When you post a job on LinkedIn, your network and how you configure the job post determines who can see it. Here’s a quick rundown of who can view your job posts on LinkedIn:
Your Connections
By default, when you post a job on LinkedIn, it will be visible to all of your 1st degree connections in the LinkedIn network. That means anyone you are directly connected with can see the job post in their feeds or in LinkedIn Jobs search results.
2nd and 3rd Degree Connections
In addition to your 1st degree connections, your job post may also be viewable by 2nd and 3rd degree connections. These are people connected to your connections. You can control if 2nd and 3rd degree connections can see your job posts in the configuration settings when you create the job posting.
LinkedIn Members Outside Your Network
Depending on the configuration settings you choose, your job post may also become visible to the wider LinkedIn membership even if they are not directly connected to you. This helps your job get more exposure to relevant candidates beyond just your network.
Job Seekers Following Your Company
If job seekers follow your company page on LinkedIn, they will see job postings from your company in their feeds. So anyone following your company on LinkedIn will likely see your job posts.
LinkedIn Group Members
When you post a job, you can share it directly into relevant LinkedIn Groups. This allows group members to see the job posting, even if they are not in your network. Sharing into niche professional groups helps attract qualified candidates.
LinkedIn Premium Subscribers
LinkedIn Premium subscribers can see expanded search results beyond their own network. Your job posting may appear for premium subscribers who search for relevant roles, even if they are not connected to you. This further promotes exposure.
Job Seekers Who Search LinkedIn Jobs
Anyone searching LinkedIn’s job board can come across your job posting in the search results if it matches their query. So job seekers outside your network may still find your job post if it is relevant to what they are looking for.
How Visibility Settings Affect Who Can See Your Job Post
When you create a job post on LinkedIn, you can configure the visibility settings to control how widely viewable your job is. There are 3 main options:
A) Visible to no one
The job post will only be visible to you and your team. You can use this to draft the job specification before making it public.
B) Visible only to your 1st degree network
This limits visibility just to your direct connections only.
C) Visible to wider LinkedIn membership
This makes your job post visible to the entire LinkedIn community beyond just your own network. It gives the post the maximum possible exposure.
Here is a comparison of who can see your job post with each setting:
| Visibility Setting | Your 1st Connections | Your 2nd & 3rd Connections | Wider LinkedIn Membership |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visible to no one | No | No | No |
| Visible only to your 1st degree network | Yes | No | No |
| Visible to wider LinkedIn membership | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Making Your Post More Visible
In addition to the visibility settings, there are some other things you can do to make your job post more discoverable on LinkedIn:
- Include relevant keywords that job seekers may search for.
- Post consistently. LinkedIn’s algorithm surfaces frequently updated posts.
- Share the post into relevant LinkedIn groups and with your network.
- Boost the post using LinkedIn’s advertising options to reach more candidates.
- List an accurate job title that fits with the actual role.
Conclusion
In summary, when posting a job on LinkedIn, it will at minimum be viewable by your 1st degree connections. But depending on the visibility settings and how you share and promote the post, it can become visible to a much wider audience, including 2nd and 3rd degree connections, group members, premium subscribers, and general LinkedIn members who find it in search results or their feeds.
Configuring your job post for the maximum possible visibility gives it the best chance of being seen by relevant, qualified candidates. But you can also narrow the visibility to only your direct network if your priority is a more selective reach.
LinkedIn provides robust configuration options to control exactly who can view and apply for your posted jobs. Carefully setting the visibility parameters can help attract the right applicants and give your job postings the proper exposure among LinkedIn’s 740+ million members.
