<p><img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5ffdcaff978a130019d89ddf-2400/GettyImages-1252473576.jpg" border="0" alt="person using desktop laptop tablet at home work office computer" data-mce-source="MoMo Productions/Getty Images"></p><p></p><bi-shortcode id="summary-shortcode" data-type="summary-shortcode" class="mceNonEditable" contenteditable="false">Summary List Placement</bi-shortcode><p>Having a strong social media strategy is increasingly becoming an important part of a successful job search. And among all the social channels where candidates can network and look for new opportunities, LinkedIn seems to be the one with the most pull. More than three-quarters of recruiters and hiring managers use the platform, according to a <a href="https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Recruiter-Nation-Study.pdf">2018 Jobvite survey of 850 hiring professionals</a>.</p><p>There are different tactics job seekers can use to optimize their LinkedIn for maximum discoverabilityincluding adding the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-best-use-linkedin-photo-frame-feature-job-search-2020-7">#OpentoWork photo frame</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-write-linkedin-headline-attracts-recruiters">writing eye-catching headlines</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-network-social-media-get-job-recruiter-advice">messaging recruiters</a> on the platform directly, and sharing compelling posts. </p><p>To add to that list are hashtags. "Hashtags play an important role in LinkedIn job search," said Pete Sosnowski, the head of human resources and cofounder of the resume-building website <a href="https://zety.com/">Zety</a>. When individuals search for and follow hashtags, they can get "instant access to job ads and other relevant information from recruiters that they would otherwise miss," he said. </p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-optimize-linkedin-profile-resume-recruiters-keywords-advanced-search-boolean-logic">How to make your LinkedIn profile super easy for recruiters to findand perfectly align with your dream job</a></em></p><p>Jim Goldfarb, the senior vice president of <a href="http://atlanticpartnerscorp.com/">Atlantic Partners Corp</a>, a recruiting agency used by Fortune 500 companies, who has more than 25 years of experience and has placed candidates at Prudential Insurance, Morgan Stanley, WebMD, and UBS, shared that having access to these posts can give job seekers "insights into what recruiters are looking for and how they can stand out from other candidates."</p><p>"LinkedIn hashtags can be used to find relevant jobs and employers, but they can also be used in posts created by job seekers that are actively looking for opportunities," Sosnowski added, which recruiters can then search for (by hashtag) to source candidates. </p><p>Goldfarb shared that he's offered interviews and even helped hire candidates by looking through job seekers' posts in this way. Sosnowski added that since using hashtags in posts, searching for hashtags, and following hashtags aren't widely used tactics among job seekers, adopting these strategies can help candidates get "a mile ahead of the competition."</p><h2>The hashtags recruiters use on LinkedIn to share job postings</h2><p>In addition to publishing traditional listings on LinkedIn, recruiters, hiring managers, companies, and employees use their individual profiles to get the word out about job openings. These are searchable (as long as the person publishing them has made the posts public) even if you're not connected to these individuals.</p><p>Recruiters shared with Insider that they often use hashtags that reflect the specific position's industry, title, required skills, location, and other key details.</p><p>Sosnowski said his team uses the following on every job ad, in addition to the job title (i.e., #productmanager or #uxdesigner):</p><ul><li>#nowhiring</li><li>#joboffer</li><li>#jobsearch</li><li>#hiring</li><li>#jobs</li><li>#recruitment</li><li>#remotework (if applicable)</li></ul><p>George Atuahene, founder and managing director of <a href="https://www.kofi-group.com/">Kofi Group</a>, an executive search firm that helps VC-backed startups hire technical talent, and his team have used hashtags like:</p><ul><li>#softwareengineering</li><li>#softwaredevelopment</li><li>#programming</li><li>#artificialintelligence</li><li>#datastructures</li><li>#competitiveprogramming</li><li>#algorithms</li><li>#coding</li><li>#startups</li></ul><p>"We use hashtags that target geography as well as technology," said Alex Kovalenko, a senior IT recruiter with <a href="https://kovasys.com/">Kovasys IT Recruitment</a> who's placed candidates at Warner Brothers and Morgan Stanley. "For example, if we are recruiting BizTalk developers in Tampa, Florida, we would use #biztalk, #florida, #tampa, #microsoft, [and] #techjobs."</p><p>Hashtags can also reflect the type of role or urgency to fill it. For instance, Goldfarb said he might use:</p><ul><li>#contractjob</li><li>#c2hjob</li><li>#permanentopportunity</li><li>#fulltimeopportunity</li></ul><p>"We also use hashtags that would have a large following, such as #technology, which has over 25 million followers, as well as #hiring, which has over 260,000 followers," Kovalenko added.</p><p>Companies often use their own hashtag (whether their name or motto) when posting about new openings. For instance, Daria Ili, lead technical recruiter of <a href="http://www.thezebra.com/">The Zebra</a>, an insurance comparison marketplace, said she always uses the company's phrase: #AllStripesWelcome. </p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-how-to-build-profile-noticed-recruiter-2020-8">Here's what an effective LinkedIn profile looks like in 2021, according to LinkedIn's director and recruiters</a></em></p><h2>The hashtags recruiters search for on LinkedIn to find candidates</h2><p>When actively sourcing candidates, Goldfarb said he searches by broad terms, including:</p><ul><li>#jobseeker</li><li>#opentowork</li><li>#opentonewopportunities</li><li>#availableimmediately</li><li>#opentorelocation</li></ul><p>"I look first at #opentowork and then get down to the 'buzzwords' of the job," Ili said. For example, when searching for DevOps engineers, she searches by hashtags like #DevOps, #Terraform, and #AWS. Amanda Daering, who worked in recruiting and HR for Northwestern Mutual, Compuware, and Centare before launching her own boutique HR and recruiting firm, <a href="https://www.newance.co/">Newance</a>, similarly said she searches by the given technologies the roles she's hiring for requires.</p><h2>The hashtags recruiters follow on LinkedIn to stay on top of rising talent</h2><p>Just as it's possible to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/34993/-interests-section-overview'lang=en">follow and get regular updates from influencers and companies on LinkedIn</a>, it's <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/92930/use-hashtags-and-follow-topics-on-linkedin'lang=en">possible to follow relevant hashtags</a>.</p><p>"We follow hashtags that a typical job seeker would use," Sosnowski said. These might include: </p><ul><li>#opentowork</li><li>#recruiting</li><li>#jobs</li><li>#jobopenings</li><li>#jobopportunity</li><li>#WFH</li><li>#workfromhome</li><li>#contractopening</li><li>#contracttohire</li><li>#permanentposition</li><li>#jobsearch</li><li>#jobhunt</li><li>#employment</li><li>#resume</li><li>#fulltimejobs</li></ul><p>Kovalenko said he follows "hot trends" in the IT recruitment industry that his clients are looking to hire for, including:</p><ul><li>#nodejs</li><li>#reactjs</li><li>#swift</li></ul><p>He also follows broader topics like #technology and local markets like #newyork and #toronto.</p><p>Atuahene, meanwhile, said he follows:</p><ul><li>#softwareengineering</li><li>#startups</li><li>#leanstartups</li><li>#venturecapital</li><li>#programming</li><li>#softwaredesign</li><li>#entrepreneurship</li></ul><h2>Search multiple hashtags at once for more refined results</h2><p>LinkedIn's search function allows individuals to search by multiple hashtags at a time, so job seekers can look for popular hashtags like #joboffer, #jobsearch, and #hiring combined with industry search terms, company names, and locations. </p><p>"After a while, you should start to notice trends and where the demand for talent is headed," Atuahene said. These insights can help job seekers get ideas for keywords to add to their LinkedIn profiles, he added.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-ceo-ryan-roslansky-what-i-learned-first-6-months-2020-12">I started my new role as LinkedIn's CEO during the pandemic. Here's what I learned from my first 6 months on the job.</a></em></p><h2>Don't overdo it</h2><p>When posting on LinkedIn and using hashtags, you should include who you are, what you're looking for, your relevant achievements, and a link to your resume, Sosnowski said. </p><p>"If a post is pure fluff, it does not indicate clearly what the candidate is looking for, and includes dozens of irrelevant hashtags, that's a no-no for us," he added.</p><p>Kovalenko said that it's important to pay attention to the time of day. He suggested posting during mid-morning on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for the greatest potential visibility.</p><p>Most importantly, don't overdo itstick to three to four hyper-relevant hashtags per post, Atuahene said.</p><p>"There is a fine line between looking professional and looking desperate," said Claire Telling, CEO of marketing, media, and communications executive search firm <a href="https://graceblue.com/">Grace Blue Partnership</a>, whose clients include Amazon, Coca-Cola, Ford, The New York Times, Ford, Spotify, and LEGO. "Too many hashtags make you seem a bit un-strategic and thirsty."</p><p>Atuahene said he and his team screen for reasons not to contact a candidatesuch as posts that are "political, hateful, pessimistic, antagonistic, contain excessive profanity, or rants about former employers and recruiters," he said. He suggested creating posts that demonstrate expertise, a willingness to collaborate with or mentor others, recent accomplishments or certifications, and the business impact of their work.</p><p><strong>READ ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stand-out-tech-jobs-competition-top-qualities-recruiters" >5 tech recruiters for companies like Tesla, Google, and Amazon share how candidates can stand out in a more competitive job market and the qualities they look for in hires</a></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-linkedin-hashtags-recruiters-use-job-postings-hire-find-talent#comments">Join the conversation about this story »</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-symphony-seas-worlds-largest-cruise-ship-deals-with-waste-2020-3">How waste is dealt with on the world's largest cruise ship</a></p>
Click here to read full news..
