Frequently asked questions

• How do I use LinkedIn to find jobs?
  Visit our Jobs homepage to search for jobs by keywords, geographic area, industry, and function. Our Advanced Search function allows you to also search by company, title, date posted, experience level, and how you’re connected to the company. You can set up a saved search alert to get email notifications when new jobs that meet your criteria are posted on LinkedIn.

  Additionally, you can see Jobs You May Be Interested In. These job recommendations match information in your profiles to open jobs on LinkedIn. You can sign up to receive email alerts to be notified when new job opportunities that match your skills are posted. Lastly, you can see jobs where you have a 1st degree connection — Jobs In Your Network.

  How do I save a job?
  You can save a job by clicking “Save Job” at the top right corner of any job you’re interested in. You can review all your saved jobs at any time from the Jobs homepage.

  How do I know whether or not my job application has been viewed?
  You can view jobs you've applied to from the Jobs homepage. The status "Viewed" will appear next to a job after the job poster views your application. Note: If you filled out an application on a company’s website, we can't tell you whether that application was viewed.

  Will anyone see that I’m searching for a job on LinkedIn?
  No. Your job search activity is totally private. No updates are sent out when you view or apply for a job on LinkedIn. You can turn off activity broadcasts about adding connections or editing your profile from your Settings page.

  How can I keep my job search totally private?
  If you're embarking on a private job search, keep these tips in mind:

  1) No updates are sent out when you view or apply for a job on LinkedIn. Status updates or content you post may be seen by your network or any others viewing your profile.

  2) Some of the changes that trigger updates (activity broadcasts) are: adding a current job position, adding a current school, adding a new link to a website, recommending someone, following a company, or adding a connection. You can turn on/off your activity broadcasts and select who can see your activity feed and connections from the Settings page. Your “Activity” section will always be visible to you when you view your own profile.

  3) If you have a Premium Career account, joining the Premium Career Group will not send out an activity broadcast to your network, nor will the Group icon show on your profile unless the person viewing your profile is also a Premium Career subscriber.

  How do I see jobs in my area, industry, or function?
  Our Jobs homepage lets you search for jobs by keywords, country, zip code, industry, and function. If you click “more options”, you can also search by company, title, date posted, experience level, and how you’re connected to the company.

  How are the “Jobs You May Be Interested In” selected?
  Jobs You May Be Interested In recommendations are based on your data in your LinkedIn profile, including geographic location, former job titles, companies, and keywords. In the case that there are no matching jobs posted in your current location, you may see jobs in alternate geographies. Note, you can do a search for jobs that meet your desired criteria at any time from our Jobs homepage.

• What should my headline be?
  Your headline is one of the first things people see when they look at your profile, so make it descriptive. Your headline could be your current job title or a keyword-rich description of the kind of role you're looking for. Examples: Account Manager, Recent Honors Graduate Seeking Entry-Level Marketing Opportunities, or Senior IT Executive: Aligning People, Process, and Technology for Peak Performance.

  What should go in my summary?
  Your summary should be a recap of your key professional experiences, qualifications, and specialties. Your summary is your chance to sell what makes you a unique professional and indicate why a potential employer would want to hire you. Many job seekers also use their summary to indicate what types of roles they’re looking for, including industries, workplace culture, etc.

  If you’ve taken time out of the workforce, are switching industries, or have other job search situations a potential employer might have questions about, use your summary to address them up front.

  I’m currently unemployed. What do I list as my current position?
  If you’re doing any freelance or professional volunteer work, you should list that. If you’ve taken any courses or even helped with a family business, you may choose to list that. The goal is to show employers how you’ve been keeping your skills fresh during your time away from the workforce. Alternatively, you can list your dream job title under current job title and list “Currently seeking opportunities”’ as the company.

  Who can see my LinkedIn profile and what do they see?
  Members in your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree network will be able to see your full name and profile.

  Members outside your network only see a shortened profile without your name when searching by keyword. They will see your full profile if they search for you by name.

  If you are a Premium member and have turned on Open Profile, all LinkedIn members can see your full profile. 

  Note: The public version of your profile is called the public profile. It appears when people search for you on Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. You can change your public profile settings to control the profile information that shows up in public search results from the Settings page.

• What are the benefits of a Job Seeker Premium account?

  Get connected to hiring managers and recruiters:
  1) Send personalized InMail messages to anyone on LinkedIn, even those you are not directly connected to

  2) See up to 90 days of information on who's viewed your profile and details on how they found you so you can reach out to recruiters and hiring managers that may be interested in you.

  Get noticed by potential employers:
  1) Apply to jobs as a Featured Applicant and rise to the top of the applicant list to increase your chances that your application will get viewed

  2) Turn on the Open Profile option o let anyone on LinkedIn see your full profile and contact you for free, including recruiters and hiring managers.  See our help center to see how to turn on/off your Open Profile    

  Get ahead with Premium insights:
  1) Sort job listings by salary range and see detailed salary estimates for all jobs in the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia

  2) Get advice and support on your job search in a private group of LinkedIn experts and fellow job seekers

  3) See a company's hiring trends, like the top schools and companies it recruits from, and employees' top skills. Plus, see how you compare to job applicants.

  Will anyone know that I’m a Job Seeker Premium subscriber?
  Nobody will know that you’re a Job Seeker Premium subscriber unless you choose to call this out explicitly in your profile.. No notifications will be sent out to your connections when you upgrade. If you choose to join the Job Seeker Premium Group, only other Job Seeker Premium subscribers can see your group membership and activity.

  Can I really cancel my Premium account at any time?
  You can easily cancel or downgrade your Premium account at any time by visiting http://linkedin.com/settings and clicking “Downgrade or cancel subscription” under Account Type. There are no cancellation fees.
  -Cancellation will end billing and remove your access to any Premium features at the end of your current billing cycle.
  -Changes will be effective on the billing expiration date of your current Premium subscription.
  -You'll be notified once your request has been processed.

  What can I use my InMail credits for?
  InMail credits are used to send messages to anyone on LinkedIn, even if you’re not connected to them. InMail is  a great way to reach hiring managers or recruiters at companies where you'd like to work. You can use them to follow up on job applications, network with recruiters, ask for an informational interview, or simply start a conversation with an industry leader or alumni you’d like to meet.

  How do I apply to jobs as a Featured Applicant?
  The Featured Applicant feature applies to all job applications submitted on LinkedIn.com. Applying to a job as a Featured Applicant will put your job application ahead of non Job Seeker Premium subscribers.  This increases your chance of your application getting viewed.

  To apply to jobs as a featured applicant, check the "Featured Applicant" box at the bottom of the job application page on LinkedIn. Your application will be displayed in a highlighted row at the top of the list of applicants seen by the job poster.