Most recruitment business development on LinkedIn sounds the same: "We're a specialist agency in your sector, could we get on your supplier list?" Hiring managers read that constantly, and it says nothing about the problem they actually have: a role they can't fill.
A live job post gives you that problem in writing. Updately's Hiring managers template, one of the Recruiters & HR templates, is built around it: the connection note, a first message about the open role, a shortlist offer and the AI agent's reply rules.
Short answer: find companies hiring for roles you place, connect with the hiring manager rather than a general talent inbox, and ask what's made the role hard to fill. When they describe the problem, explain in two sentences how you'd solve it and offer a call to share a shortlist. If they ask about fees or terms, a person takes over.
Key Takeaways
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who is it for? | Agency recruiters doing business development |
| Who does it target? | Decision makers at companies hiring for roles you place |
| What's the hook? | The job post: the role they're hiring for right now |
| How long is the sequence? | Four steps over about six days, then follow-ups after a reply |
| What's the objective? | Book a call to discuss the open role and share a candidate shortlist |
| Who handles fees and terms? | Always a person, never the AI |
Why job posts are the best way for recruiters to find clients on LinkedIn
A job post is a company saying, in public, what it needs, where and roughly when. It also tells you who to talk to: whoever owns the team the role sits in. A role that's been reposted, or is still open after a few weeks, is one where the hiring manager is more likely to welcome help. More in how to find companies hiring for a role and hiring signals as a buying trigger.
Finding the hiring manager, not just the company
The LinkedIn jobs signal in Updately finds companies hiring the roles you place and turns each job into the decision makers there. You choose which titles count: Head of Engineering for developer roles, Finance Director for accountancy roles. Jobs posted by staffing agencies are skipped, so your list isn't full of other agencies' adverts.
Other sources:
- Profile search for target accounts without a live post.
- Sales Navigator list import if you already keep account lists there.
- Job-change signals for hiring managers who've just moved company and may rebuild a team.
Score leads against an ICP filter (headcount, industry, location) to skip companies outside your patch. See how to find decision makers at target accounts.
Keep this campaign apart from candidate sourcing, which belongs in the candidate outreach template with its own voice and rules.
The sequence, day by day
Days count from the first step. Messages after the invitation wait until it's accepted.
| Day | Step | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | View profile | A light warm-up before the request |
| 1 | Send invitation | A fixed note that names the role (below). Withdrawn automatically if not accepted within 14 days |
| 2 | AI message: hiring question | References the role they're hiring for and asks what's made it hard to fill |
| 6 | AI follow-up: shortlist offer | Acknowledges hiring is busy and offers two or three anonymised profiles, with a yes/no question |
The invitation note is the same for everyone, with the gaps filled in per lead:
Hi {FirstName}! Saw {Company} is hiring for {Intent}. I help teams like yours fill hard-to-hire roles, so I'd be glad to connect.
{Intent} is what the lead's signal matched. For a lead from the LinkedIn jobs signal, that's the job title the signal searched for, so a signal set to "Data Engineer" produces "saw Acme is hiring for Data Engineer". For leads from a plain profile search there's no role to reference, so that sentence is dropped and the note still reads as a greeting and one line on what you do. Rewrite it if you'd rather name a role.
The first message is written by the AI for each person: reference the role they're hiring for, ask one question about what's made it hard to fill, keep a direct, operational tone and leave out agency credentials. The hiring manager cares about their open role, not your history.
The day 6 step is written from the conversation so far. Offering two or three anonymised profiles gives the hiring manager an easy yes, and shows you have people, not just promises.
How the AI agent replies to hiring managers
With Reply autopilot on, the AI agent follows the template's rules:
- They reply at all. It asks what's been hardest about filling the role so far.
- They describe a hiring problem. It explains how you'd solve it in two sentences and offers a call to share a shortlist, using your booking link.
- They ask about fees or terms. It marks HUMAN INTERVENTION. Terms of business are a conversation for you, not an AI.
- They say they hire in-house. It asks whether any roles have been open longer than they'd like, turning a "no" into a question about the role their team can't fill.
Every template also hands the chat to you when the AI lacks the facts to answer from your offer or Knowledge, or when the hiring manager shares an email, phone number or calendar link. Once the objective is met, it thanks them and ends the chat. Hand-offs land in your Needs you tab. See the LinkedIn AI agent guide for more.
Follow-ups when a hiring manager goes quiet
Hiring managers reply between interviews, then vanish. Two follow-ups:
- After 3 days: picks up exactly where the conversation stopped, with one low-pressure question.
- 7 days after that: adds one new, concrete reason to talk (a result, an example, something time-sensitive) and closes with a yes/no question.
How to adapt it to your desk
- Knowledge. The roles and sectors you place, how you shortlist and results you can talk about. The AI only says what's here.
- Files & Links. Anonymised candidate summaries or a one-page outline of your process. Name them in a rule with ATTACH, for example: IF THEY SAY YES TO PROFILES, ATTACH the anonymised shortlist.
- Booking link. Shared once they show interest.
- Train the voice. Paste two or three BD messages you've sent that got replies.
Common mistakes:
- Targeting the talent team instead of the hiring manager. Point your title filters at the people who own the team.
- Sharing a candidate's details without their permission. Anonymised profiles are the offer for a reason.
- Letting the AI talk fees. Leave that rule as it is.
How to launch it in Updately
- Create a campaign and check the sending LinkedIn account shows as Active.
- On the AI Agent tab, click Start from a template and choose Hiring managers under Recruiters & HR. It fills in the sequence, reply rules and follow-ups, and keeps your voice, Knowledge, files and booking link.
- Add your booking link and the roles you place to Knowledge.
- In the simulator, play a hiring manager who's interested, one who hires in-house, a fees question and a curveball.
- Run Test Sequence on the Workflow tab with a real lead, then add leads and launch.
Browse the other ready-made campaigns on the campaign templates page.
FAQ
How do recruiters find clients on LinkedIn?
Start from companies hiring for the roles you place, then contact the hiring manager for that role. The job post tells you the need and the timing.
What should I say when I message a hiring manager?
Mention their open role, ask what's made it hard to fill, and offer a shortlist once they've told you.
Should I mention fees in the first message?
No. In this template, any question about fees or terms is handed to a person.
What if the company says it only hires in-house?
Ask whether any roles have been open longer than they'd like. It keeps the door open without arguing.
Can I re-contact hiring managers I've worked with before?
Yes, with the re-engage past candidates and clients template.