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Recruitment · UK 2026

Should I message a recruiter on LinkedIn?

Alex By Alex · 12-year UK recruiter · Updated April 2026

From the recruiter side: I get roughly 80-100 LinkedIn messages a month, of which maybe 5-8 get a substantial reply. The pattern of who gets the reply is consistent: the ones who messaged about a specific role I'm working on, or who clearly did 30 seconds of research on what I cover, or who demonstrated relevant experience in the first sentence.

What works. Short messages. Three sentences max. First sentence: name a specific reason for reaching out. 'I saw your post about the senior PM role at [company] yesterday and wanted to introduce myself.' Or: 'I noticed you specialise in fintech engineering placements in London — that's the area I'm currently looking at.' Second sentence: one-line credibility (current role, years of experience, key relevant fact). Third sentence: a clear, low-friction ask. 'Open to a 15-minute call next week to introduce myself, or happy to send my CV?'

What doesn't work. Generic 'I'd love to connect' or 'I'm looking for new opportunities — please let me know if you have anything.' These are the modal LinkedIn message and they go directly into the ignore pile. Long autobiographical messages (anything over 150 words). Attaching your CV in the first message. Asking 'what roles do you have' before doing any research on what the recruiter actually covers.

Who to message. Pick recruiters who specialise in your sector and at your level. A senior tech recruiter at a top fintech specialist firm is genuinely worth messaging if you're a senior tech person in fintech. A generalist recruiter at a small agency that covers everything from accounting to retail is a worse use of your time, regardless of how active they are on LinkedIn. Look at their post history and the roles they've placed (visible from their LinkedIn activity) to assess fit.

Don't expect immediate placement. Messaging a recruiter is rarely about getting placed in a role tomorrow. It's about getting on their radar so when they do have a relevant role next month or next quarter, you're a name they remember. Most recruiter-led placements I've made were with candidates who'd been in my pipeline for 3-6 months before the right role came up. The work is in the relationship-building, not the immediate ask.

Build the relationship over multiple touchpoints. After the first message, if they reply, send a CV. If they don't reply, leave it 4-6 weeks and try once more with a different angle (a specific role they've posted, or a comment on their content). Three messages total over 3 months is the right cadence for a recruiter you genuinely want to be on the radar of. More than that becomes pestering.

The best recruiter relationships are reciprocal. If a recruiter helps you land a role, the long-term relationship pays back through them helping with future moves, mentoring conversations, and references. Treat the relationship as a 10-year arc, not a single transaction.

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