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Leveraging LinkedIn for Inclusive Employer Engagement: Best Practices for Job Developers
By Rajagokul Stalin
Employment Services & Digital Outreach Coordinator | MyJobMatch.ca
Why LinkedIn Matters in Our Work
With over 27 million users in Canada and nearly a billion worldwide, LinkedIn has become much more than an awakening when you need a job. It’s where employers build brands, professionals grow relationships, and importantly for us job developers build meaningful connections between opportunity and talent, including job seekers with disabilities who are often overlooked.
As someone working at the intersection of employment services and digital outreach for MyJobMatch, I recently presented practical strategies to other professionals supporting inclusive employment. Here’s a recap of what we discussed. Specifically, tools, tips, and tactics you can start using right away.
Building a Strong LinkedIn Profile (For You & Your Clients)
Your LinkedIn profile is your online reputation. Whether you’re promoting inclusive hiring or helping a client connect with employers, here are essentials:
• Professional Headshot – Approachable, clean, clear. The connection is real right there.
• Headline That Sells You – Go beyond job titles. Use keywords like inclusive employment, connecting talent with opportunities, employment services.
• Summary Section – Tell your story. Include achievements, industry, passions, and a little personality.
• Example: I share my professional journey in customer support and employment and all my passion for dancing too, because real people connect with real stories.
Creating & Sharing Meaningful Content
You don’t need to be an influencer. Just consistent and intentional.
• Post 1–2x per week. Share client wins (with permission), inclusive hiring stats, or takeaways from a conference.
• Use hashtags like #InclusiveHiring #JobSeekers #EmploymentSupport to reach more people.
• Real example: I posted my National Accessibility Week recap, and it led to deeper conversations and an invite to an HR Community’s monthly meet up.
Strategic Employer Engagement: What Works
Instead of cold DMs, try this 4-step warm engagement strategy:
1. Follow the employer or contact.
2. Like & comment on their content meaningfully.
3. Wait a few days, then send a personalized connection request.
4. If accepted, follow up with a brief intro and value add.
This approach led to my invitation to connect with HR/Talent persons from banks, hotels, and other companies like RBC, Scotia Bank, Metro Convention Centre, and Toronto Hydro.
Advanced Search: Boolean Magic
Want to target HR managers at a specific company in a specific city?
Here’s my personal strategy I learned from writing Boolean searches for 2.5 years in my previous role.
Try Boolean search in the LinkedIn search bar:
“HR” AND “Scotiabank” AND “Toronto”
Combine keywords, use quotation marks, and filter by location. It’s powerful and free.
Helping Job Seekers Show Up Authentically
Encourage your clients to:
• Share their job search journey (e.g. “I just completed a certification!” or “I’m looking for roles in customer support”). Your efforts do matter as much as the outcomes.
• Engage with employers – they admire and like, comment, and follow.
• Connect with intention – always add a short message explaining why.
Scheduling Content the Easy Way
Don’t want to post manually each time? LinkedIn’s own scheduling tool (on desktop) make it easy to plan posts for the week, or tools like Hootsuite, Hubspot are useful too.
Common Challenges (And Fixes)
• Can’t find the right connections? Start liking posts from your target group (e.g. HR pros in Ontario). LinkedIn’s algorithm will learn and adjust.
• Too many irrelevant invites? Engage more locally and frequently to train the algorithm.
Your engagement behaviors are always teaching the LinkedIn’s algorithm.
Paid LinkedIn Features: Are They Worth It?
Premium and Sales Navigator are powerful but not necessary right away.
Start with free tools:
• Profile views
• Manual searches
• Connection requests
Then scale up only if needed.
Takeaways for Employment Professionals
1. Optimize your profile and help clients do the same.
2. Post consistently – use stories and real-life wins.
3. Build employer relationships before making the ask.
4. Teach job seekers to be visible, not just available.
Need Support?
I’m always happy to help review a profile, co-write a post, or walk someone through outreach tactics. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or message me directly.
Together, let’s keep bridging the gap between inclusive talent and opportunity.
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Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajagokulstalin/
Learn more: MyJobMatch.ca