If you are on LinkedIn, there is a good chance you’ve received a personal message from a recruiter. You might not be looking for a job right now, or maybe a recruiter has offered a job you aren’t interested in – but don’t burn this bridge.
Why have we contacted you?
Top of the line staffing and recruitment companies partner with some of the best companies in the world to efficiently engage and hire top talent. These are real jobs, with real companies – and these real opportunities could very well be better than your current position.
Of course, we’re not all the same.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]While some recruiters may deserve the negative stigma they carry, most of us are here to help.[/perfectpullquote]
We’ve taken the time to identify the skills that our ideal candidate would have, and we’ve uniquely identified you as a potential candidate.
As a recruiter at Capstone Search Advisors, I believe in the company mission of “unlocking unrealized potential,” and sharing a message with you on LinkedIn is my first step in extending you an offer to unlock your potential. The brand I represent in particular handles recruitment for higher paying, mid-to-senior-level careers and if we are interested in you, there’s a reason. You’re not a random candidate and we believe you would make a great fit for the role we are filling.
Now back to those emails.
Not interested?
If you aren’t interested in the job, simply let the recruiter know you aren’t interested or not looking right now. Or, there is also a pre-written feature that LinkedIn supplies for you that says “No thanks,” and all you have to do is hit send! It’s that simple. There’s no need to spend time typing a rude reply. And one more thing – if you aren’t interested in the position, don’t tell a recruiter to call you. It’s a waste of both your time.
You might be interested.
If you are looking for a job, be careful of how you respond to messages. You never want to come across the wrong way. For instance, replying and asking just about the salary or how fast you can advance tells the recruiter that you are only interested in compensation and not really in the job itself. That’s a red flag and they will probably move on to another prospective candidate. If you are really that concerned about salary, be upfront with a recruiter about where you are now and what you’re interested in if you were to make a career move.
If you are interested or even unsure about the job opportunity we’ve presented, a good first move is to ask to schedule a phone call to learn more. Let the recruiter know you’d like more information and to talk about the opportunity a bit before moving forward.
If you plan on looking for a job down the road in your career, feel free to share that with your recruiter, too. Let them know “In six months I’ll be looking for something new,” and they can plan to follow up with you in six months. You can also mention what type of work you’d be looking for to give them an idea of what opportunities they can contact you with later.
The golden rule and why you shouldn’t burn bridges.
The golden rule here though is simply to leave a good impression. Whether or not you’re interested in the position that’s currently on the table, you never know when you might need a recruiter, and their services are free to you as a job seeker.
If you are positive and polite, we’ll be happy to talk with you further about your next career move – even if you’re not interested in the first job we’ve identified you for. If you’re negative or rude, we’ll move on to the next person we can help.
As a recruiter, I’m here to help match the best talent to the best opportunities – and I can say the same for most other recruiters too.
Either way, try to remember that recruiters are full of great opportunities and possibilities, and you shouldn’t be too quick to write them off.
