I was having an email discussion with a job seeker and he mentioned that he just started using LinkedIn for job searching and that he contacted several recruiters but haven’t received any responses.

As a recruiter myself, I know that I have people contacting me on LinkedIn letting me know they are looking for a job.  As a common courtesy, I respond back to everyone who contacts me, it may not be right away, but I make sure to respond.  Other recruiters, on the other hand, may not respond especially if they don’t have any jobs to present to you.

When using LinkedIn, I do think that making connections with a recruiter is important because many recruiters are using their connection list to search for candidates when they get job openings, recruiters post jobs on their status updates, and recruiters connect with a lot of hiring managers who could be potential connections for you.

I wouldn’t suggest ONLY connecting with recruiters when using LinkedIn to search for a job.  Research some companies you want to work for and then search for people at those companies and connect with them.  Contact hiring managers for mentoring and job searching advice, it could lead to a job opportunity or them referring you to someone they know who is hiring.

Many LinkedIn users think that the best contacts to get when looking for a job are recruiters and HR people, and the truth is, that’s not true!  Connect with the decision, makers, connect with others who can introduce you to decision makers, research companies and get connected to those who work there.  LinkedIn is a powerful tool so don’t limit yourself when using it.

What are some of the ways you have used LinkedIn as a job seeker and how has it helped you with your job search?