When searching for jobs on LinkedIn, you may want to exclude certain companies from your results for various reasons. Luckily, LinkedIn provides a way to filter companies out of your job search. Here are some tips on how to exclude a company when searching for jobs on LinkedIn.
Use the Company Filter
The easiest way to exclude a company is to use the company filter on the LinkedIn jobs page. Here are the steps:
- Go to the LinkedIn jobs homepage by clicking on “Jobs” in the top menu bar.
- Enter your desired keywords into the search bar, like “marketing manager.”
- Before hitting search, click on the “Companies” filter below the search bar.
- Start typing the name of the company you want to exclude.
- Select that company from the dropdown menu.
- On the right side, check the box next to “Exclude:” for that company.
- Hit “Apply” and then “Search” to show results without jobs from that excluded company.
This filter allows you to remove up to 20 specified companies from your search results. It’s the easiest way to exclude companies when browsing job listings.
Use Boolean Search Syntax
Another way to exclude a company is by using Boolean search syntax in your keyword search. Boolean operators allow you to refine searches and filter results.
To exclude a company, use a minus sign directly before the company name like this:
“marketing manager -CompanyName”
This will show marketing manager jobs minus any jobs at the specified company. Just make sure there is no space between the minus sign and company name.
You can string together multiple exclusions like this:
“marketing manager -CompanyName -CompanyName2”
This boolean syntax works for job titles, skills, locations, and any other keywords. The more exclusions you add, the more refined your search will be.
Filter by Location
If the company you want to exclude jobs from is primarily located in certain cities or states, you can filter your location to exclude those places.
For example, if you want to avoid jobs at CompanyName headquartered in Texas, you could apply these location filters:
- United States (exclude Texas)
- Remote
Or to avoid companies concentrated in certain cities like San Francisco and New York, filter by metro area or proximity distance from those cities.
Location filters like these will help remove job listings from specific companies dominate in those areas.
Follow Company Pages
Ironically, one way to potentially see fewer jobs from a particular company is to follow their LinkedIn Company page.
When you follow a company, LinkedIn will sometimes show you jobs from that company at the top of your search results. So it may be harder to miss them.
If you’re trying to avoid jobs from that company, unfollowing them may remove some of that bias in your search results.
Browse by Company Name
Here is another counterintuitive tactic – go directly to the company’s LinkedIn jobs page that you want to exclude.
Browse open positions on their page, take note of job titles and locations. This gives you an idea of what roles and areas that company tends to hire for.
You can then avoid those types of jobs and locations in your own searches to reduce the chance of seeing that company in your results.
Leverage Saved Searches
Saved searches on LinkedIn will rerun automatically and show you new job listings that match your specified criteria.
Create a saved search using some of the techniques above to exclude a company – like boolean syntax or location filters.
This saved search will continue finding relevant new jobs over time, without results from the excluded company.
Follow Companies You Want to See
Rather than trying to hide certain companies, you can take the opposite approach – actively follow companies you do want to see jobs from.
Follow company pages, set up job alerts, and engage with their content. Then LinkedIn’s algorithm may prioritize showing jobs from those companies in your feed and searches.
Focus on staying on top of postings from your favored companies, rather than trying to avoid specific ones.
Use Recruiter Features
If you have a Recruiter account, you get more advanced search functionality for finding candidates. You can also filter out companies in your Recruiter job searches.
To exclude a company in Recruiter:
- Click the “Filters” dropdown
- Check the box for “Current Company”
- Select the company or companies you want to exclude
This will let you easily search for qualified candidates, except those currently employed by your excluded companies.
Try Third-Party Chrome Extensions
There are Chrome browser extensions that enhance LinkedIn’s default search capabilities, like letting you exclude multiple companies.
Some popular options include:
- LinkedIn Job Search Cleaner
- LinkedHelper
- Hunter for LinkedIn
These tools add more customizable filters so you can precisely tailor your job search on LinkedIn.
Contact LinkedIn Support
If you need to completely block jobs from a particular company appearing in your search results, you can contact LinkedIn Customer Service.
Explain your situation and request they permanently filter out listings from that company from any of your job searches.
Since this would apply account-wide, it’s best reserved for extreme cases. But LinkedIn support may be able to handle your request.
Why Exclude a Company?
Here are some common reasons you may want to exclude specific companies from your LinkedIn job search results:
- You previously worked there and don’t want to repeat
- You applied recently and were rejected
- You don’t agree with their values or business practices
- You don’t have the skills or experience they typically look for
- You live far away from their main office locations
- You’ve heard negative reviews of their work culture
Essentially any reason that makes jobs from a particular company irrelevant or unappealing to you. The techniques above help avoid wasted time looking at postings you already know you aren’t interested in.
Pros of Excluding Companies
Excluding specific companies from your LinkedIn job search offers these benefits:
- See more relevant job matches
- Avoid positions you’re unlikely to qualify for
- Prevent discouragement from repeatedly being rejected
- Focus your time only on companies you’re interested in
Overall, excluding companies helps improve your job search efficiency. You spend time only reviewing postings you want to apply to.
Cons of Excluding Companies
There are some downsides to consider before excluding companies from your searches:
- You could miss a great job opening if you exclude too broadly
- Exclusions can foster closed-mindedness about certain employers
- It prevents you from seeing if a company’s postings align with your skills
- You may not be aware of new open roles if you exclude frequently
Being too aggressive with exclusions means you might miss potential job opportunities. Use exclusions judiciously to avoid closing yourself off too much.
Conclusion
Excluding specific companies from your LinkedIn job search is absolutely possible using built-in filters, Boolean search syntax, location settings, and other tricks.
Be selective about which employers you exclude and when. Broad exclusions can do more harm than good if you filter out promising openings.
Target your exclusions only for companies you’re certain are wrong fits or past prospects. With the right approach, excluding companies can improve your job search productivity and results.
