Table of contents
Introduction
LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for finding top talent, with over 810 million users across 200+ countries. Learn more about Performance Management. Whether you’re looking to fill a position quickly or searching for that perfect candidate, knowing how to effectively post a job on LinkedIn can make all the difference. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about creating job listings that actually attract great candidates.
LinkedIn’s latest data shows that well-crafted job posts get three times more qualified applicants than basic listings. I’ll walk you through the entire process—from choosing between free and paid options to creating descriptions that convert, plus all the insider tips you need to maximize your results.
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Free vs. paid: understanding your LinkedIn job posting options
LinkedIn offers two main ways to post jobs: free listings and promoted (paid) posts. Here’s what you get with each option:
Free job posts: the basics
With free job posts, you can:
- Post one job at a time
- Have your listing appear in search results (though it gradually moves down over time)
- Keep the post active until it reaches 50 applicants or 21 days (whichever comes first)
After hitting either of those limits, LinkedIn will pause your job post. You’ll then need to either promote it or close it before the 30-day mark when it automatically shuts down. Learn more about free job post limits
Promoted job posts: the premium route
Promoted job posts offer several advantages:
- Your job appears at the top of search results with a “promoted” tag
- LinkedIn recommends your posting to qualified candidates in their “Based on Your Profile” and “Similar Jobs” sections
- Mobile notifications are sent to matching candidates (reaching 3-5× more applicants)
- You receive notifications when particularly good matches apply
- Video screening questions available to assess communication skills
According to LinkedIn data, promoted job posts get three times more qualified candidates than free job posts.
What does it cost to post a job on LinkedIn?
If you go the paid route, LinkedIn uses a pay-per-click model with two budget options:
Daily budget example:
- Set a $10 daily budget for 30 days = maximum cost of $300
- LinkedIn won’t charge more than 150% of your daily budget in one day (details here)
Total budget example:
How does LinkedIn determine the cost per click? Their algorithm considers:
- Job location
- Number of competing similar job titles in your market
- Current market activity (see Forbes’ breakdown)
The cost per click fluctuates daily based on these factors, and LinkedIn defines clicks and views as the same thing for billing purposes (source).
Here’s a handy table showing typical cost ranges:
| Budget type | Typical range | Benefits |
|---|
| Daily budget | $10-$30/day | Control spending day by day |
| Total budget | $300-$900/month | Set it and forget it approach |
| Free | $0 | Limited visibility, one job at a time |
Step-by-step: how to post a free job on LinkedIn
Here’s the exact process to post a free job:
- Navigate to Jobs
- Start the job post
- Click the “Post a free job” button
- If you’re a Recruiter customer, you may need to select your contract option
- Enter basic job details
- Add job title (be specific and straightforward)
- Enter company name
- Choose workplace type (remote, hybrid, on-site)
- Specify job location
- Select job type (full-time, part-time, contract)
- Click “Get started for free”
- Complete job details
- Write a complete job description in the text box
- Add relevant skills by clicking the ”+ Add skill” button (if available)
- Click “Continue”
- Set applicant options
- Choose how you’d like to receive applicants
- Add screening questions (recommended: at least three) to help identify top candidates
- Click “Post job for free”
Your job is now posted and will remain active until it reaches 50 applicants or 21 days, whichever comes first. See LinkedIn’s help article
Posting a promoted job on LinkedIn
For better visibility and more applicants, here’s how to post a promoted job:
- Follow steps 1-5 from the free job posting process
- Set your budget
- On the “Promote your job” page, set either a daily budget or total budget
- LinkedIn shows an estimated number of applicants based on your budget
- Adjust your budget by clicking the “Edit” icon
- Complete checkout
- Click “Promote job”
- Enter your payment details (or select your saved payment method)
- Review your order details
- Click “Promote job” to finalize
Your promoted job post will now be visible to targeted candidates across LinkedIn, with the algorithm working to match your post with relevant professionals.
Writing a job description that actually converts
LinkedIn analyzed 4.5 million job posts and found some surprising insights that can help you create more effective listings (see the data). Need to give feedback? See our guide on how to Give And Receive Feedback.
The ideal length: keep it short!
Shorter job posts get significantly more applications. Job posts with 1-300 words had much higher apply rates than longer descriptions:
- Short posts (1-300 words): 8.4% higher than average apply rate
- Medium posts (301-600 words): 3.4% below average apply rate
- Long posts (601+ words): Only 1% better than average apply rate
This is partly because more than 50% of LinkedIn job views happen on mobile devices, where concise content performs better.
What to include in your job description
Based on LinkedIn’s research, here are the essential components:
- Clear, straightforward job title
- Avoid creative titles like “ninja” or “wizard”
- Be specific about specialties (e.g., “Java Software Developer” rather than just “Developer”) (see LinkedIn’s advice)
- Concise job summary
- Explain why the role is important
- Give an overview of where the role fits in your organization
- Keep it under 150 words for best results
- Key responsibilities
- List 4-5 main duties in bullet points
- Be specific about what the person will actually do (see job template PDF)
- Requirements and qualifications
- Focus on must-have skills and experience
- Avoid an excessive list that might discourage good candidates
- Consider which requirements are truly essential
- Company information
- Share a brief overview of your company culture
- Highlight why someone would want to work for you
- Mention location, benefits, or other perks (see more tips)
Ready-to-use job description template
Here’s a template structure you can customize:
[JOB TITLE]
OVERALL SUMMARY
[2-3 sentences explaining the role and its importance to the company]
RESPONSIBILITIES
- [Key responsibility 1]
- [Key responsibility 2]
- [Key responsibility 3]
- [Key responsibility 4]
REQUIREMENTS
- [Key requirement 1]
- [Key requirement 2]
- [Key requirement 3]
- [Key requirement 4]
ABOUT US
[Brief description of company culture, benefits, and what makes your company a great place to work]
LinkedIn offers a downloadable PDF with 23 ready-made job description templates for common roles that you can customize.
5 data-backed strategies to optimize your job posts
Want to get more qualified applicants? These evidence-based strategies can help:
1. Post early in the week
LinkedIn data shows candidates view and apply to jobs most often on Mondays. Over half of all job views (59%) and applications (57%) happen during the first three days of the work week (Monday-Wednesday). See the stats
If you post on Friday afternoon, don’t expect many applications until the following week.
2. Select multiple functions and industries
When creating your job post, you can select up to three functions and industries, which significantly widens your potential candidate pool (see LinkedIn’s tips).
For example, if you’re hiring a Marketing Manager, you might select:
- Functions: Marketing, Creative, Strategy
- Industries: Technology, Media, Advertising
This helps capture candidates with varied but relevant backgrounds.
3. Use SEO best practices for more visibility
- Include relevant keywords in your job title and description
- Share your job post widely on social media with links back to the posting
- Add meta description and title tags to increase searchability
- Encourage employees to share the post, as LinkedIn has high domain authority (learn more)
4. Consider industry-specific challenges
LinkedIn’s data shows that application rates vary significantly by industry:
Industries with highest apply rates:
- Staffing: 14.0% higher than average
- Technology (Software): 8.3% higher than average
- Telecommunications: 7.6% higher than average
Industries with lowest apply rates:
- Government/education/nonprofit: 22.7% lower than average
- Healthcare & Pharma: 11.2% lower than average
- Aero/Auto/Transport: 6.4% lower than average
If you’re in an industry with lower application rates, you might need to increase your budget or create particularly compelling job descriptions. See the data
5. Create gender-neutral job descriptions
LinkedIn’s Gender Insights Report revealed that women apply to 20% fewer jobs than men and are 13% less likely to apply to a job they’ve viewed. Read the report
To attract a more diverse candidate pool:
- Use gender-neutral language
- Avoid masculine-coded words like “aggressive,” “dominant,” or “rockstar”
- Focus on skills and experience rather than personal attributes
- Highlight your company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion
You can use free tools like the Gender Decoder to check your job description for biased language.
Tracking and improving your job post performance
Once posted, it’s crucial to monitor how your job listing is performing.
Key metrics to watch
- Views: How many people have seen your job post
- Clicks: How many people clicked on your post
- Applications: The number of candidates who applied
- Apply rate: The percentage of viewers who applied
- Cost per click: For promoted posts, what you’re paying per interaction
- Cost per application: The total cost divided by number of applications
How to access LinkedIn job analytics
- Click the “Jobs” icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage
- Select “Manage job posts”
- Click the three-dot menu next to your job post
- Select “Manage job”
From this dashboard, you can view detailed metrics and performance data.
Making data-driven improvements
If your job post isn’t performing as expected, consider:
- Revising the job title to be more searchable
- Shortening the description if it’s over 300 words
- Adjusting your budget to increase visibility
- Updating the required skills to better match available talent
- Changing the application process if it seems too complicated
Leveraging employee networks for better results
Your employees’ networks are a powerful resource that can amplify your job post’s reach: You can also improve Employee Engagement.
- Ask employees to share job openings with their connections
- Provide suggested text and hashtags to make sharing easy
- Consider implementing an employee referral program
- Use LinkedIn’s #Hiring feature to create shareable posts about open roles (see how)
Pro tip: To make it easy for employees to share your job post, inform them of open roles via a company newsletter and provide suggested hashtags.
Visual elements that make your job post stand out
While LinkedIn job posts are primarily text-based, you can enhance visibility through:
- Creating shareable graphics announcing the job opening
- Using LinkedIn’s native templates for hiring announcements
- Including your company logo and branded colors
- Creating short videos about the role or team
Using design tools for LinkedIn job posts
Linearity offers templates specifically designed for LinkedIn hiring posts. Their templates let you:
- Customize color schemes to match your brand
- Update typography to fit your style
- Include specific details about the roles you’re hiring for
- Animate elements to make your post more eye-catching
Common mistakes to avoid when posting jobs on LinkedIn
Even experienced recruiters make these errors:
- Using creative but vague job titles - Stick to standard, searchable titles
- Writing overly long descriptions - Remember, shorter posts (under 300 words) perform best
- Setting budgets too low - If your industry is competitive, you’ll need a competitive budget
- Not using screening questions - These help filter candidates and save time
- Neglecting to optimize for mobile - Over 50% of job views happen on mobile devices
Tools and resources for better LinkedIn job posting
These tools can help you create more effective job posts:
- LinkedIn Job Description Templates: LinkedIn offers ready-made templates for various roles
- Hemingway Editor: A free tool that helps simplify complex language and improve readability
- Grammarly: Checks your writing for errors and suggests improvements to make your description more professional
- Canva: Create professional-looking graphics for sharing your job opening on social media
- LinkedIn Salary: Research competitive compensation to include in your job post
Final tips for LinkedIn job posting success
- Be transparent about salary - Job posts that include salary information typically get more applications
- Highlight remote/flexible work options - This is increasingly important to candidates
- Respond quickly to applicants - This improves your employer brand
- Update or close posts promptly - Outdated listings frustrate candidates and waste your budget
- Test different approaches - Try variations in job titles or descriptions to see what works best
Conclusion
Posting a job on LinkedIn effectively combines art and science—from choosing the right posting option to crafting a compelling description and optimizing for visibility.
The platform offers powerful tools for finding qualified candidates, but success depends on understanding how to use these features strategically. This helps with Employee Retention. By following the steps and implementing the data-backed strategies outlined in this guide, you’ll be well-positioned to attract top talent through LinkedIn in 2025. You can also improve Employee Motivation.
Remember that the job posting is often a candidate’s first impression of your company. It’s important to improve Employee Satisfaction. Make it count by being clear, concise, and authentic about both the role and your organization. Happy hiring!
Looking for a smarter way to source and engage talent? FidForward Talent helps you automate candidate sourcing, scoring, and outreach—so you can focus on building relationships with the best candidates. You can read our Blog for more talent tips.
