LinkedIn Conducted A Study To Note What Sort Of Messages Receive The Highest Number Of Responses On The Platform

LinkedIn recently published their findings on a study regarding InMails on the platform, in an attempt to gauge what components led to a speedy and optimum response.

As 2021 is progressing, vaccination programs are starting to roll out across the world, and while claiming to be out of the woods is hardly a safe statement to make this early on, it can be fairly postulated that the world’s returning to some semblance of normalcy. And with that very normalcy comes a long line of individuals looking to get their careers back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across the general marketplace. Naturally, this means that platforms such as LinkedIn need to start gearing up for a rush of activity. However, the online job application interface decided to do one better, and chose to help out its users by giving them tips on how to conducted themselves in front of potential employers. That's where our article's subject of content comes in.

LinkedIn's study went through millions of direct messages (known as InMails) sent by employers to job seekers on the platform, and analyzed 3 key components: length of the InMail; which day it was sent on; and whether the attached message was personalized or automated. With the parameters of our study established, let's go look at the results and see what LinkedIn has to say about activity across its userbase. On a final note, it should be noted that while this study caters particularly to employers as opposed to job seekers, people on either side of the divide can learn from this since the results aim to predict general human behavior as opposed to a fixed perspective.

First, and rather obviously, findings reveal that shorter InMails led to much quicker and in general a higher number of responses. Which makes perfect sense. In today’s landscape of shuffling through part time jobs and multiple applications at the same time, most of the latter also being online, longer and more drawn out messages won’t hold anyone’s attention for too long. Besides, longer emails tend to give out an unpolished, unprofessional image which only hurts the image of the entity a recruiter represents. Shorter, more concise direct messages are the way to go for an optimal pool of potential employees.

Secondly, let's take a look at days. The study reveals that Tuesdays seem to be the most active day for individuals on the platform and thus contribute to higher responses, though not by a very considerable margin. Tuesdays account for a 2% higher response rate from job seekers, while Saturdays prove to be the most detrimental, displaying a 13% decrease in responses. Bottom line: people enjoy their weekends, and it's overall better if recruiters send InMails on working days, when the general userbase is more active and reciprocative.

Finally, comes the matter of automated versus personalized. As it turns out, a human touch is indeed best, aa personalized messages led to a 20% increase in the average response rate. Perhaps it comes down to personalized messages delivering a sense of investment and involvement from potential employers; factors that any jobseekers would take much more kindly to than the frosty appearance of more convenient yet impersonal automated messages.

Read next: Top tips for overcoming job search fatigue (infographic)
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