How to Be the Top Candidate When Applying on LinkedIn

When you apply for a job through LinkedIn, your profile gets ranked alongside other candidates within the LinkedIn Recruiter portal.

Recruiters use this portal to manually filter and sort applicants based on specific criteria relevant to the job. LinkedIn’s system also applies its own ranking logic based on factors that the recruiter doesn't necessarily care about.

Since recruiters rarely review every profile, optimizing yours to align with LinkedIn Recruiter’s algorithm can dramatically increase your chances of standing out when applying for a job on LinkedIn.

Here’s my step-by-step guide to help you optimize your profile, rank higher, and boost your visibility with recruiters.

1. Complete Every Section of Your Profile

What You Need to Do:

• Fill out every section of your LinkedIn profile, especially your Headline, Photo, About section, the Description for each of your past jobs, Education, Licenses & Certifications, and Skills.
• Make these sections keyword-rich by using terms and phrases that are often included in your target job descriptions.

Why This Helps:

LinkedIn’s platform favors complete profiles by ranking them higher in search results. The more data points you provide, the easier it is for the system to match your profile with job postings.

A significant portion of LinkedIn’s revenue comes from Recruiter and Sales Navigator licenses, which depend on having comprehensive data for every user. While LinkedIn’s constant reminders to complete your profile serve their own interests, they're happy to reciprocate: the more complete your profile, the higher they'll rank you in search results.

2. Aim for 100 Relevant Skills

What You Need to Do:

• Earlier this year, LinkedIn increased the limit on profile Skills from 50 to 100.
• When adding skills, always use the auto-complete feature to select Skills already in LinkedIn's database.
• Don’t bother manually adding unique or niche skills that aren’t auto-completed, as these won’t appear in the recruiter search interface.

Why This Helps:

Recruiters filter candidates by specific Skills, and only the ones in LinkedIn’s database are selectable in the LinkedIn Recruiter portal.

Even if some skills seem redundant, they increase your visibility for relevant jobs. "Customer Service," "Client Relations," "Customer Support," "Client Service," and "Customer Care" are all effectively the same core skill, but you don't know which ones will be associated with the job listing or what terms the recruiter will select.

You don't need to add 100 unique Skills, but you'll probably get close to the limit when you include all the redundant ones.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to add the one skill most closely associated with your job title! "Project Management," "Software Engineering," "Management," "Data Analysis," etc.

3. Attach Skills to Each Past Role

What You Need to Do:

• Edit each of your past roles, then select each Skill that was relevant to that job.
• Alternatively, edit each of your Skills, then select each role where you used that skill.

Why This Helps:

Recruiters don’t just search for Skills -- they also filter candidates by requiring a minimum number of years they've had that experience. Associating a Skill with multiple roles increases your cumulative years of experience in that area, making it easier to meet search filters that require experience length.

For example, a recruiter may filter applicants by specifying "At least 5 years of experience in the skill of Project Management." Even if you've held a Project Management title for the last 10 years, you'll only be included in these results if you've attached the Project Management skill to each of those roles.

4. Lead Your Headline with the Role You’re Applying For

What You Need to Do:

• Rewrite your Headline to focus on the job title or role you’re targeting, not your old position.
• Incorporate keywords and skills related to the job you’re applying for.
• Example: Instead of opening with "Former Data Analyst," try "Product Manager | Data-Driven Problem Solver | Market Research | Competitive Analysis"

Why This Helps:

Recruiters often skim Headlines in search results. A headline aligned with the role you want makes your profile more likely to match their search terms. This small adjustment helps your profile appear relevant and encourages recruiters to click through to read more about you.

In most places where there's a list of multiple users, the first few words of your Headline are the only useful information that's visible. So, make sure that's enough to make the recruiter think, "You are exactly who I'm looking for."

Try searching LinkedIn to see for yourself what data is visible to people who are trying to find (and hire) you: Search for People

5. Double Check Your Profile Visibility

What You Need to Do:

• Go to your profile settings and make your profile visible to everyone (if you're OK with that).
• Use the "View Public Profile" feature to see and change your current settings.
• Confirm your settings for Profile Viewing Options, Connections Visibility, Activity Broadcasts, Profile Editing Notifications, Who Can See Your Email Address/Phone Number, and Profile Visibility Off LinkedIn

Why This Helps:

While recruiters with a LinkedIn Recruiter license can always see your profile, other hiring stakeholders may not be able to, depending on your privacy settings and how connected you are. Updating your profile visibility allows your future manager and anyone involved in the hiring process to access your profile easily, improving your odds of moving forward.

6. Use the Open-to-Work Banner

What You Need to Do:

• Activate the Open-to-Work banner and select your target role(s).
• If you’re currently employed, limit the visibility to recruiters only.

Why This Helps:

Recruiters are able to filter candidates by those who are actively seeking new roles. Without the Open-to-Work banner, your profile may not show up in searches focused on active job seekers. Toggling the banner off and on every few weeks can also refresh your visibility in recruiter searches.

Some folks out there believe the green banner can make you look "desperate," but I doubt there are many recruiters out there who feel that way. You probably know a few recruiters. Have you noticed that they always turn on the banner when they're looking for a new role? That tells me everything I need to know.

If you're worried about tipping off your current employer to the fact that you're looking for a new job, check out my recent post on Stealthy Job Search Strategies.

7. Engage Weekly to Be Considered an "Active" Candidate

What You Need to Do:

• Make at least one small change to your profile every week or so -- update your headline, add a skill, tweak your summary, or toggle your Open to Work badge.
• You need to do more than simply log in to be considered "active", but you do not need to post, comment, or like. (That being said, your engagement is always appreciated! 🥰)

Why This Helps:

Recruiters can filter their search results based on LinkedIn's definition of being an "active" candidate. Not every recruiter uses this filter. But, if the recruiter is searching for candidates to reach out to regarding a specific role, this filter helps them avoid wasting time on candidates who aren't even checking LinkedIn and, therefore, won't get their message.

Simply logging in doesn’t classify you as "active", so you need to interact with the platform in a more meaningful way. Consistent engagement signals that you’re currently seeking opportunities, making you more visible to recruiters searching for active candidates.

You do not need to create content! Simply editing your profile every so often should be more than enough.

8. Connect with One Employee at Each Target Company

What You Need to Do:

• Send connection requests to at least one employee from each company you’re applying to.
• You don’t need to connect with the recruiter or hiring manager -- any employee will do.
• Consider seeking an introduction from someone you know.

Why This Helps:

This is the closest thing to a "hack" you'll find when it comes to getting noticed on LinkedIn.

While I strongly encourage making genuine connections when it comes to networking for a job search, that is not the subject of this article.

LinkedIn ranks job applicants higher if they have at least one 1st-degree connection at the company.

You've probably noticed that your own LinkedIn search results are roughly sorted in order of connectedness, where your 1st-degree connections are listed at the top, above the people you don't actually know. In LinkedIn Recruiter, candidates are ranked according to their connectedness to employees of that company, not just the individual recruiter who is conducting the search.

If you're connected to at least one person at the company you're applying to (even if they aren't involved in the hiring process), your profile may appear above other applicants who aren't connected to anyone who works for that company.

If you're struggling to "get noticed" when applying for roles on LinkedIn, these tips are designed to help you rise to the top of the list of applicants.

Simply applying to jobs online is still one of the least effective ways to conduct your job search, but by optimizing your LinkedIn profile, you can significantly improve your visibility and appeal to recruiters.

If you're looking to further enhance your job search strategy or take the next big step in your career, subscribe to this Career Thinking newsletter. You'll receive valuable insights and wisdom delivered straight to your inbox (and LinkedIn feed) every two weeks.