Setting up job alert preferences on LinkedIn allows you to customize the job recommendations you receive to better match your skills, interests, and career goals. Here’s how to get your LinkedIn job alerts working for you:
Navigate to Job Alert Preferences
The first step is accessing your Job Alert preferences page. Here’s how:
- Log into your LinkedIn account on desktop or mobile
- Go to the Jobs page – click on the Jobs icon in the top nav bar
- Click on “Job Alerts” in the left sidebar (desktop) or the “You” menu (mobile)
- This will take you to the Job Alerts page. Click “Preferences” to customize your alerts.
Choose Frequency
On the Preferences page, you’ll see a Frequency section. Here you can choose how often you want to receive job alerts via email:
- Daily – Receive a digest email every day with new job matches
- Weekly – Get a digest email once a week
- Every other week – Receive emails every two weeks
- Monthly – Get one digest email each month
Choose the option that best fits how often you’d like to hear about new job opportunities. Daily or weekly is best if you’re actively job searching. Monthly works well for passive candidates just exploring options.
Select Job Types
Next, scroll down to Job Types. Here you can check the boxes to select what kinds of jobs you want alerts for. Options include:
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Contract
- Temporary
- Volunteer
- Internship
Select any job types you would consider for your job search. Most people stick with Full-time as the default.
Set Locations
The Locations section allows you to customize the geographic area for your job search. You can enter specific cities, metro areas, or zip codes. For example:
- New York, NY
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Austin, TX
- 98052
Add any locations where you would consider working. This helps focus job matches to your preferred areas.
Pick Industries
LinkedIn allows you to select up to 10 industries to target for your job search. Popular options include:
- Information Technology & Services
- Hospital & Health Care
- Financial Services
- Higher Education
- Civil Engineering
Choose industries that align with your experience and interests. You can start typing and choose from the auto-complete drop-down.
Set Job Functions
You can further customize your job alerts by selecting relevant Job Functions. Common choices include:
- Engineering
- Information Technology
- Operations
- Marketing
- Sales
- Finance
- Human Resources
Pick functions related to the types of roles you want to target. This will help filter alerts to be more relevant.
Choose Company Follows
If you follow specific companies on LinkedIn, you can choose to receive job alerts whenever they post new openings. Turn on the “Company Follows” toggle to enable this.
You’ll then get notified when companies you follow have new job posts – great for keeping tabs on openings at companies you’re interested in.
Select Company Sizes
On the Job Alert Preferences page, you’ll also see a Company Size section. Here you can select the size companies you want to receive job recommendations for:
- 1-10 employees
- 11-50 employees
- 51-200 employees
- 201-500 employees
- 501-1000 employees
- 1001-5000 employees
- 5001-10,000 employees
- 10,000+ employees
Choose the company size ranges you’d be willing to work for. Many people stick with mid-size to large companies.
Select Job Seniority
You can filter job alerts by seniority level as well. Common options are:
- Internship
- Entry level
- Associate
- Mid-Senior level
- Director
- Executive
Choose seniority levels that match your experience and career progression goals.
Review Recommended Matches
At the bottom of the page, LinkedIn shows you some Recommended Matches based on your current preferences. Review these to make sure they align with the kinds of roles you want to target.
You can tweak your preferences until the Recommended Matches make sense. This helps ensure your alerts will be relevant once enabled.
Turn On Job Alert Emails
Once you have your preferences set up, make sure to turn on job alert emails at the top of the page. Toggle “Get job recommendations by email” to on.
This enables your alerts and allows matching jobs to be sent based on your customized preferences.
Consider Push Notifications
In addition to email alerts, you may want to enable push notifications for new job matches on mobile. Here’s how to set this up:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile on mobile
- Tap “My Network”
- Select “Preferences” from the menu
- Choose “Push notifications”
- Turn on “Job posts and recommendations”
With this enabled, you’ll get mobile alerts when LinkedIn finds new job matches for you.
Review and Update Frequently
Remember to revisit your Job Alert Preferences periodically to update them. As your career evolves, you’ll want to adjust locations, industries, titles, and other filters to stay current.
Regularly reviewing your alerts ensures you always get recommendations relevant to your latest job search needs.
Conclusion
Customizing your LinkedIn Job Alert preferences allows you to take control of your job search. By selecting relevant options for roles, locations, companies, and frequency, you can get targeted recommendations tailored to your career goals.
Follow the steps outlined above to get started. With detailed job alerts enabled, you’ll be among the first to know about openings that are a great fit for your experience and interests.
