Reasons Recruiters Ignore LinkedIn Messages

LinkedIn Connection: “Hi, I saw your post about an open role that your team is recruiting for. My experience is in (inserts experience) and I went ahead and applied to the role. I look forward to hearing back from you. Thank you in advance. Me: “Hi [Name], thank you for applying. I’d love to connect for a quick initial conversation. Please use this link to schedule a time that works best for you: [Insert scheduling link]. I look forward to our chat!” This was an interaction with me and a connection earlier this week. As a candidates, you do not have to send your entire work history or explain every detail of their situation in a LinkedIn message to get a response back. Recruiters spend their days in the ATS, reviewing applications and moving candidates forward. That is where your story will be reviewed in full. The most successful candidates are the ones who do the leg work first: • They apply directly to the role • They tailor their resume to match the job description • They highlight the skills that align with what the role requires That shows effort and genuine interest. When messages come through that ask, “What roles does my background fit?” or “What are you recruiting for?” it puts the work back on the recruiter to figure that out for you. With hundreds of applications and messages coming in, it is simply not realistic. This is not about being dismissive. It is about being transparent. Recruiters want to connect you with opportunities, but you will always put yourself in the best position when you take that first step. So, friend to friend: apply, tailor, and then keep your message to a recruiter short and simple. Share that you applied, highlight a few skills that aligns, and thank them for their time. That little bit of intentionality makes all the difference.

Job seekers, Please stop mass messaging people in Talent Acquisition asking them to review your resume and see if there’s a fit for you. That’s not how recruiting works. Recruiters don’t find jobs for individual people—we find the best candidates for the open roles we’re responsible for. And in most companies, recruiters don’t cover every position; we focus on the roles we’re actively working on. If you want to get better results when reaching out, try something like: “I just applied for the XYZ opening at your company and wanted to connect regarding it.” (Bonus points if you include the job req number!) Messages like this make it easy for us to help. If I get a message like that, I’ll always do my best to find the recruiter responsible and flag the application for review—even if it’s not my role. Also, keep in mind that due to high cybersecurity risks, most recruiters avoid opening resumes sent to us directly. If you're messaging us on LinkedIn, your profile IS your resume—so make sure it’s updated and represents your experience well! Recruiters do want to help, but we can’t if you’re asking us to do something outside our scope. A little effort on your end can make all the difference!

I see a lot of people on LinkedIn struggling to get responses when reaching out to recruiters or hiring managers, so I’d like to offer some advice for those dealing with this. I see these types of messages in my own inbox more than I'd like to, and most of the time, I don’t respond to messages like: 1. Requests to hop on a call just to discuss your background when I don’t have any open roles in your field. 2. Asking for advice on why you’re not getting responses. 3. Requesting my opinion on which jobs you might be a fit for. 4. Simple “Hey Kristen” messages with no additional context. 5. Messages that are clearly copy & pasted from ChatGPT. Your 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 goal when reaching out to someone in the hiring space should be to save them time. We don’t have the capacity to take calls with everyone or let everyone “pick our brain.” Instead, your message should make it easy for us to understand your background and the industries you’ve worked in without needing to dig for details. Most of us won’t go searching for your work history, so if it’s not immediately visible, there’s a high chance your message will be overlooked.