Blog Content
Lots of recruiters have a LinkedIn Recruiter Licence. Indeed many of my clients do, or are considering investing. I’ve written several blogs about recruiters not “getting” the value of LinkedIn:
Recruiters: Don’t Expect a Return on Investment from LinkedIn (part 1)
Recruiters: Don’t Expect a Return on Investment from LinkedIn (part 2)
And now I’m about to go into a 3rd episode and talk specifically about LinkedIn Recruiter. (And if ever there was a time to discuss the placement of the colon.)
Having a LinkedIn Recruiter licence – Just like having a Porsche
When I work with recruiters on their social media strategy I tend to get a bit car mad (Lewis Hamilton has done me some favours this year). I often equate having a LinkedIn Recruiter Licence to having a Porsche. I’ve done my research too and many recruiters would love (or indeed have) a Porsche.
There’s going to be all sorts of Porsche and car analogies in this blog. Tune your valves and check your mirrors!
Imagine this Porsche was a company car. The recruiter I worked for in the early 2000s had one – you “won” it for a month if you smashed target.
Imagine if you had a company Porsche:
You’d have a flipping huge smile on your face if you got to drive it (but I rarely see recruiters look delighted when they’re using LinkedIn Recruiter)
You wouldn’t just give it to your mates to rag (but you sometimes share a LinkedIn Recruiter licence)
Your boss wouldn’t let you get in unless you’d got a valid driving licence (but there are 1000s of recruiters using the licence and have not been trained to use it, and no-one is studying their usage reports and holding them accountable for their use of the system)
You’d be expected to keep it clean (but any recruiters are not saving searches, setting up alerts or using projects)
You’d win the race, rather than draw with the freebie LinkedIn.com recruiters (but I still see a lack of revenue generated by this licence, and a “it’s ok to break even” approach by some who are not seeing or expecting value)
LinkedIn Recruiter: Get out of the Porsche and “get on the phone”
Technology being disruptive is old news. Never before have the technology options which the average recruiter has access to so paralysed the recruiting process. Recruitment leaders are hoarse with “get on the phone”.
When it comes to LinkedIn Recruiter this is often the norm in a recruitment firm:
Not enough licences to go around and they are shared amongst the team
The “all the gear no idea” approach to the licence – barely scraping the surface of what this licence can offer
Lots of searching and InMailing, not enough clever use of the features such as Update Me, alerts, projects…
Nowhere near enough training on the product
The recruitment CRM barely getting a look in on the talent contacted / placed via the LinkedIn licence. Hence no real understanding of the source of the fee
…and with many recruiters handing the licence around like a tray of chocolates after dinner there’s not enough buy-in to the product for it to make its mark.
Then the renewal comes around and some recruitment leaders renew due to fear of missing out rather than tangible return on investment.
Buying a Porsche seems a lot more exciting!
Breaking even does not buy you a Porsche!
I also regularly hear that a great measurement of LinkedIn Recruiter is “breaking even”. As long as the recruiter makes a placement, and hence paid for the licence, then all is well with the world.
This clearly goes against the average recruitment leaders’ approach to making money. Breaking even does not buy you a Porsche!
The strapline on the LinkedIn Recruiter landing page on LinkedIn’s website is “Find and Engage the Best Talent”. I would imagine if Porsche could be that direct, they may use the same strapline for their cars? 😉
Indeed many recruiters have that goal day-to-day, and in the pub on a Friday / Saturday night.
How to treat your LinkedIn Recruiter licence like a company Porsche
Give it to the people who demonstrate that they deserve it – not simply because they have asked for it. (Want a Porsche? Earn a Porsche!)
Train, train, train. (Driving test / licence)
Set goals for how it should be used – never assume that if you give someone some tech they’ll organically slot it in to their already stretched workflow. (Highway code)
Study usage reports monthly and either nip bad behaviour in the bud with training / alignment of expectations, or take the licence away. (Servicing / MOT / Mileage check).
How are they currently using social and sourcing tools? If they are pretty shoddy and don’t connect to the CRM enough, having a LinkedIn Recruiter licence won’t change their behaviour. (Are you about to give your Porsche to a recruiters with a bashed-up, dirty car?)
Get users to sign a contract with you – you wouldn’t hand over the keys to your company Porsche without s signature and a sanity / driving licence check.
The LinkedIn Recruiter licence is often seen as an “expensive” bit of kit, but it is a tiny fraction of what the average recruitment leader spends on their IT / advertising / salary budget.
Having higher expectations of what a LinkedIn Recruiter licence can do, and asking your team to deliver, is crucial if you are to engage well with this product and not just see it as an inevitable cost of running a recruitment business. The investment is not just about the invoice you pay. It’s the time you spend on it and whether you can really attribute an improvement in your bottom line to it.
Using it well could even help your recruiters buy that Porsche (perhaps even a 918 Spyder.)
(See part four of this LinkedIn series here)
Get ROI from LinkedIn
We run LinkedIn for Recruiters courses for time-starved recruiters, who think they have a handle on LinkedIn, but want to improve their profile, increase their relevant application response and place more jobs.
HIIT Us, Recruiters!
Our high intensity interval training - Recruitment HIIT - helps recruiters source, convert quicker, and develop healthy pipelines, and recruitment marketers attract, engage, and retain candidates, generate clients, and colleagues (3Cs).
TRY RECRUITMENT HIIT
Book an appointment in my diary to discuss marketing ROI
BOOK A CALL TO DISCUSS RECRUITMENT TRAINING
Extra Content
Blog Image
Extra Content 2
media centre
Read more-
Rose Megson
Blog
Recruiter Productivity Series: Optimise Bullhorn Part 1 ~ Engage, Nurture, Place, and Re-Place
Recruiters! I know that recruitment has never been so competitive— even your own clients are competing with you to place candidates!We're launching a new series of recruiter productivity webinars focussed on optimising your use of Bullhorn and driving speedier sourcing, recruitment, leads, sales, and commission! Part 1 is focussed on managing candidates.Let's show you some tips to engage with candidates effortlessly. Let's build stronger relationships using Bullhorn’s nurturing features: communicate, optimise, protect, PLACE! (And repeat!)REGISTER NOWBullhorn MythsIn today’s fast-paced recruitment world, having a powerful ATS/CRM is essential. It saves time, improves efficiency, and drives a profitable desk. But often, we hear:I use Bullhorn when I get a minute.Bullhorn is just a database, not a business growth tool.We have Bullhorn, but we’re not seeing a return on investment.The data is a mess, so I need to advertise and use LinkedIn too.These statements couldn't be more wrong…Bullhorn:💓 Can be your recruitment Buddy if you let it!😱 Reduces admin workload.💪 Keeps you organised.🕒Helps you source, sell, and place quickly!…and so much more when used effectively!Register Now for Our "Candidate Engagement" Bullhorn WebinarRecruitment leaders! Don’t invest in Bullhorn only to underutilise it and then wonder why you’re not getting results.Recruiters! Don’t create unnecessary "busyness" with messy data, inefficient workflows, and poor adoption, leading to a lack of return on effort (RoE).What You’ll Learn in Our Upcoming Bullhorn Optimisation Webinars:📌 23 April 2025: Engage with candidates effortlessly. Build stronger relationships using Bullhorn’s nurturing features: communicate, optimise, protect, PLACE! (And re-place!) Register Now📌 Date TBC: Leverage Bullhorn to source and track qualified candidates faster with less effort.📌 Date TBC: Maximise lead generation and improve conversion rates with smart Bullhorn strategies.📌 Date TBC: Optimise recruitment workflows for maximum efficiency and profitability.Whether you're new to Bullhorn or looking to refine your ATS/CRM strategy, this webinar series will provide you with actionable tips and real-world insights to immediately benefit your recruitment team.By the end of our 4 Bullhorn Optimisation sessions, you’ll have the tools and knowledge to:⏳ Save time (and sanity) and be more productive.🤝 Engage more candidates effectively.💸 Place candidates faster and increase your sales and commission.Don’t miss out! Register now to secure your spot in this free, must-attend event.We look forward to showing you how Bullhorn ATS/CRM can elevate your recruitment ROI (return on investment) and ROE (return on effort) and drive business growth!REGISTER NOWRecruitment and Bullhorn TrainingWe deliver the best live Bullhorn ROI webinar training, and you'll find other tips and tricks in Recruitment HIIT, our online recruitment training platform.Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.TRY HIIT FREE HERECONTACT US ABOUT BULLHORN ROI
-
Wayne Barclay
Blog
Protect Your Pipeline with this Antidote to Backdoor Placements
Backdoor placements are often an "invisible" pipeline killer. Yet they are also a great opportunity to recover lost revenue. Silver linings! Are you missing out on smashing target by not actively managing backdoor placements? 20 Years Ago, in a Land Far Away...In Lisa and my younger days (20 years ago), we created a report to track theoretical backdoors, and had a team calling candidates at the employer they'd recently had an interview with. If they answered, they were put through to the recruiter to begin recouping the lost fee.Surely time has moved on and there are more effective and tech-driven ways of doing this? Plus, surely recruiters are better at sales admin and relationship management now, so back doors are less common? I'm not so sure... If anything more data and tech has actually created a less robust process in many firms.Let’s explore why tracking backdoor placements is critical and how to implement best practices and technology for spotting and reducing them.The Financial Impact of Backdoor PlacementsWhen a candidate you’ve introduced to a client is hired without your knowledge or agreement on fees, you lose the fee. This often happens when terms of business aren’t adhered to, or when a client chooses to go behind your back. Consider this: one recruiter we’ve worked with reported uncovering at least one lost fee per consultant annually. For a team of 30 recruiters, that’s a staggering £150,000 in potential net revenue. In one instance, a single backdoor placement resulted in a recovered fee of £32,000. These numbers are too significant to ignore.Additionally, recruiters often spend resources sourcing candidates from external platforms instead of leveraging their databases. Tracking and addressing backdoor placements encourages better use of internal resources while ensuring you recapture fees rightfully owed to your business.Building Trust and Strengthening Your Recruitment ProcessClients: Actively managing backdoor placements helps you optimise your client relationships. Clients who circumvent your terms of business do not value your partnership. Using Bullhorn to flag these incidents creates transparency and helps you spend time on clients who value you.Candidates: Additionally, having a proactive backdoor placement management process complements your silver medalist strategy. Silver medalists are candidates who reached advanced stages of the recruitment process but were not placed. By regularly engaging these high-potential candidates through your tracking systems, you keep them warm for future opportunities while minimising your reliance on external sourcing.Best Practices for Managing Backdoor PlacementsTrack Every Interaction: Ensure your CRM system captures interview stages and outcomes, even for candidates rejected at early stages. Use detailed note types like “Rejected at Interview” or “Rejected at CV Send” to maintain a clear record.Standardise Your Terms: Attach your terms and conditions to every client communication. This ensures clients can’t dispute fees later and provides you with a reliable audit trail.Monitor Data Ownership: Many lost placements are tied to inactive users or former consultants. Assign ownership of these candidates to managers to maintain visibility and accountability.Automate to Remove Human Error: Implement automation to consistently track candidate progress and flag potential backdoor placements. This minimises manual errors and improves data integrity.Automation - The Antidote to Backdoor PlacementsDuring a recent Bullhorn Automation User Group, I was asked about my top 3 ways to use automation. Backdoor placement management is one of those 3 ways. These 2 automations are a must of you are set on prevention and pipeline maximisation:Interview Confirmation automation: If you already use these automations, add a notification step, x months after the interview date. Choose a timeframe which suits your sector the best.Check Past Interviews (Backdoor): If you don't use Interview Confirmation automation, create a stand alone automation that tracks the interview date and does not have placement. Add a wait step x months later to send a notification to your recruiter to check-in with the candidate and check they don't have a new job. You could even do what Lisa and I set up in a previous life and call the employer and ask to speak to the candidate. If they answer... bingo!Process and Tech Is KeyUse tech to prevent them.Use tech to spot them.The bottom line is that backdoor placements aren’t just about recovering lost revenue; they’re an opportunity to refine your recruitment strategy, strengthen client and candidate relationships, and ensure your systems are robust enough to thrive in a competitive market. Take control, and turn these challenges into wins for your recruitment / staffing agency.And if you need help on your processes, your data, and your Bullhorn adoption / ROI - call us - we can help.Automation and Bullhorn1stWe are Automation Buddies and Bullhorn Experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.Automation: We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Bullhorn: We optimise, train, and improve RoI from your key recruitment system.READ ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICERead about our Bullhorn 1st Service
-
Downloads
Your Recruitment Training Playbook
-
Rose Megson
Webinar
Recruiter Productivity Series: Optimise Bullhorn Part 1 ~ Engage, Nurture, Place, and Re-Place
-
Wayne Barclay
Webinar
Automation RoI Webinar Series: Unlock Bullhorn Part 1 ~ Generate Leads and Revenue
-
Wayne Barclay
Webinar
Automation ROI Webinar Series: Data = Clean and Monetised! Part 2
