How to Respond to Recruiters on LinkedIn? Complete Guide + Tips

There are many approached that they choose to go with, some may direct message you, others may send you a request to connect with a message or information regarding a relevant opportunities for you.

In this article, we will answer all your questions related to this. So let's dive in!

How can Recruiters reach out to you?

• Message: A direct message is a way for anyone to initiate a conversation and that means any recruiter too. If someone has directly messaged you on LinkedIn, which means they either have a premium subscription or are your connection, or have initiated a connection with a message. Thus no need to be alarmed. LinkedIn is a professional
• Connection request: A connection request as previously mentioned means that the recruiter has send you a request to initiate contact, and you can scout their profile to know that they are a recruiter as it will be mentioned in their experience
• Inmail: In case, the recruiter has a premium account they can send you messages and interact via messages without having being a connector. This allows them to reach out to you and understanding if you are interested or not.
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First Response to Recruiter's message

There is no perfect way to respond to somebody who has reached out to you in a professional capacity. Most importantly that someone being a recruiter. However, there are ways to navigate this properly. For example you need not use harsh language and that would me not using words like 'no' 'not' 'don't' etc. This would give a very wrong impression of the fact that you are declining something or not interested.

Before we jump onto something serious like this let us take the time to understand on what basis could a recruiter reached out to you.

• Recruiter reached out to you when you were searching for a job and had options open
• Recruiter reached out to you despite of you having a job
• Recruiter reach-out out to you of the above two options but through a reference
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For the first instance, you should always have a positive attitude, somebody is trying to understand more about you to know that you are a potential candidate for the position. So in this case please respond back quickly by expressing your gratitude, and also then express you are also looking for an opportunity and can they provide you with a little bit more information of what they are looking for.

For the second instance you should be prepared with the attitude that currently you are working and that I am open to communicating however, I am not interested. The line with the recruiter should not be shut. This would mean that you need to convey your dismay of not being able to be their potential candidate but in the future there might a scope of connecting with you once again.

For the third option you just need to be more polite of the reference that has referred you to them. This would mean to acknowledge the mutual person and then move on to the conversation of saying yes or no.

There is definitely no one way of responding to these things its just more to do with communication and negotiation skills than with anything else.

How to give a positive response

As previously mentioned it is very important to give a positive response no matter your state. This way requires you to understand how people will react to what you have written the same way you are reacting to the recruiter reaching out to you.

A few things to keep in mind for giving a positive response is:

• Be cordial in the approach i.e., 'Hi 'insert name of the person', thank you for reaching out to me'. Having this approach means that
• Proceed to the body of the response wit a smooth transition i.e., 'its a great pleasure to be recognised...'
• As you have finished positively expressing what you want to say then it is time to close out the conversation but not the opportunity shall it ever arise again in the future i.e., 'Thank you so much and it would my pleasure to keep in touch.'
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How to keep options open for future

There are no set ways to let the recruiter know that you are open to opportunities in the future however, like previously mentioned you have to maintain the language etiquettes and the sensitivity as to not hurt the recruiter that you are not available right now but in the future still consider me.

To let the recruiter know, firstly it should made clear that you are not available in the present. Thus it becomes clear that right now I am not available, however, then make it clear to the recruiter that yes, in the near/ far future I would like to work with your organisation.

Everything should be made clear even though the language is very diplomatic. That is the art of saying 'No'. This will help you a lot going forward whenever you are required to communicate in formal manner to meet the professional standards.

How to politely decline but keep the line open?

Sometimes the opportunity may not be suitable for you, for various reasons such as salary range or mode of work or so on. In such cases, you will have to decline the offer however you cannot do it directly or bluntly. You should maintain politeness, and professionalism in your language and you should also make sure that you give a reason that does not offend them.

In addition, you can also try and build a new relationship with the recruiter to keep the line open and expand your professional network for future opportunity potential and possibilities.

Why recruiters use LinkedIn?

Recruiters use LInkedIn for variety of reasons. The main reason is to know the kind of talent there is out there in the market. The filters and tools used by LinkedIn to keep it the most widely used professional social media network is tremendous. LinkedIn is used by nine hundred and fifty million (950 mn) users across two hundred (200) countries. Of the nine hundred and fifty million users twenty one percent of them reside in the United States of America. There are more than hundred and thirty one thousand (131K) schools registered on LinkedIn. Almost sixty percent (60%) of the users aged between twenty five and thirty five (25-35). LinkedIn has on average sixteen percent (16%) of daily active users of all the total users. These statistics are amazing and not surprising why recruiters will also use this platform.

When you have more than a hundred million (100 mn) people logging into the website or application in a week then recruiters are bound to pounce on this opportunity.

Important keywords for response:

• Dream job
• future opportunities
• job opportunities
• company culture
• initial video
• company name
• recruiter's message
• current role
• new opportunities
• other opportunities
• skills
• interested
• position
• exploring
• recruiters
• find work
• working
• connect
• respond
• interest
• companies
• talent
• professional
• LinkedIn
• message
• craft
• create
• discuss
• hearing
• tools
• helpful
• point
• candidates
• discussing
• person
• network
• interview
• eager
• contact
• describe
• address
• article
• responding
• active
• scenarios
• phone
• request
• telephone
• anytime
• readiness
• sounds
• thinking
• matter
• opportunities
• opportunity
• clear
• role
• learn
• open
• reaching
• happy
• profile
• thought
• reach
• enter
• follow
• fit in
• great
• touch
• check
• work
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Conclusion

As we have explored above, we advice you to take care in the ways of responding to the recruiters who have approached you on LinkedIn. Your response should reflect professionalism, your honest response regarding your interest or lack of interest regarding the opportunities offered, your responses regarding any questions asked should also be honest and truthful, you should also always try to build and maintain professional connection as it will help you build a network of professionals who will always have the potential opportunities for you even in the future. And these future opportunities can often prove to be valuable when you have maintained good professional relationship and connection with the recruiters.

Moreover, if you are looking to write your own professional resume, you should check out our extensive collection of resume examples and resume templates along with resume writing guides and also many LinkedIn related knowledge. We also have an amazing resume builder feature that you can use to save time and energy and have your resume ready within minutes because this feature also gives suggestions in form of AI prompts, the kind that you get on ChatGPT.

And that's all, now that you know all about responding to the recruiters on LinkedIn, you can start responding to those pending DMs in your inbox on LinkedIn. Best of luck with the job search, with the tips and tricks we have discussed, we are sure you will get a good opportunity soon and you will also build a really extensive network of professionals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Should I send my resume when I respond to recruiters on LinkedIn?

You may want to respond to the message that you have received first, next depending on whether the resume is requested in the first message or not, you can attach your resume in case you are interested in the opportunity offered to you in the message.

Do I need a premium account on LinkedIn, to respond to recruiters?

To respond to recruiters on LinkedIn, you do not need a premium account, you can respond to them in DMs, in the form of direct message. Getting the premium version does allow you to access more features however it is not mandatory to simply respond to the recruiters.

Should I share my contact info on LinkedIn while responding to the recruiters?

You may share your contact details on the LinkedIn platform in DMs or even in About section (which is similar to combination of your contact info and resume summary sections on resume), however if you are concerned about your privacy and security, you can avoid the same by providing Email address for communication rather than your contact number. In case, a recruiter asks for the same in DMs, you can look up their profile carefully and make sure that they are legitimate and not some fraudulent person.