LinkedIn remains the primary platform for hiring conversations, serving as a search engine, networking hub, news feed, and professional noticeboard for the recruitment industry. However, algorithmic changes have altered the status quo, and agency marketers and individual consultants must adapt to develop content and posts that rank and appear on the timelines of their followers and target audiences. The tactics from two years ago still work to a degree, but increasingly an adapted approach is needed; here is how recruiters can boost their LinkedIn engagement and extract maximum value from their activities in 2026:
While it’s important to develop a feeling of familiarity and expectation with followers, nobody likes too much predictability, and the algorithm also rewards brands that vary the types of content formats that they share. Consumers are also time-short and want quick answers, so marketers must find different methods to post content from 30-60 second videos, infographics, polls, written content and more. It doesn’t necessarily need to be new content; in fact, it’s recommended to recycle material to maximise ROI, but also keep in mind that platforms continue to favour native content that keeps people in the feed, rather than sending them immediately to external sites. That is an important behavioural shift to plan for and means finding methods to share views concisely, within the parameters provided by LinkedIn.
Offering varying content types means that the posts will rank higher than company accounts that share more consistent and steady formats. This naturally improves visibility, engagement and subsequently allows for passive viewers to be converted into followers.
This one is for individual consultants, yes, growing your follower base doesn’t equal engagement, and quality definitely matters over quantity, but…one of the biggest bugbears for candidates and decision-makers is receiving yet another generic connection request with no message or a generic, clearly copy and pasted, or worse – AI-written – message which isn’t personal in any way.
This is a missed opportunity; first impressions count, and by putting in a small bit of effort early in the process, consultants can set themselves apart from the start. The connections that have a stronger initial relationship will be more likely to engage with content than those that have been contacted with a more generic approach, and the circle continues.
The best way to develop tailored connection requests is to start by following the individual first, to get an insight into their posts so the connection request can be tailored accordingly. A personalised invitation with a positive comment, of a maximum of 200 words, can help make an impactful first impression and help you stand out from the generic ‘Hi, I am currently recruiting for a [insert job title]. Would this be of interest to you?’ or ‘Hi, I’d like to join your LinkedIn network’ messages that clog up our inboxes on a regular basis. On this note, has anyone ever read an InMail? Organic engagement is far more valuable than a paid-for approach, and opting for the latter can lead to chasing results that only escalate costs further.
Not only is engaging with other people’s content the correct thing to do, but it also boosts engagement. Actively commenting on and reacting to posts is a sure-fire way of improving visibility and increasing the chances of the action being reciprocated. This is a basic common courtesy and helps to build initial relationships. Equally, commenting can help to highlight expertise and can lead to increased profile views, and leads being generated. Ultimately, the time invested in LinkedIn and in building stronger, two-way conversations will bear fruit far more than hopping on occasionally to fire out a quick post and then leaving it for a week or two. Users, both marketers managing brand pages and individual consultants, do not need to be omnipotent, and actually being too visible has its drawbacks, but the time spent boosting profile visibility and exposure can be well spent, particularly in certain industries.
There are, of course, numerous other tips and ‘hacks’ to boost engagement levels, but there is no longer an effective method of gaming the system, and the algorithm is far more attuned to blunt, crude tactics than in the past. As a result, the only way of generating real results on LinkedIn in 2026 is to invest time in it. While the platform has its detractors, it represents the best option to engage large candidate and client audiences available at the moment and should not be ignored.
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