Update: This story was originally published in June 2022. In recognition of new InMail benchmarking reports available within LinkedIn Recruiter, we updated the story with fresh data and analysis to give you the latest perspective on InMail response rates.

To help recruiters better connect with candidates, we’ve shown you which InMails tend to get the best response rates. For instance, the shortest InMails — ones of 400 or fewer characters — get responses at a rate that’s 22% higher than the global average.

The actionable takeaway for recruiters hoping to improve their response rates? Write shorter InMails.

But even if you craft the best, most optimized InMails in the world, some folks will still be harder to reach than others, just as some companies will have an easier time getting responses. Put simply, your industry and your target candidate make a big impact on your response rates.

So, let’s take a look at which industries tend to receive the highest InMail response rates and at which employee functions tend to respond at the highest rates.

Seeing how InMail benchmarks compare across industries and functions can give you a better perspective to judge your own performance. It can also help you set and manage expectations — especially if you’re being hounded by an impatient hiring manager. Read on for a closer look at the highest InMail response rates across industries (of the senders) and functions (of the recipients).

Which industries get better InMail response rates?

Oil, gas, and mining companies are known for digging deep — maybe that’s why they find it relatively easy to unearth receptive candidates. The InMail response rate for the oil, gas, and mining industry is an earth-shattering 24% above the global average.