# How to apply for jobs on LinkedIn and get noticed

> How to find the right LinkedIn jobs, get your profile ready, use Easy Apply well and follow up, so your application stands out from hundreds of others.

Published 2026-10-27 by Litjob. Web version: https://getlitjob.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-jobs-on-linkedin

LinkedIn makes applying easy, and that's the problem. A popular role can collect hundreds of applications within days, many sent with one click and the same CV (or résumé) every time. Whether you're applying from Lagos, London, Bengaluru or Toronto, the people who get replies do a few things differently: they pick their jobs carefully, apply early, tailor what they send, and give the recruiter a reason to look twice.

Here's how to do that, step by step.

## How do you apply for a job on LinkedIn?

**Open the job, check whether it says "Easy Apply" or "Apply", and follow that route.** Easy Apply lets you send your profile details and CV without leaving LinkedIn. "Apply" sends you to the company's own careers site, where you fill in its form instead.

| | Easy Apply | Apply (company site) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where you apply | Inside LinkedIn | The employer's careers site (often Workday, Greenhouse, Lever or similar) |
| What you send | Contact details, a CV, answers to the employer's questions | Whatever the company's form asks for, sometimes an account first |
| Effort | A few minutes | 10–30 minutes |
| Competition | Usually more applicants, because it's quick | Often fewer, because it takes longer |

Neither route is better. A carefully tailored Easy Apply application beats a rushed one on a company site, and the reverse is also true.

## Step 1: Get your profile ready before you apply

**Your LinkedIn profile is part of every application, so fix it first.** Recruiters often click from your application to your profile, and many find candidates by searching profiles directly. Make sure these parts are done:

- **Headline.** Say what you do and for whom, not just "Seeking opportunities". *"Data analyst · SQL, Power BI · Retail and e-commerce"* tells a recruiter more in one line.
- **About.** Three or four short paragraphs: what you're good at, one or two results with numbers, and the kind of role you want next.
- **Experience.** Use the job titles and skills that appear in the jobs you want. If roles you want say "stakeholder management", don't only say "working with teams".
- **Skills.** Add the skills recruiters search for in your field, and put the most important ones first.
- **Location.** Set the city you live in or want to work in. Recruiters filter by location, including for remote roles that hire only in certain countries.
- **Open to Work.** Turn it on and choose job titles and locations. You can show it to everyone or only to recruiters; if you're job hunting while employed, choose recruiters only.

Your profile and your CV should tell the same story. Mismatched dates or job titles are an easy reason for a recruiter to move on.

## Step 2: Find jobs worth your time

**Use LinkedIn's filters to see fewer, better jobs instead of scrolling hundreds.** On the Jobs page, search for a job title, then narrow the results:

1. **Date posted.** Choose "Past 24 hours" or "Past week". Applying in the first few days matters, because recruiters often start reviewing as soon as applications arrive.
2. **Experience level.** Match it honestly. Applying for director roles with two years' experience wastes your effort.
3. **Remote, hybrid or on-site.** For remote roles, read the post for where the company can hire. "Remote" often means remote within one country or time zone.
4. **Easy Apply.** Useful when you're short on time, but don't filter it on permanently: some of the best roles only take applications on the company site.

Once a search works, turn on a **job alert** for it so new matching jobs come to you. Save jobs you want to come back to with the **Save** button, so they stay together under My jobs.

Then read each job before you apply. A quick check that you meet most of the must-have requirements saves you from applications that were never going to work. You don't need to meet every line; you do need to meet the ones the post says are required.

## Step 3: Tailor your CV for each job

**Send a CV that matches this job, not the same file to everyone.** Tailoring doesn't mean rewriting your career. It means putting the most relevant experience first, using the job's own words for skills you really have, and dropping details that don't help.

The quickest way to start is to list the skills and keywords in the job description, then check which ones your CV already shows. Our free [job description keyword extractor](https://getlitjob.com/job-description-keywords) pulls them out of a pasted description, and the [CV keyword checker](https://getlitjob.com/cv-keyword-checker) shows which are missing from your CV. For the full method, with a before-and-after example, read [how to tailor your CV for a job](https://getlitjob.com/blog/how-to-tailor-your-cv-for-a-job).

Two LinkedIn-specific tips:

- **LinkedIn remembers the last CV you uploaded.** On the Easy Apply form, check that the attached file is the one for this job, not the one from your last application.
- **Name the file clearly**, such as `Tolu-Adeyemi-CV-Data-Analyst.pdf`. Recruiters see the file name, and "CV final (3).pdf" doesn't help you.

If the job sends you to a company site, its form will probably read your CV automatically, so keep the layout simple. Our guide on [formatting a CV that applicant tracking systems can read](https://getlitjob.com/blog/ats-friendly-cv-format) explains what to avoid.

## Step 4: Answer the screening questions carefully

**Treat the employer's questions as the most important part of the application.** Easy Apply forms often ask things like years of experience with a skill, whether you need visa sponsorship, your notice period or expected salary. Recruiters frequently filter on these answers before they open a single CV.

- **Answer honestly.** If you have two years' experience with SQL, say two. Inflated answers fall apart at the first interview.
- **Read questions about work authorisation slowly.** "Are you legally authorised to work in the UK?" and "Will you need sponsorship now or in the future?" are different questions.
- **Write real answers to open questions.** If a form asks why you want the role, two or three specific sentences beat a generic paragraph. Our guide to [answering "Why do you want to work here?"](https://getlitjob.com/blog/why-do-you-want-to-work-here) has examples.
- **Add a cover letter when there's space for one** and the role matters to you. Keep it short and specific; see these [cover letter examples](https://getlitjob.com/blog/cover-letter-examples).

Before you click Submit, review the whole application on the final screen. You can't edit it after sending.

## Step 5: Reach out to a real person

**A short, polite message to the person hiring can get your application read.** Some LinkedIn job posts show who posted the job or a "Meet the hiring team" section. If they do, you can send that person a connection request with a note after you apply.

Keep it brief and specific:

```
Hi Sade, I've just applied for the Data Analyst role at Lumen Pay.
I've spent three years building sales dashboards in Power BI for a
retail group, and your team's work on merchant analytics is exactly
what I want to do next. Happy to share more if helpful. Thanks!
— Tolu
```

What works:

- **Mention the exact role** and that you've already applied.
- **Give one relevant fact** about your experience, ideally with a number.
- **Ask for nothing big.** No "please forward my CV" or "can we jump on a call?" in the first message.

What doesn't: messaging everyone at the company, sending the same note to dozens of people, or following up every day. One message to the right person is enough.

## Step 6: Follow up once, then keep going

**If you hear nothing after one to two weeks, one polite follow-up is fine; after that, move on.** LinkedIn shows the status of Easy Apply applications under My jobs, including when the employer has viewed yours, but many employers never update it. Silence usually means a busy recruiter or a filled role, not a verdict on you.

A follow-up can be a single line to the person you contacted: *"Hi Sade, just checking whether there's an update on the Data Analyst role. I'm still very interested."*

Keep a simple record of where you applied, when, which CV you sent and who you contacted. It stops you applying twice, helps you follow up on time, and shows you which kinds of roles reply.

## Common mistakes on LinkedIn

- **Mass-applying with one click.** Fifty generic applications usually get fewer replies than ten tailored ones, and they burn your time and energy.
- **Applying weeks late.** Check the date posted. A job from a month ago may already be in interviews.
- **Leaving your profile half-finished.** A blank About section or a missing photo makes the recruiter's click to your profile count against you.
- **Ignoring the questions.** A wrong "yes" or "no" on a required question can remove you automatically.
- **Falling for fake jobs.** Real employers don't charge you to apply, ask for bank details before an offer, or move interviews to chat apps with strangers. Check the company's own website if anything feels off.

## Apply on LinkedIn faster with Litjob

Tailoring a CV and answering questions for every job is what makes applications work, and it's also what takes the time. The [Litjob Chrome extension for LinkedIn](https://getlitjob.com/chrome-extension/linkedin) works in your own signed-in browser:

1. Open a job on LinkedIn and Litjob saves it to your tracker, with a match score so you can decide whether it's worth applying.
2. Litjob tailors your CV and cover letter for that job from your real experience, and drafts answers to common screening questions.
3. On the Easy Apply form, choose "Autofill the apply form", check every step, edit anything you like, and click Submit yourself.

Litjob never asks for your LinkedIn password, doesn't send messages or apply in bulk, and never submits an application without you. If you'd rather start from a pasted job description, you can also [tailor your CV to any job description](https://getlitjob.com/tailor-cv-to-job-description) in the web app.