How to Post A Job on LinkedIn That Attracts Quality Candidates 

With how competitive hiring has become, posting a job on LinkedIn is more than just trying to fill a vacancy—you want to attract talent that will drive your team forward.  

Now sitting at over 1 billion users globally, LinkedIn is a powerful platform for sourcing candidates, but simply listing a role isn’t enough. To stand out, hiring managers must craft job posts that resonate with top-tier professionals and reflect the company’s values, culture, and expectations. 

In this article, we’re going to show you how to do exactly that—plus, how to promote it after.  

Must-Haves When Posting a Job on LinkedIn 

If you want to make sure that your job posting is as effective as possible, double check that you’ve met all these requirements before pushing your posting live. 

An Established Company Profile to Build Authority 

A company profile is necessary to create a job posting, but it’s more than just logistics. Of course, it’s important to associate the job posting with the company you’re hiring for—that part is obvious. So, what are the other factors? 

Where the impact really lies is in the strength of your company page, as this is a tool to attract qualified candidates. Often, your page is the first impression that candidates will have of your company. 

Top talent won’t want to apply for a position at a company with a barebones profile set up—they’re looking for something with a bit more expertise and influence within their chosen industry. Your profile is the chance to highlight why your company outshines competitors, and why the best candidates should want to work for you. 

A strong profile should include: 

• A clear company description 
• Industry and location details 
• A consistent brand voice 
• Recent updates and employee highlights 

Building a magnetic employer brand is one of the most effective ways to attract top talent. Your LinkedIn profile should reflect your company’s mission, values, and culture, which helps candidates gain an understanding of what your company offers. 

We dive deeper into why a strong employer brand is so essential to finding qualified candidates in our Complete Guide to Recruiting Top Talent—learn more by downloading it for free! 

A Strong Job Description That Stands Out 

Similarly to your profile, your job description is another chance to target the most qualified candidates. This is the heart of your LinkedIn job posting. It should be compelling, clear, and tailored to the type of candidate you want to attract.  

Avoid generic language and focus on what makes the role unique. Make sure to include: 

• A captivating headline 
• A summary of the role’s impact 
• Key responsibilities 
• Opportunities for growth 

The job description is what will initially grab a candidate’s attention. If you want to attract strong applicants, your job description needs to be interesting enough to compete for consideration against similar companies.  

Detailed Information on Requirements for the Role 

In addition to a description of the job, you should also list out the must-haves for any interested candidates. This will help filter out unqualified candidates from the very beginning. 

Include whatever certifications, skills (both hard and soft skills), and experience you find non-negotiable for the role. This will help keep candidates engaged by clearly showing them what to expect, so there are no surprises later. 

Be specific but realistic. Too many rigid must-haves can deter candidates who meet most of the criteria and could thrive in the role and can even make fully qualified candidates doubt their ability to be a good fit. 

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Posting a Job on LinkedIn Step-by-Step 

Now that we’ve gone over some key details to keep in mind when creating your job posting, let’s explore the process itself. 

Step 1. Navigate to the Job Posting Page 

From your LinkedIn dashboard, click the “Jobs” icon in the menu bar at the top of your homepage. On the drop-down menu, click the “Post a Job” button. This will then prompt you to fill in information about the role. 

Step 2. Add Details of the Job 

Start with the basics, such as the job title, company name, workplace type (on-site, hybrid, or remote), job location, and employment type (full-time, part-time, or contract). Once you’ve filled out all these fields, it’s time to dive a bit deeper. 

Add all required skills deemed necessary for the role, making sure to prioritize the most important ones. You can add up to 10 skills within this field. Once these have been specified, the next step is adding the job description. 

Step 3. Insert the Job Description 

We’ve already discussed what makes an effective job description, and with that in mind, it’s time to insert your own. Be as descriptive yet concise as possible to efficiently communicate the essence of the position. 

Use this field to outline the role’s daily responsibilities, overall goals, and what sets this opportunity apart. You should also reiterate the job details here, such as the job title & summary, qualifications & skills, job location, and employment type. 

Adding the pay range and any benefits offered can also make sure your job description stands out and attracts competitive talent to apply for your position. Finally, close it out with a section about your company and why candidates should work there. 

Step 4. Choose How to Receive Applications 

After filling out the job details, click “Continue” to bring yourself to the “Applicant Options” page. Here, you can specify how you want LinkedIn to notify you about applicants for your job posting. You can choose to either receive applications through email or an external website. 

The external website option will direct candidates to apply outside of LinkedIn. For a better candidate experience, we recommend choosing email so candidates can apply using LinkedIn itself. The email option will also allow you to add screening questions. 

Step 5. Specify Any Screening Questions 

Including screening questions in your job posting is a good way to filter out applicants. LinkedIn recommends adding three or more questions, and two of their recommended questions will auto populate in this field.  

You can choose to keep these or click the “X” to remove them and add your own or select from LinkedIn’s list of possible questions. Your questions can center around work experience for a specific skill, expertise with necessary tools, and many other options that will help you determine the best suited candidate. 

You can also choose to make any of these questions a must-have qualification, meaning that LinkedIn will automatically filter applicants out and send rejection emails to those who don’t meet the criteria. This can be a real time saver, as you are only presented with the best-suited candidates. 

Step 6. Select the Free or Promoted Plan 

Once you’ve completed your job posting, you’ll have the option to either continue with a free post or set up a budget to promote your post. Promoting your job posting guarantees a top position in search results, a top placement in job recommendations, instant alerts to qualified candidates, and a larger pool of estimated monthly applicants. 

You can set either a daily or total budget, with a requirement for the daily budget to be at least $7. If you choose the promoted plan, you’ll be prompted to add a payment method—you can select the default method if you already have one on file, otherwise fill in your credit card details. 

If you choose the free plan, simply click “Select Free” to post your job listing. Keep in mind that with this option, your job posting will be paused after 14 days, and you will have the choice to either promote it or close it. 

Step 7. Update Position Details if Necessary 

If the position remains unfilled longer than you’d anticipated, it might be beneficial to update the job description. Removing some of the mandatory skills and qualifications can open your job posting up to a wider range of applicants. 

Step 8. Remove the Listing Once it is Filled 

Once the role has been filled, remove the job listing from LinkedIn. This lets candidates know the position is no longer available, so they don’t waste time applying or following up on a previous submission. 

Promote the Job After Posting on LinkedIn 

Even though your job posting is now live, the work doesn’t stop there. Promotion is the key to reaching the right audience—by casting a wider net, you’ll be able to attract more qualified candidates and ensure that you truly find the best fit for the role. 

1. Paid Advertising 

This is the previously mentioned option that LinkedIn offers for promoting your job listing. You can choose to switch to the promoted option if you aren’t getting enough strong applicants, even if you went with the free plan originally. Boosting the visibility of your open roloe can increase its chances of reaching the right candidates. 

2. Employee Referral Program 

Another option is to incentivize your employees to promote the job for you. Existing employees know the reality of working at your company, so they can tell others and encourage them to apply—which also helps in finding pre-vetted, qualified candidates. It can help to offer a reward, such as a gift card or additional PTO, for participating in the employee referral program. 

3. Use LinkedIn Networks 

Leverage your company’s LinkedIn followers and employee connections. Ask team members to engage with the post—likes, comments, and reposts can significantly expand its reach.  

Employees can also use LinkedIn’s #Hiring feature to share the job post from their profile pages, which will add the #Hiring frame to their profile picture, feature them on the job posting’s “Meet the Team” section, and notify their LinkedIn network of the open role.  

If you want to spread further awareness for the position, you can also post in relevant LinkedIn groups or tag industry influencers. The more visible your listing becomes, the better chance you have of connecting with the right fit for the role. 

Find Your Perfect Candidate 

Now that you have all the tools to create an effective job listing, it’s time to put those methods to good use! Once it feels ready, post your job listing to attract candidates and start the search for your best fit. 

But posting a job on LinkedIn is just the beginning. To find your perfect candidate, you need a strategy that combines proactivity with authenticity. If you need more tips on recruiting strategically, check out Insight Global’s Complete Guide to Recruiting Top Talent. 

Or maybe you want to skip the process and have qualified candidates delivered to you by experts in staffing for a variety of business needs. If that’s the case, reach out to partner with us and find top talent for your company.