LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 800 million users. It is also one of the world’s leading ways to post a job and find great candidates. While there are some premium options, the service is free and surprisingly easy to use. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to post a job on LinkedIn for free in just a few simple steps.
1. Go to LinkedIn > Click “Work” > “Post a Job”
To start, log in to your LinkedIn account from which you want to post the job. For example, this could be your personal account, but you also might choose to post the job on LinkedIn from your company’s account.
From the user dashboard, navigate to the upper right-hand corner of the screen and click “Work.” This will expand a drop-down menu where you can select “Post a job.”
2. Sign In or Sign Up For LinkedIn Talent Solutions
On the following screen, you will be prompted to either sign in or sign up for a LinkedIn Talent Solutions account. If you’re new to LinkedIn Talent Solutions, signing up is as simple as using your same LinkedIn login credentials.
3. Input Key Job Details
Next, complete the short form to input the key details of your open position. For example, include the job title, company, workplace type (e.g., on-site, remote or hybrid), job location, and employment type (e.g., full-time, part-time, temporary). When you’ve finished, click “Start job post.”
4. Write the Job Description and Add Skills
After adding the key components of the job, the next step is to add your comprehensive job description and job skills. In some instances, LinkedIn might auto-populate a job description for you. If so, it can be helpful to use it. However, you should read through it and customize it to ensure it accurately depicts the role and your exact needs. When you’re done, click “Continue.”
For guidance writing a job description, here are some things to include:
- An opening paragraph to introduce your business
- An overview of the role
- Duties and responsibilities
- Basic qualifications
- Preferred qualifications
- Application requirements (e.g., cover letter, portfolio)
- Compensation range and benefits
- Legal statement (e.g., equal opportunity, work authorization)
This may be the first opportunity a potential candidate has to learn about your company and the position so you’ll want to be as informative and engaging as possible. You will want to spend some time crafting the job position’s details with input from the hiring team, leadership and, perhaps, people currently doing this job. The more information you can provide to job seekers, the more likely you are to find qualified and interested candidates.
5. Add Screening Questions (Optional)
In the final step, you have the opportunity to indicate your preferred contact method as well as the option to add screening questions to your job posting. It is typically advisable to add screening questions as it will help you field incoming candidates and save time.
After making your selections, click the “Preview” option in the bottom left-hand corner to double-check that your job listing looks good. Then, click “Post job for free” to post your job on LinkedIn.
Cost To Post Jobs on LinkedIn
You can post one job at a time on LinkedIn for free. However, if you want to post more than one job at a time or you want to get more traffic to your job post, you will need to pay for a promoted job post. The cost of a promoted job post is determined on a pay-per-click basis, so it will vary from business to business. However, the average cost is said to average around $1.50 per click.
You can set a daily budget for the job post or a total budget. If you set a daily budget, the post will remain open until you close it. If you set a total budget, on the other hand, the job post will automatically close when the budget amount has been reached.
The exact price for the job post each day is based on the number of clicks or views the post gets, so it may vary from day to day. LinkedIn won’t charge more than twice your daily budget in one day, nor will it charge more than your total budget over 30 days.
For instance, if you set a daily budget of $5, you won’t be charged more than $10 in one day or more than $150 in 30 days. If one day comes in over the daily budget, subsequent daily budgets will be adjusted over the 30-day period. The job post will remain open until it is closed.
Reasons to Post a Job on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking site, but even more than that, it also functions as a job board. With more than 800 million members in over 200 countries, you can cast a wide net for potential candidates via LinkedIn. Additionally, because LinkedIn is a social networking platform, posting a job on LinkedIn means that the job can easily be shared by the hiring team, company leadership and current employees. Since word of mouth is sometimes the most powerful advertisement, this can be a useful hiring tool.
LinkedIn shares several benefits to using LinkedIn for your job post, including:
- Attracting top passive candidates via the “Jobs You May Be Interested In” tool
- Knowing which candidates are qualified, even if they haven’t applied, through the “Suggested Professionals” function
- Easily managing applicants directly through LinkedIn
- Optimizing your job posts with detailed analytics
- Building your employer brand by integrating your Career Page
- Giving applicants a user-friendly mobile experience
Additionally, by posting a job on LinkedIn, you give your team the ability to share your job posting with their network. This further increases the visibility of your job posting and increases your chances of getting great applicants.
