In this Issue:
How to Conduct an Internet Search for Passive Candidates
LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, etc. can be used to identify potential candidates for any job search. LinkedIn is most commonly used for business purposes because it has over 135MM professional profiles accessible to anyone for free. This represents a large passive candidate pool for any employer. The Fortune 1000 use internal recruiters to look at LinkedIn first for any of their needs.
Site:Search is the fastest, most efficient way to search LinkedIn, and most other networking sites, because you can sidestep many of the rules and restrictions within these sites by tapping into the Public Profile.
There are five major advantages to searching LinkedIn via Site:Search:
- Contacts full names are available.
- The three degrees rule does not apply; you see all contacts matching your search.
- The 100 candidate limit rule does not apply.
- You can search any/all LinkedIn groups.
- Its free
When using Site:Search to search LinkedIn, the keywords must be exactly the same as listed in LinkedIn’s Advanced Search option. You can use Google, Yahoo or any search engine.
The ideal search string is:
Site:linkedin.com “project engineer” “food & beverages” “Dallas/Fort Worth Area” –intitle:directory –intitle:dallas –intitle:profiles intitle:linkedin
If you limit or shorten the string, you get a response that is too large. This specific string narrows the response to 77 results, an easy number to scroll through. You change the position title, industry and geography for each specific search you want to perform. The spacing of the string also has to be exact.
Once you have the list, you can review each profile on LinkedIn and determine who is qualified for your opening. Then you can Google their company name to get a phone number or send them an email to determine their interest in your opportunity. Once identified, they still have to be recruited or “sold” on the opportunity before either party can explore a potential fit. This is just one of many methods used by recruiters to identify potential candidates for any search.
Bob Harrington Associates 