LinkedIn Insights Talk: Sophie Bieber on LinkedIn recruiting, thought leadership & authenticity
Reading time: 4 min
How will you attract your employees in 20 years? With LinkedIn recruiting? According to the index Recruiting Report, 51% of respondents consider social media recruiting to be one of the most important developments. After all, the number of LinkedIn users is currently 1.2 billion according to Resourcera. However, according to a trend report conducted by Trendence, 48.2% of academics already see a meaningful use of ChatGPT & Co. in their job search. Do we now have to rethink job ads from scratch? What is happening with LinkedIn job ads and social recruiting? What role does thought leadership play? The answers to all these questions and other LinkedIn insights are provided by Sophie Bieber, Global Talent Acquisition Tech & Innovation Expert at Siemens and LinkedIn Influencer.
How do you think the importance of job advertisements and their presentation has changed in recent years?
I believe that a lot has changed – also on the job market in general. We can see that companies need to position themselves better and with different topics in order to attract applications.
In the past, job advertisements were placed for the broad spectrum. Has it become more specialized?
Skills are becoming more specialized across the board. For example, “working with IT” is now becoming “working with AI or machine learning”. As a result, job advertisements are also becoming more specific. However, I believe that the “egg-laying wool-milk sow” is still in demand – and with it, perfectionism on the part of companies is also growing. In addition, managers often define a very specific image of their desired team member.
How useful do you think it is to use LinkedIn to post job ads?
It certainly makes a lot of sense – but not for everyone. One success factor in job marketing is to be present where the target group is. If you want to appeal to people who spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, it is important to position yourself there. But some jobs, target groups or regions are less active on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is therefore not an all-purpose weapon – you need to know your target group precisely.
How personal or strategic do you think the use of LinkedIn should be?
The famous middle way is just right. Why do we use LinkedIn to position companies? Because authentic voices count. I can claim all sorts of things on my career page, but if it’s not lived, it won’t work. LinkedIn is not a stage for self-profiling – so “don’t overdo it”. If you have the feeling that every second employee is forced to post a picture of the coffee machine with a thumbs-up three times a day to show how great everything is, then of course it becomes ineffective.
Since you’re a LinkedIn pro, how much do you post?
I’m not a fan of fixed rules like “you have to post X times a week”. I post when I have something to say. I also struggle with the term “LinkedIn professional” because I don’t really use LinkedIn strategically. If I think something is important, I say it. I’m just grateful for the people who follow me.
CEOs are increasingly using LinkedIn as a personal intranet. What do you think of this approach?
Basically, I think this is a good development. It makes C-levels more approachable. When managers represent values that I can identify with, it strengthens the bond with the company and increases motivation. But it must not become a diary. It has to be in context and in relation. If my CEO gives the impression that he spends 80% of his time posting, the effect will be the opposite.
What makes good employer branding on LinkedIn?
Authenticity is also the most important thing here. No scripted blah blah blah, no run-of-the-mill videos with a call to action and a link in the comments. Good employer branding thrives on real voices that tell us why they identify with the company. Not selected, not imposed and, above all, not scripted.
What does the future of social recruiting via LinkedIn look like?
Of course, I don’t have a crystal ball and you never know where technology will go, where social media will develop. We’ve seen a huge change in recent years. The platforms have changed: Ten years ago, maybe three people posted – today, one in two, several times a day. That shows: People are losing their shyness. So I find it difficult to predict where things will go. However, I believe that all recruitment channels, be it LinkedIn, other social media or word of mouth, are successful if they connect people with each other.
