How to find a job on LinkedIn
How to find a job on LinkedIn step by step: a profile recruiters can find, Open to Work, search filters and alerts, how to message recruiters and what to post.
How to optimise your LinkedIn profile so recruiters find you
How to find a job on LinkedIn starts with your profile, not with the job listings. Optimising your LinkedIn profile means writing your headline, experience and location in the same words a recruiter types when looking for someone like you, so you show up in their results even when you haven't applied for anything.
A recruiter (someone who screens candidates for an employer, either in-house or as an external headhunter) searches by job title, by location and by what you can do. If your profile says "Experienced professional", it matches no search at all. If it says "Purchasing Manager · Food Manufacturing · Zaragoza", it matches three.
We've spent more than 15 years in headhunting and we see it every day from the other side: a well-written LinkedIn profile is found in seconds, while a vague one never appears, even when the person is a strong fit.
What to put in your headline, About section and experience
Your LinkedIn headline should say what role you do or want, in which sector and, if it helps, a specialism. The About section explains in a few lines which problems you solve and with what results. Your experience repeats those roles using the job titles employers use in their adverts.
A checklist to review your profile in one afternoon:
- Headline: the job title as employers write it in their adverts. "Financial Controller", not "Passionate about numbers".
- Location: the city you work from or want to move to. Many searches start there.
- About: three or four sentences on what you do, for whom, and one concrete result of your own.
- Experience: each role with its dates and two or three achievements with results. The same dates and job titles as your CV.
- Skills: the ones the jobs you apply for ask for, most relevant first.
- Photo: recent, face visible, plain background. No studio needed.
Open to Work on LinkedIn: when to switch it on and how
Open to Work is the LinkedIn feature that tells recruiters, and your whole network if you choose, that you're looking for a job. It's worth switching on as soon as you start looking, because the LinkedIn Help Centre explains that if you specify the roles and location you're interested in, it helps your profile show up when recruiters search.
To switch it on from a desktop, according to the LinkedIn Help Centre: click the Me icon, then your profile card, then the "Open to" button and "Finding a new job". Fill in the roles, locations and who can see it, then save. You can also manage it from the Jobs tab, under "Preferences".
Fill in the roles with two or three specific titles, the same as your headline. If you list ten different roles, the signal gets weaker and recruiters can't tell what you're after.
Recruiters only or all members: which visibility to choose
Open to Work visibility decides who knows you're job hunting. If you're unemployed or your employer already knows you're leaving, the all-members option gives you more reach. If you're employed and nobody knows, the recruiters-only option is more discreet, although it isn't completely safe.
LinkedIn tries to hide your search from recruiters who work at your current company, but its Help Centre is clear: "we can't guarantee complete privacy". If your job depends on that discretion, weigh the risk before switching it on.
| Option | Who sees it | #OpenToWork photo frame | Risk with your current employer | When it suits you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All LinkedIn members | Recruiters, your network and any member, including your employer | Yes | Full: anyone can see it | If you're unemployed or your search is already public |
| Recruiters only | People using LinkedIn Recruiter | No | Low, but LinkedIn doesn't guarantee complete privacy | If you're employed and searching discreetly |
| Not switched on | Nobody | No | None | If you want no risk and prefer to message recruiters yourself |
How to look for a job on LinkedIn: searching and filtering jobs
To look for a job on LinkedIn, go to the Jobs tab, type the role you want and narrow the results with the filters for location, date posted, workplace type (on-site, hybrid or remote) and experience level. A well-filtered search shows you fewer jobs, but nearly all of them are worth reading.
LinkedIn's job search also understands descriptive phrases, not just job titles. Even so, it works better with the job title as it appears in adverts, plus its variants: "purchasing manager", "procurement manager" and "buyer" can be the same job.
Save the jobs you like with the "Save" button and review them at a fixed time of day. Reading listings in odd moments throughout the day is tiring and gets you nowhere.
Job alerts on LinkedIn
A LinkedIn job alert notifies you of new jobs that match a search you've already filtered. You create it by switching on the alerts toggle at the bottom of the results. According to the LinkedIn Help Centre, you can have up to 20 alerts at once and receive them daily or weekly.
A maximum of 20 doesn't mean you should reach it. Three or four very specific alerts, one per combination of role and place you genuinely want, fill your inbox less and leave you more time to prepare each application.
Easy Apply or applying on the company's website
LinkedIn has two kinds of job posts: "Easy Apply", which you send without leaving LinkedIn, and "Apply", which takes you to the company's website or another job board. Easy Apply is quick, but according to the LinkedIn Help Centre, once submitted you can't edit or withdraw the application.
So before you submit, check which CV you're attaching and whether it answers what that job asks for. And when a job sends you elsewhere, note down where you applied: that application won't appear in your LinkedIn list, and it's the one people tend to forget.
That scattered follow-up is exactly what CompassHub wants to organise: it brings together jobs from different job boards, shows you the ones that fit your preferences and keeps all your applications on one board, wherever they came from. You fill in the pre-registration form with your preferences and we let you know when the app launches.
How to contact recruiters on LinkedIn without being pushy
To contact a recruiter on LinkedIn without being pushy, only message them if their work relates to your profile, explain in one or two sentences who you are and what you're looking for, and don't ask them for a job: ask whether they recruit for roles like yours. A short, specific message gets a reply; a long, generic one doesn't.
Before writing, check their profile. If they recruit for tech roles and you're a site manager, that message helps neither of you. Look for recruiters in your sector, your city or the companies you're interested in.
And don't chase. If they haven't replied in a couple of weeks, one short reminder is enough. After that, move on to other contacts: silence is rarely personal.
What to write in a 200-character connection note
A LinkedIn invitation with a note has to fit in 200 characters, so it says only three things: who you are, why you're writing to that person and what you're suggesting. According to the LinkedIn Help Centre, with a free account you can add a personalised note to up to three connection requests a month.
With only three notes a month, save them for the recruiters who best match what you're looking for. An example, which you'll need to adapt to your own case:
"Hi Marta, I'm a financial controller with 12 years in manufacturing, looking for a move in Madrid. I see you recruit for finance roles: would it be OK to get in touch if something comes up?"
If they accept, the conversation carries on by message and you can say more there. If you get to the interview stage, prepare with our guide on how to handle a job interview.
What to post on LinkedIn when you're job hunting, and how often
When you're job hunting, it's worth posting on LinkedIn about your line of work: a problem you solved, a lesson from a project or a thoughtful comment on news from your sector. The right frequency is the one you can keep up; as our own rule of thumb, one well-thought-out post a week does more than five posted for the sake of it.
Posting isn't essential to find a job on LinkedIn. Your profile is. But a thoughtful post lets anyone who visits your profile see how you think, not just where you've worked.
What works and what doesn't when you post while job hunting:
- Yes: examples from your work told with the result, without confidential details from your employers.
- Yes: substantial comments on posts by people in your sector. A good comment gets seen as much as a post.
- Yes, once: saying you're looking for a job, with the role, place and working pattern you want. Say it clearly and your network can help.
- No: complaints about specific hiring processes or companies. Recruiters read those too.
- No: automated posts or reactions using external tools. LinkedIn's terms prohibit them (more on that in the last section).
LinkedIn's limitations and what to use alongside it
LinkedIn is useful for being found and for talking to recruiters, but it has three limits: it doesn't carry every job, it only tracks applications you send on LinkedIn, and the free version limits personalised messages. That's why it's worth combining with job boards, company careers pages and your own tracking.
There's another limit that isn't technical: the rules. The LinkedIn User Agreement, effective since 3 November 2025, prohibits in section 8.2 using software, scripts, robots or browser extensions to scrape or copy profiles and data, and using bots to add contacts or send messages. The LinkedIn Help Centre warns that anyone using them risks having their account restricted or shut down.
In practice: no extensions that send invitations in bulk and no tools that copy jobs or profiles. Losing your account mid-search is worse than sending ten fewer invitations.
For the rest of your search, these resources cover what LinkedIn doesn't:
- Other channels: compare LinkedIn with InfoJobs, Indeed and Jooble in our guide to the best job search apps.
- The full method: what to look for, where, and how to organise your applications, in how to find a job step by step.
- Organised tracking: one board with all your applications, whether they came from LinkedIn, a job board or a company's website. That's what the CompassHub app will do, and until it launches a spreadsheet with a column per stage does the job.