How to Respond to a Recruiter on LinkedIn [With Examples]

If you’ve been active on LinkedIn for a while, then you most likely have received messages from recruiters about open jobs. 

While you might not pay close attention or be interested in the job, it’s a good idea to reply to a recruiter anyway. You never know when an opportunity might be good or if you end up needing to find work! 

But how do you best respond to the message on LinkedIn?

Below I’ll share how a recruiter uses LinkedIn to contact you, tips on responding back, and example messages you can use as guidelines.

How Do Recruiters Find You On LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is one of the largest professional social networks in the world. As of writing this, over 900 million people have accounts, in 200 countries. 

Because of this vast network,  it’s a huge reason hiring managers and recruiters use the platform to fill open job positions. And they will also find you in different ways from the platform. 

Open to Work

For those looking for work, LinkedIn has an “open to work” feature, which alerts and displays that to recruiters or anyone hiring. 

Searching Keywords

Another way a recruiter can find you is just by typing in job titles or keywords related to the open job they need to fill. 

It’s why having your LinkedIn profile optimized with good detail matters. And maintaining an active personal brand also helps improve your discoverability. 

Using LinkedIn’s Recruiting Tool

Beyond the social networking aspect, LinkedIn has a suite of tools for companies to use. One of those is recruiting packages, which give recruiters options for jobs, managing candidates, and finding talent. 

Recommendations From Others 

LinkedIn is a great platform for recommendations too. Active members may tag relevant people or in messages even share colleagues they think would be a fit. So you might also get a message thanks to a friendly recommendation. 

Ways Recruiters Can Contact You on LinkedIn

You may find a message from a recruiter on LinkedIn in a few different ways too. The common ones include: 

Connection request – A recruiter or hiring manager sends you a connection request along with a short intro message. Usually, the message has some context about the job opening they thought you might be a fit for. 

Direct Message – Maybe you already are connected to a recruiter. You’ll find these in your private inbox, where you can then respond back. 

InMail Request – LinkedIn InMail messages are for people with upgraded premium accounts. This paid feature allows recruiters to message another person on LinkedIn without being connected or the need to send a request. 

Tips on Replying to a Recruiter on LinkedIn

No matter if you are interested in the recruiter’s message, it’s good to be professional and respond in a timely manner. You never know what opportunities could be a game changer or interest you in the near future. 

Here are some tips for responding to a recruiter on LinkedIn. 

• Try to respond to the message within 24 hours (48 hours max).
• Always maintain professionalism and positivity in your reply. 
• Clearly state if you are interested or not, but always keep it respectful. 
• Thank them for reaching out, even if you are not interested in the role. 
• Offer to stay connected and join each other’s networks (if they didn’t connect with you already).
• Keep your replies direct and to the point, no need to write lengthy paragraphs. 
• Make sure to include your contact info (email, phone number), regardless if you are interested or not.
• If interested, include some info about the company and role, showing you did some research before your response. 
• Underlining your readiness to have an initial video, telephone, or in-person interview
• Make it clear if you’re actively searching for a job or just open to exploring even if you are happy where you are. 

Hopefully, these tips are helpful. But, let’s check out two scenarios with sample responses below to help you craft the perfect reply to recruiters. 

How To Respond to Recruiters When You Are Interested

Let’s say you are interested in the job they inquired with you about. Congrats! Now, you’ll want to craft the perfect response to get the interview next. 

Your response should thank them, think about how it aligns with your interests and skills, and show your eagerness to hop on a video chat or phone call. 

Personally, I like to keep it pretty short and to the point. 

Interested example response

Hi [Recruiter Name],

Thank you for reaching out and sharing this job position with me! This sounds like an awesome opportunity with a great company that aligns to my career interests. 

I’m eager to learn more about this position and share my experiences with you.  Below are some upcoming available days and times I can chat:

- Time available 1
- Time available 2
- Time available 3

Feel free to contact me by email [your address], phone number (Cell #), or we can coordinate via LinkedIn messages further. 

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks!
[Your name]

How To Respond to Recruiters When You Aren’t Interested

There will be times when the role doesn’t align with your interests. Or maybe you’re happy in your current job and company. Either way, you still want to respond back to a recruiter on LinkedIn that reached out. 

It’s totally okay to pass on the opportunity, but keep it courteous! 

Interested in the company, but not the role example response

Hi [Recruiter Name],

Thank you for reaching out and thinking of me for this position! I'm very interested in working for [Company Name], as I feel my skills and values align nicely. 

However I'm looking more for [Describe The Role You Are Ideally Searching For]. And while this role has some overlap, it's note quite the right fit for me at this time. 

If you have other opportunities at [Company Name] that align more to my above role interests, I'd love to chat further. Otherwise, I would love to be considered when one does open up. 

Below are my contact details, reach out anytime! 

[Enter Any Contact Details, Like Email and Phone Number]. 

Thank you!
[Your Name] 

You aren’t interested at all example response

Hi [Recruiter Name],

Thank you for reaching out and your interest in my skills for this potential role! While this opportunity is intriguing, I’m quite happy with my current role and I’m not looking to make a change at this time. 

However, I’d love to stay connected about future opportunities. Additionally, if I think of anyone for this specific role in my network, I’ll be sure to forward their info over to you.

Thanks again!
[Your Name]  

Always Respond Back to Recruiters on LinkedIn

Regardless if you are job hunting, open to work, or happy in your current role – always respond back to recruiters on LinkedIn. 

You might be wondering why? 

Beyond the professional courtesy of responding, it’s great to have these folks in your network. You never know when you may want to find a new job or if you are part of an unfortunate layoff. 

And now you have direct recruiters in your network that you can reach out to when looking for work!  Plus, these recruiters already established interest in you and your skills, so now these are people you can lean back on at any time. 

I’m a big fan of responding back, even when I have not been looking for a new job. 

Most recruiters respond back positively and some don’t respond at all. But even if they do not respond back, don’t take offense. Recruiters and hiring managers are bombarded with messages daily. 

If they already sent you a request during their inquiry, great! If not, make sure you follow them and stay connected. 

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