Find Quality Immigration CandidatesI see immigration firms (and lots of other employers) do two things on LinkedIn when they have a job opening:
- create an official LinkedIn job posting (or on another job board or directly on their website), and
- share that job posting link and either write nothing or, at best, write something like “our firm is hiring an entry-level associate.”
These posts almost always have little if any engagement and, I believe, more qualified job candidates aren’t getting the chance to see these amazing job opportunities because they simply aren’t coming across these posts. Especially if they’re not actively looking for a job!
In a way, everyone loses when these posts go out on LinkedIn.
To me, there’s a really simple way to actually create traction and engagement around a job opening post that will not only increase the visibility of that post and hopefully get more and better candidates, but it’s also free!
But first, let’s check out what you should NOT be doing when you are posting about or sharing a job opening on LinkedIn.
To find quality immigration candidates, first, check your job description
Content is still king when it comes to job descriptions. The more information you can give prospective candidates about your firm, the culture, the position, the responsibilities, etc., the more you’re going to have people engaging with your post.
Tech startups do this a lot. Before they get into the bullet list of desired skills and, likely duties and perks, they start off with the “why” or mission of the company, the culture amongst the people, how people feel working there, and more. Law firms, often, just get right to it, skipping all this human stuff.
But the human stuff is what often attracts the right candidates. Turnover is expensive, so wouldn’t you want to get the right candidates right away? Tell a story with the job posting, and thus pull in the right, and best, immigration candidates.
Rework the job description to find quality immigration candidates on LinkedIn
What motivated you to apply to your last job? Was it just a random opening that you saw? Or was it the description of a job that you knew you could excel in, that matched your experiences, or a description of a company that would help you achieve your professional goals? As mentioned above, startups are snatching up some of the world’s most talented people, in part by appealing to their emotions.
So, if you are trying to attract candidates, write engaging content. Write a detailed job description and talk about the interesting work your immigration law firm is doing, the kind of clients you work with, your pro bono or advocacy work, and anything else that you think potential quality immigration candidates can naturally be drawn to.
Write your own opinion about your company and the position when you post the job opening link.
Even with a great job description, your post itself about the job opening will likely get more engagement if you share your own thoughts and feelings associated with the job opening.
For example, what was your first day like with the firm or company? How have you grown, both professionally or personally? If it’s your company or firm, what made you start it and what kind of culture do you strive to build?
This might sound unrelated to a paralegal of legal associate position, but in reality the skills themselves are often interchangeable between people. The people themselves, however, are not.
If LinkedIn is 24/7 conference, how would you talk about a job opening in real life?
If you were at an in-person networking event or conference, and you were hiring, you wouldn’t just rattle off the list of requirements, right? You’d talk up the firm, mention the benefits, and then ask whoever you’re talking to, if they fit the bill, if they’re interested or if they know anyone. LinkedIn is the same!
So when you post job postings on LinkedIn, be human about it first, before diving into the objective, dry job description. Both are equally important, so don’t lost sight of the first. If anything, because it’s rare, the job opening, and your post about it, will stand out amongst the crowd.
Join the GMI Rocket Slack community (it’s free!) to talk more about this, share job openings and hear what other immigration and global mobility professionals do when they’re hiring!
