How do you get a job on LinkedIn?

What people read on your profile first

A recruiter or a hiring manager who opens your profile reads a few things before anything else. Get these four right before you apply anywhere.

• Headline

  It appears next to your name in search results, in comments, and in invitations. Say what you do and the field you do it in, beyond your current job title.

• About section

  A few short paragraphs on the work you do, who you do it for, and what you want next. Write it the way you'd explain it to a colleague.

• Experience and skills

  List each role with what you delivered, and add the skills you use in your work. A recruiter comparing you to a job description looks here.

• Recent activity

  Your posts and comments show on your profile. They tell a visitor what you know and that you're active in your field.

How recruiters find you on LinkedIn

Recruiters search LinkedIn for candidates, and LinkedIn says that setting your job preferences helps your profile show up in those searches. You set them with Open to Work: the job titles you want, the locations, and whether you want remote, hybrid, or on-site work.

Open to Work has two visibility settings. "All LinkedIn members" adds the #OpenToWork frame to your photo, and people at your current company can see it. "Recruiters only" shows it to people who use LinkedIn Recruiter. LinkedIn tries to hide it from recruiters at your current company, but says it can't guarantee complete privacy.

Applying is the other route. In the Jobs tab you can search by role and location, filter the results, and turn on an alert so LinkedIn tells you about new posts that match.

Sources: LinkedIn Help, Let recruiters know you're Open to Work · LinkedIn Help, Search for jobs on LinkedIn

How to get a job on LinkedIn, step by step

The steps go in order. The first three take an afternoon. The last three are habits, and they're what keeps you visible after the first week.

1. 1

   Rewrite your headline and About section

   Say what you do, the field you do it in, and the kind of role you want. Use the words a job description for that role would use.

2. 2

   Turn on Open to Work

   Add the job titles and locations you want, then choose who sees it: all members, or only recruiters if you're employed and want to keep it quiet.

3. 3

   Set up job alerts

   Search for the role you want in the Jobs tab, filter the results, and turn on the alert. Apply to the posts that fit, and skip the ones that don't.

4. 4

   Connect with people in your field

   Add peers, former colleagues, and people at the companies you'd like to work for. Write a short note with each invitation, so they know why you're reaching out.

5. 5

   Comment on posts from your field

   A comment with a point of view puts your name and headline in front of the people reading that post, including people you aren't connected to. A few good comments a week is a realistic pace.

6. 6

   Post about your own work

   One short post a week is enough: something you built, a problem you solved, or a lesson you learned. It gives a visitor to your profile something recent to read.

No tool or guide can promise you a job or a timeline, and that includes this one. You control how clear your profile is and how often people in your field see your work.

Where Link Into The SSI fits

Link Into The SSI (LISSI) helps with steps 5 and 6. It doesn't search for jobs, apply for you, or contact recruiters. You get posts from your field in one feed, with an AI draft to start your comment from, and you add your own posts so other members see them. You make every reaction and comment on LinkedIn yourself, and a weekly recap shows what you did.

See how the feed works

Common questions