Posting a job listing

To post your job opening, follow these steps:

1. Click the Work icon on the top navigation bar, and select Post a Job from the drop-down list that appears.

   The screen shown in Figure 5-2 should appear, although some users will need to set the company, location, and job title first before tackling the other details.

2. Using the text boxes and lists provided, enter the required information about your company and the job you’re offering.

   LinkedIn asks for your company name, the job title, and the job location. As you fill in those fields, LinkedIn will try to fill in options for skills under the Job Function box and the industry your company represents. You should also add job function skills and industries that pertain to your job posting, as well as the employment type and seniority level.

   Next, compose your job description in the text box provided (refer to Figure 5-2) or copy the description from another source and paste it into the box. If you paste the text, make sure the formatting (spacing, bullet points, font size, and so on) is correct.

3. Scroll down and fill in the Choose How You Want People to Apply section, as shown in Figure 5-3.

   You can receive applications at one of the email addresses you have listed in your profile or at another email address. Or supply a direct URL for applicants to use.

4. Click the Continue button to proceed to the budget phase.

   LinkedIn analyzes your job listing, provides a suggested budget you can spend per day to keep your listing active, and predicts the number of applications you’ll receive in 30 days based on your budget.

5. Enter the daily budget for the job listing you just created, as shown in Figure 5-4.

6. Click the Continue button to proceed.

   After LinkedIn has gathered your daily budget limit, it needs your billing information, as shown in Figure 5-5.

7. Review your order, provide payment information, and click the blue Post Job button.

   Look over the details of your order, and then scroll down and make sure you have a major credit card or a PayPal account on file to pay for the job listing.

That’s it! You have completed the all-important first step: posting your job listing. You receive a job posting confirmation, as shown in Figure 5-6. The listing is available by clicking the Jobs link (in the top navigation bar) and looking in the Your Jobs box along the right side of your Jobs home page.

You have two options for improving your job posting right after creating the post. You can decide whether you want your profile summary to appear with the job listing by leaving the appropriate check box selected (refer to Figure 5-6), and you can add required skills to the job listing by clicking the Add Skill link and adding the particular skills you want in your applicants. Click the blue Finish button to complete your choices.

Advertising your job listing to your network

Traditionally, when someone posted a job opening on the Internet using one of those ubiquitous job search sites, that person would hope the extensive pool of job seekers would find the posting and the appropriate parties would submit resumes and cover letters. When you use LinkedIn to fill a job, however, you still benefit from the pool of job seekers who search LinkedIn’s Jobs page, but you have a distinct advantage: your own network. You’re connected to people you know and trust, people you have worked with before so you know their capabilities, and most importantly, people who know you and (you hope) have a better idea than the average person as to what kind of person you would hire.

LinkedIn enables you to share your job listing using social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, and you can also send all or some of the people in your network a message, letting them know about your job opening and asking them if they, or anyone they know, might be interested in the job. When you’re ready to advertise your job listing, follow these steps:

1. Click the Me icon (your profile photo), on the top navigation bar, and select Job Postings (under the Manage header) from the drop-down list that appears.

   After you’ve posted your job, the position is listed in the Jobs window, which automatically loads any active job postings.

2. Click the three dots to the right of the job listing, and then click Share Job from the drop-down list that appears (see Figure 5-7).

   Next, you’ll select one or more networks in turn for sharing the job listing.

3. To share the job listing on LinkedIn:
   1. Click the LinkedIn icon. A Share box appears that you can send to your LinkedIn network in a variety of ways (see Figure 5-8).
   2. To generate an automatic network update, leave the Share an Update check box selected.
   3. To change the privacy settings for this update, select whom you want to share with by using the appropriate drop-down box to select an audience.
4. To send the listing to individual connections:
   1. Select the Send to Individuals check box.
   2. Start typing name of a first-degree connection in the To box.
   3. When the name you want appears in the list below the To box, click the name, which then moves to the To box.

   4. Continue to type additional names, up to a recommended maximum of ten people.

      When you’re sending the listing to individual connections, feel free to edit the text in the message box to make it sound as if it’s coming from you, or leave the default message in place.

5. Look over the text in the window again, making sure you have the right people selected, and then click the Share button (see Figure 5-9).

   Your LinkedIn connections will receive a message in their LinkedIn inboxes and, depending on their notification settings, an email with this message as well. They can click a link from the message to see the job listing and either apply themselves or forward it to their contacts for consideration.

6. To generate a message for Twitter or Facebook:
   1. Click the Twitter or Facebook icon.
   2. Enter your login information for the network. A window appears that interfaces directly with Twitter or Facebook.
   3. Draft an update or a tweet and click to send it directly to your network.

Reviewing applicants

After you’ve posted your job listing on LinkedIn, you should expect to get some applicants for the position. Every time someone applies for that job, you receive an email from LinkedIn notifying you of the application. In addition, LinkedIn records the application in the Applicants number of the Active Jobs window. (Refer to Figure 5-7.)

When you’re ready to review the applicants for your job, follow these steps:

1. Click the Me icon, and then select Job Postings (under the Manage header) from the drop-down list that appears.

   You should be taken to the Active Jobs screen, as shown in Figure 5-7 in the previous section. Click the job title of the job listing you want to review, which brings you to the Overview screen, as shown in Figure 5-10.

2. Click an applicant’s name to see his LinkedIn profile and read up on his experience.

   You should review all the potential applicants first, labeling them Good Fit or Not a Fit (see the next step), before moving onto the next phase, where you start contacting and interviewing potential matches.

3. Click the check box to the right of an applicant’s name, to display the options shown at the top of Figure 5-11, and then take one or more of the following actions:
   • Not a Fit: Label the person as Not a Fit. The applicant’s name will be archived.
   • Good Fit: Label the applicant as a Good Fit. The person’s name will be moved from the Review Applicants screen to the Manage Candidates screen.
   • Contact: Send the applicant a message.
   • Share Profile: Share the person’s application with other people, such as other members of a hiring committee.
   • Add Note: Add your own notes about a particular applicant, which can be seen only by you.
   • More: Display a menu to Save to PDF (the person’s LinkedIn profile, that is) or Download Resume, if at least one person attached a resume to his or her job application.

4. To automatically send a potential candidate a message that you’re interested, click the Interested button.

   The candidate will be moved to the Manage Candidates screen.

   Be careful about clicking the Interested button, because the message is sent to the potential candidate automatically and you can’t customize the message.

5. To archive the person’s name and remove that individual from active consideration, click the Not Interested button.

   This has the same effect of clicking the Not a Fit button for that person.

6. After you’ve reviewed the potential applicants, scroll to the top of the screen and click the Manage Candidates header.

   The Manage Candidates screen appears, as shown in Figure 5-12, where you can keep track of which applicants you have contacted with messages, conducted phone screens, and conducted in-person interviews.

   In addition, the following buttons appear (some of which are the same as the ones in the review applicants phase; refer to Step 3):

   • Move To: Assign the candidate’s name to the different phases in the applicant timeline, such as Contacted, Replied, Phone Screen, Interview, Offer, or Hire.

     You can access the Move To functions also by clicking the Move To button at the bottom right of the candidate’s information.

   • Contact: Send the candidate a message.
   • Share Profile: Share the candidate’s profile with other people.
   • Add a Note: Include a note next to the candidate’s name.
   • Archive: Archive the applicant’s information; it will no longer be visible on your Manage Candidates screen.
   • More: Display a menu to Save to PDF (the person’s LinkedIn profile, that is) or Download Resume, if at least one person attached a resume to his or her job application.

7. Click the name of an applicant.

   The person’s profile appears so you can review his or her qualifications further.

8. If you think the applicant is worth pursuing, contact the person to set up the next part of your application process.

   You can contact the person by clicking the Message button on his or her profile page, or by clicking the Contact button or the Message button on the Manage Candidates page (refer to Step 6). The screen shown in Figure 5-13 appears, with a preprogrammed message that you can edit or replace.