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Shivang Bhardwaj
Shivang Bhardwaj

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Introduction to LinkedIn Jobs API

What you can use LinkedIn Jobs API for

LinkedIn jobs API is used to post jobs on LinkedIn on behalf of the hiring company and makes the process of posting jobs easier for the recruiters to hire employees that are fit for the role they are looking for.

Getting started

Other than building connections LinkedIn is used by people to find jobs related to their interesting roles and is a great place for recruiters to find their future employees but it becomes a tedious task when you have to post the same job first on the company's website and then on the LinkedIn with that big description of requirements and details about the job. That problem is understood very well by the LinkedIn developers and they designed the LinkedIn Jobs API.

API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of functions that allows applications to access data and interact with external software components.

Job posting ways

The Jobs API follows guidelines to make this procedure easy and authentic. It only allows authorized third parties to post the jobs on behalf of the companies.
There are two major ways in which you can post jobs on LinkedIn
1. Basic Jobs are job posts that are gathered by LinkedIn from ATS, distributers, job boards, etc., and can be posted on LinkedIn using Jobs API but they will only be visible on employers’ company page and the central Jobs search tab.
2. Promoted Jobs are the paid job posting targeted to passive candidates through job recommendations made across the platform by LinkedIn, including Jobs You Might be Interested In, emails, and the LinkedIn feed.

Both types of Jobs can be posted using Jobs API and if you have purchased job slots you can show any type of job live on the job boards at any given time.

API schema

The API schema has various attributes required for posting jobs on LinkedIn. It has various types like foundation Schema that represents the core schema that has to be implemented irrespective of integration type, then we have Promoted Jobs Extension Schema that includes additional attributes required or optional for jobs promotion, Recruiter System Connect Extension Schema that Includes additional attributes required or optional for Recruiter System Connect (RSC) and Apply Connect Extension Schema that includes additional attributes required or optional for Apply Connect.

It is surely divided into various types having many types of attributes but all of this serves one purpose which is to enrich the quality of the application of the job that is going over LinkedIn and to find the perfect candidate who is suitable for the role the LinkedIn algorithm needs data which is provided by the recruiter through these fields.
Some fields like foundation Schema are mandatory and need to be present and others fields add extra value to optimize the application to a narrow group of candidates.

Limitations of LinkedIn Jobs API

There is always room for improvement and so does LinkedIn jobs API. One of the biggest limitations of this API is that when you register as a developer to get access to API LinkedIn gives you a limit of 100,000 API calls per day but if you run various scripts you will eventually get stopped after 300 calls with an error that says the throttle limit exceeds.
Now, what are these Throttles?
API throttling is the process of limiting the number of API requests a user can make in a certain period. To prevent abuse and ensure service stability, all API requests are rate limited. Rate limits specify the maximum number of API calls that can be made in a 24-hour period. These limits reset at midnight UTC every day.
There are three types of throttles applied to all API keys:
Application throttles: These throttles limit the number of each API call your application can make using its API key.
User throttles: These throttles limit the number of calls for any individual user of your application.
Developer throttles: For people listed as developers on their API keys, they will see user throttles that are approximately four times higher than the user throttles for most calls. But your users will experience the User throttle limits, which are lower.
These rate limits can be extended or the throttling limits can be increased to give developers more space to explore and build things for the user.

How to get access to LinkedIn Jobs API

To get access to the LinkedIn API, first, you have to register yourself on the LinkedIn developer Portal involves creating an account and verifying your identity as an authentic developer. It is recommended to go through once the terms and conditions of using LinkedIn API as any violation can lead to termination of severe outcomes. Then after this, you have to create a project which will give you various kinds of options of choosing over different types of APIs available to you. Choose the API you want to work with and start working.

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