LinkedIn uses sophisticated algorithms and machine learning models to match job seekers with relevant job opportunities. When you apply for a job or get recommended a job on LinkedIn, there are several factors that go into determining how well your profile matches the job description and requirements.
Hard Skills Matching
One of the main things LinkedIn looks for is how well your hard skills, qualifications and experience match what the job requires. This includes:
- Keywords in your skills, job titles and descriptions that match keywords in the job posting
- Years of experience required vs years of experience you have
- Educational qualifications – do you have the degrees, certifications, licenses etc. required?
- Specific skills and technologies listed – do you have expertise in the exact programming languages, tools, software etc. they are looking for?
- Company names and industries you’ve worked in
LinkedIn parses the job description to identify key hard skills, qualifications and experience required. It looks for those same factors in your profile to quantify the match percentage.
Soft Skills Matching
In addition to hard skills, LinkedIn also looks at soft skills fit. This includes:
- Personality traits and soft skills you list in your profile
- Words and phrasing you use to describe your experience
- Types of positions, organizations and industries you’ve worked in
Using natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, LinkedIn analyzes your profile to infer your likely personality traits, communication style, work preferences and other soft skills. It compares these against soft skills required or desired for the role.
Connections at the Company
Having connections at the company you are applying to provides a strong signal for matching. LinkedIn considers:
- How many 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections you have at the company
- Whether any of those connections are employees/managers/recruiters at the company
- How closely your own network is connected into the company’s employee network
More and closer connections at the hiring company make it more likely you will be a good cultural fit and get an internal referral.
Comparisons with Other Applicants
LinkedIn compares your profile and application to those of other candidates who have applied. Features compared can include:
- Years of experience
- Educational background
- Skills match percentage
- Number of connections at the company
- Number of common connections with the hiring manager/recruiter
Scoring well compared to other applicants makes you more competitive for the role.
Previous Interactions
Your previous interactions with the company’s LinkedIn page and employees are considered:
- Have you followed, viewed, or engaged with the company’s LinkedIn page?
- Have you viewed profiles of or connected with employees at the company?
- Have you interacted with or followed the employees posting the job?
This helps gauge your interest in the company and role.
Application Completeness
LinkedIn considers how thoroughly you have filled out the application and your profile completeness:
- Did you submit a personalized cover letter?
- Have you filled out all sections of your profile?
- Is your employment history complete with detailed role descriptions?
More information helps LinkedIn better assess your qualifications and determine if you are a good match.
Engagement and Responsiveness
How responsive and engaged you are on the platform also plays a role:
- How regularly do you log in and update your profile?
- How often do you engage with content and other users on LinkedIn?
- Have you enabled LinkedIn’s job seeking preferences and notifications?
- Do you respond to outreach from recruiters on the platform?
Active, engaged users tend to get matched more often.
Job Seeker vs Employer Behavior
LinkedIn looks at how you use the platform and tailors matches accordingly:
- Do you primarily use LinkedIn to find jobs or hire candidates?
- Are you actively looking for jobs or passively open to opportunities?
- How often do you apply to jobs or engage with recruiters?
- Do you frequently post job openings and recruit on LinkedIn?
Job seeker activity gets matched to job ads, while employer activity matches to potential candidates.
Location
Geographic proximity is also considered:
- Where is the job located?
- Where do you live or want to work based on your profile and preferences?
- Does your background and experience align with local industry hubs?
- Do you have the ability or willingness to relocate for the job?
Nearby candidates tend to get higher match scores for location-specific jobs.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn uses a mix of factors related to skills, experience, connections, interests, location and platform activity to determine profile-job matching. Advanced AI algorithms analyze these elements in real-time to quantify your fit score and rank your candidacy against other applicants. The higher your score, the more likely you will get recommended a job and get noticed by recruiters. Keeping your LinkedIn presence active and aligned to your professional goals will ensure you surface in searches relevant to your aspirations.
Factor | Signals Used |
---|---|
Hard skills match | Keywords, qualifications, experience years, specific skills |
Soft skills match | Personality traits, phrasing, job types |
Connections at company | Number of connections, their roles |
Comparisons to others | Experience, education, connections |
Previous interactions | Engagement with company page and employees |
Application completeness | Cover letter, profile details, role descriptions |
Engagement | Login frequency, content interactions, preferences |
Job seeker vs employer activity | Applying to jobs vs posting jobs |
Location | Job location, your location, relocation willingness |
Key Takeaways
- Hard skills like keywords, qualifications and experience are a top factor
- Soft skills fit like personality traits and work styles also contribute
- More connections at the company improve your relevance
- Higher engagement on LinkedIn enhances your visibility
- Location proximity and willingness to relocate matter
Keeping your LinkedIn profile robust, active and geared towards your career goals will help surface the best job matches for you.