Quick Answer
Yes, it does cost money to advertise jobs on LinkedIn. LinkedIn offers several paid job advertising options, including LinkedIn Job Slots, LinkedIn Recruiter, and LinkedIn Talent Solutions. The cost for these paid job ads varies based on factors like duration of the ad, number of applications, and targeting options. However, posting a basic job on LinkedIn without advanced targeting or application management does not cost anything.
Cost for LinkedIn Job Slots
LinkedIn Job Slots allow you to advertise an individual job post. Here are the costs associated with LinkedIn Job Slots:
– Duration: You can run a Job Slot ad for 30, 60, or 90 days. The longer the duration, the higher the cost.
– Targeting: You can target your Job Slot ad by location, industry, job function, seniority level, company size, and more. More advanced targeting options cost more.
– Applications: Job Slot ads are priced per application received, typically between $1.50 – $4.00 per application. If you expect more applicants, the overall cost will be higher.
– Premium branding: For an additional fee, you can upgrade your Job Slot to a Premium ad which receives more visibility and prominence.
For a single Job Slot ad without premium branding, costs typically range from $195 for 30 days up to $995 for 90 days depending on duration, targeting, and expected applications.
Cost for LinkedIn Recruiter
LinkedIn Recruiter is a talent sourcing tool that allows you to post jobs, search LinkedIn profiles, manage candidates, and more. Here are the costs for LinkedIn Recruiter:
– Monthly subscription fee: Plans start at $99.95 per month for a single user license. Enterprise team and corporate plans are also available.
– Per-seat pricing: Recruiter pricing is on a per-seat basis, so costs increase as more recruiters are added to the account.
– Job posts and InMail credits: Your monthly Recruiter fee includes a number of job posts and InMail messages to reach out to candidates. Higher plans include more job posts and InMails.
– Add-on modules: You can add modules like pipeline tracking, interview scheduling, and talent pool management for an extra cost per user per month.
For a single user, expect to pay around $100 – $300 per month. Larger teams and enterprise accounts will have higher monthly costs.
Cost for LinkedIn Talent Solutions
LinkedIn Talent Solutions offers expanded tools and services beyond self-serve job advertising. Talent Solutions can fully manage your job postings, candidate sourcing, employer branding campaigns and more. Pricing options include:
– Managed job posting service: Talent Solutions will post and optimize job ads on your behalf, typically starting around $600 per month.
– Pay-per-click model: For larger job advertising needs, Talent Solutions offers pay-per-click pricing starting at $2.50 per click.
– Active recruiting: Get access to LinkedIn’s database of over 630 million professionals for targeted outreach. Minimum fees start at $5,000 per month.
– Employer branding: Work with Talent Solutions strategists to showcase employer brand across LinkedIn. Packages start at $10,000 per month.
As you can see, Talent Solutions offers extensive options with pricing to match. For full-scale recruiting and talent marketing, expect fees of $10,000+ per month.
Free Options on LinkedIn
While paid job ads on LinkedIn provide increased reach and applications, there are also free options:
– Basic job posting: You can post an individual job to your Company Page for free. This will only reach followers of your page.
– School pages: Posting jobs on University Pages is free. This can help source student and alumni candidates.
– Employee sharing: Encourage employees to share job posts with their network. This leverages organic reach.
– Content marketing: Share job openings and career content organically on LinkedIn to build employer brand.
– Groups: Engage in niche LinkedIn Groups to promote open positions to relevant members.
– Profile badges: Add an “Open to Work” profile badge to attract passive candidates.
So while paid ads are ideal for maximizing exposure, free options exist to promote jobs and engage candidates, especially for smaller budgets.
Factors that Influence Cost
Several factors influence the cost of advertising a job on LinkedIn, including:
Number of Positions
Advertising multiple openings together in a single ad campaign costs less per job than individual Job Slots. Bundling job ads saves money.
Audience Targeting
Targeting a narrow, specialized audience costs more than broadly targeting all LinkedIn members. The more precise the targeting, the higher the rate.
Job Type
Highly competitive roles in industries like technology and finance tend to command higher advertising rates due to demand.
Duration
Longer-running job ad campaigns often provide discounted rates compared to short-term ads.
Geographic Scope
Targeting candidates across multiple countries usually costs more than advertising in a single location. Global reach comes at a premium.
Branding
Premium branded Job Slots and employer branding services add significant cost but offer greater visibility and impact.
Engagement
The more candidate engagement an ad receives, the more LinkedIn charges on a cost-per-click or cost-per-application basis.
Integrations & Services
Bundled packages like Recruiter that integrate with ATS systems or managed services through Talent Solutions cost more but provide enhanced capabilities and support.
Conclusion
In summary, here are the key points:
– LinkedIn offers paid self-serve job ads and professional recruiting services. Costs vary from $100s to $10,000s+ per month.
– Individual Job Slots allow targeted job posts starting around $200 per month. Full-service Talent Solutions packages exceed $10,000 per month.
– Many factors impact cost, including duration, audience targeting, number of jobs, branding, and geographic scope.
– Free options like basic job posts, employee shares, and content marketing are available for tighter budgets.
While LinkedIn job ads require a investment, the reach offered makes paying for visibility worthwhile for most recruiting budgets. By considering audience, goals, and features, you can optimize LinkedIn job advertising costs for your organization.