang out. These communities might have 1/100th the traffic of major job boards, but the signal-to-noise ratio is dramatically higher. ✅ 2 // The application-to-interview ratio is transformative On traditional job boards, you're competing with 250-500+ applicants per role. In specialized communities, that number often drops below 30 - and many of those aren't even qualified. My client Sarah applied to 50+ remote marketing positions through job boards with zero interviews. Within her first week of joining two marketing Slack communities, she applied to just 3 positions and received 2 interviews. ✅ 3 // These communities offer the "hidden" advantage When you apply through these channels, you're not just another resume in the ATS. You're seen as a peer who's already part of the same professional ecosystem as the hiring team. This subtle distinction completely changes how your application is perceived and evaluated. ✅ 4 // Finding your perfect communities is simpler than you think: • Ask 3-5 respected colleagues which online communities they value most • Search "[your field/skill] + community" or "[your field/skill] + slack" on Google • Look for niche newsletters that curate specialized job opportunities • Join Github discussions for technical roles or specialized subreddits My client James found his dream remote developer position through a small Discord server dedicated to React developers. The role was never posted publicly because the hiring manager filled it through community referrals first. — 📌 Pro tip (if you’re in product management): As an example, joining Lenny’s Newsletter’s paid community on Slack opens up new PM jobs weekly. This stuff is a goldmine. Remote job searching isn't about applying to more positions - it's about applying to the right positions through the right channels. Question: Have you ever found a new opportunity via smaller communities? Wes #remotework #jobsearchtips #resumewriter 🎥 (@wangzgh8)

Generic diversity statements in job ads often backfire. Research shows they can actually decrease applications from candidates of color. Instead, use concrete commitments. A craigslist experiment tested this by adding one sentence to a standard diversity blurb: "We've set a goal of hiring at least one woman or racial minority for every white man we hire." The result was striking: applications from women and people of color increased significantly. And, importantly, it didn't deter white men or lower the quality of applicants. This works because specific goals signal real commitment. Today's job seekers are looking for evidence that your dedication to equity goes beyond platitudes. To attract diverse talent, go beyond boilerplate language: 📊 Set and share specific diversity goals 👥 Be transparent about your current workforce demographics 📣 Highlight concrete actions you're taking to promote inclusion By being clear and specific in your job ads, you can create a more diverse and qualified applicant pool. It's a simple change that can make a big difference! #DiversityInHiring #InclusiveRecruitment #MakeWorkFairBook PS - Stay tuned for this paper from Erika Kirgios, Edward Chang, and Ike Silver - currently under review.

Today, a recruiter invited me to a call about a potential role I was very interested in learning more about. But, less than an hour before the meeting, I received a sudden calendar update: “Fred from Fireflies will join to record and transcribe the conversation.” - No prior request for consent. - No explanation of how the recording would be stored. - No clear details on how my data might be used. What should have been a straightforward conversation instantly shifted into a scramble to protect my privacy (voice, image, and data). Recording an interview, without clear, advance permission, erodes trust before the first question is even asked. Consent is a deliberate agreement that lets everyone show up prepared and comfortable. This is an ethical issue. No doubt, an AI note-taker could be valuable to this recruiter. But, they also raise questions about data retention, confidentiality, and intellectual property. A candidate discussing career history, research, or sensitive client details deserves to know exactly how those records will be used and who will have access. If you truly aim to build an inclusive hiring process, plan for ethical recording practices from the first email. - State your intentions. - Outline how the file will be stored and data retention policies. - Offer alternative accommodations. - Secure explicit consent well before the call. Anything less feels like surveillance disguised as efficiency. How are you making sure your use of AI tools in interviews respects privacy, consent, and accessibility? *Note, I am fortunate to be able to walk away from situations that violate my privacy, and I did exactly that in this case. I recognize that many candidates cannot afford to decline and must navigate similar scenarios without the option to stay no. If you are in that position, I see you and stand with you. #CyberSecurity #DataPrivacy #Consent

Dear hiring managers, Before setting up an interview with a candidate, there is no harm in mentioning more details in the job advertisement, such as salary, experience requirements, and notice period. Candidates have valuable time and often find it difficult to leave their current jobs to meet with you. Many also grow hopeful for a job after the interview, only to be disappointed by factors that could have been clarified beforehand. Transparency in job advertisements is not only considerate but also a mark of professionalism. #JobHunt #HiringTransparency #Professionalism #CandidateExperience #JobSearch ---

This past week alone I came across over 15 exciting museum jobs on LinkedIn I couldn’t share because they didn’t list a salary. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: “No salary, no application.” “Not worth my time to apply, even if I can check tax documents… chances are if they aren’t willing to post it, it isn’t competitive.” “I look for the salary before I read anything else. Why waste my own time?” “My first impression if they do not list a salary is that the position must not pay very well. This usually deters me from applying.” 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯. “My first impression? The position must not pay very well.” “I refuse to share the job announcement within my networks (virtual or otherwise). It says to me that the employer is out of touch.” “I’ve gotten less picky after 6 months of job searching...but the sites that post salary tend to be more responsive. The others? They ghost.” “I applied once for a role I was excited about—then turned down the offer because the pay was insultingly low.” 𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲: “I, generally, see this as a potential red flag. If they are not transparent in the job description, will they be transparent when you're working for them?” “It’s a red flag. Museums that don’t post salaries are wasting people’s time—or trying to chisel applicants.” "In the end, I do not apply to positions that don’t post a salary. That tells me you’re not transparent as an organization, whether it be compensation or elsewhere” “If it's on LinkedIn I will sometimes comment on the post and ask what the salary is. Their response (or lack thereof) often tells me a lot about how they operate as an organization and whether I would consider working for/with them.” “If I come across organizations where they are selectively choosing which roles have public information, I will avoid any applications there.” And in many places, it’s not just a bad look, it’s illegal. States with salary transparency laws include: AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NY, NC, OR, PA, PR, RI, VT, VA, WA, WI. Cities too: Atlanta, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New Orleans, and beyond. So my question is: Why is your organization still doing this? It’s actively harming your reputation, limiting your applicant pool, and contributing to long-standing inequities in the field. It’s 2025. Be better.

If You Can’t Share the Pay, Don’t Post the Job! 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛! Here’s why pay transparency matters: ↳It helps align financial expectations upfront. ↳ It prevents wasted time for candidates and recruiters. ↳And honestly, it’s just the RIGHT thing to do. As a Recruiter, I firmly believe in open and transparent conversations about pay: ↳ I include compensation details in job descriptions. ↳I mention compensation in phone screen invites. ↳ I discuss compensation within the first 3 minutes of my screening calls. Why? Because expectations and circumstances can change, and clarity is key. Pay transparency is more than just a nice-to-have, it’s essential for building trust, saving time, and creating better experiences for both candidates and employers. Let’s normalize transparency!