How to Handle Recruiter Messages

The Messages Started Coming

Around my third year, recruiter messages started showing up on LinkedIn. At first, it was genuinely exciting. Getting a "are you interested in our company?" message felt like being noticed. But after a few rounds, I started seeing the patterns.

(I definitely did not screenshot the first one and send it to a friend to brag. Definitely not.)

How to Spot Copy-Paste Messages

About 70% of recruiter messages are copy-pasted. They start with "I was impressed by your profile" but never mention which part of your profile impressed them. Recruiters who are genuinely interested say something specific like "your experience with Next.js projects caught my eye."

Once I got a message looking for a senior Java developer. My profile has zero Java on it. It's all React/TypeScript. That was clearly a mass send. I didn't reply.

Early Mistake: I Replied to Everything

Whether I was considering a move or not, I replied to every message. I thought it was polite. Then I realized it was a waste of time. I had 3 phone calls with one recruiter before they offered a salary lower than my current one. I should've asked about the salary range upfront. After that, I always include "could you share the salary range for this position?" in my first reply.

I made the opposite mistake too. I ignored a message because I had zero interest in switching, and later found out it was a pretty great position. By then, the role had already been filled.

My Reply Templates

Here's how I handle them now.

When I'm interested: "Thanks for reaching out. I'm interested in this position. Could you share the salary range and tech stack?" Checking these two things first saves a lot of wasted time.

When I'm not interested: "Thanks for the message. I'm not considering a move right now, but I'll reach out if that changes in the future." Short, but doesn't burn bridges. You never know — I might change my mind in 6 months.

Headhunters vs. In-House Recruiters

Knowing the difference matters. In-house recruiters work for the actual company, so they know more about internal dynamics — team culture, actual work, growth opportunities. Headhunters work with multiple companies so they can give you comparison info, but their knowledge tends to be shallower.

One time a headhunter told me "the culture at this company is really great," so I went to the interview. Turns out Saturday work was implicitly expected every week. After that, I stopped taking headhunters at their word and always check sites like Glassdoor and Blind too.

LinkedIn Profile Management

If you want better messages, your profile matters. I neglected mine for a while, but after updating it, the message frequency jumped noticeably. I put my core tech stack in the headline and briefly described key projects. "Frontend Developer" is way less compelling than "React/TypeScript | E-commerce Payment System Experience."

How you handle recruiter messages is really part of career management. Even if you're not planning to switch right now, you can use them as a channel for understanding market trends — which skills are in demand, what salaries look like. Just don't let every message distract you from your current job. There's a balance to strike.