Indeed vs. LinkedIn: How to Post a Job for Free and Get the Best Talent
Finding the right candidate is a challenge for any business, especially when you are working with a tight recruitment budget. You want high-quality applications without the high-ticket price tag of premium job boards. If you are looking for the most effective way to hire staff, you have likely narrowed your choices down to the two industry titans: Indeed and LinkedIn.
The big question for hiring managers and small business owners is simple: Where can you actually post a job for free, and which platform delivers the best return on investment?
Both platforms offer "freemium" models, but their definitions of "free" and the visibility they provide differ significantly. Understanding these nuances is the key to maximizing your reach and minimizing your cost-per-hire.
The Real Cost of "Free" on Indeed
Indeed is often the first stop for employers because of its massive volume. As a job aggregator, it acts like a search engine for employment, pulling in millions of active job seekers every day.
How Free Posting Works on Indeed
On Indeed, you can post most jobs for free. These are known as organic listings. When you post a job for free, it appears in general search results when a candidate types in a relevant job title or location.
However, there is a catch. Indeed is a "volume machine." Because thousands of new jobs are added every hour, free listings naturally lose visibility over time. As newer jobs are posted, your free ad is pushed further down the search results page.
When to Use Indeed’s Free Option:
High-Volume Hiring: If you are looking for entry-level workers, retail staff, or hospitality employees, the sheer volume of traffic on Indeed can yield a high number of resumes quickly.
Local Roles: For positions where the candidate needs to be in a specific zip code, Indeed’s local search optimization is excellent.
Budget Constraints: If you have zero dollars to spend, Indeed allows you to manage the entire hiring process—from screening to scheduling interviews—using their internal dashboard for free.
LinkedIn: The Power of the Professional Network
LinkedIn operates on a completely different logic. While Indeed is a transactional job board, LinkedIn is a professional social network with over a billion members. This makes it the go-to platform for "passive candidates"—people who aren't actively looking for a job but might move for the right opportunity.
The "One Free Job" Rule
LinkedIn’s free posting policy is more restrictive than Indeed’s. Generally, LinkedIn allows companies to have one active free job posting at a time.
If you want to post a second opening for free, you usually have to close the first one. Free posts on LinkedIn appear in the "Jobs" tab and may be shown to candidates whose profiles match your requirements. However, like Indeed, these posts do not receive the "Promoted" tag and will not be pushed to the top of a candidate’s feed or sent via email alerts as aggressively as paid ads.
When to Use LinkedIn’s Free Option:
Professional and Tech Roles: If you are hiring for a software engineer, a marketing manager, or an executive, the quality of candidates on LinkedIn is typically higher.
Employer Branding: LinkedIn allows you to leverage your company page. When you post a job, your current employees can share it with their networks, providing "free" viral reach that Indeed cannot match.
Niche Expertise: For roles requiring specific certifications or a particular career trajectory, LinkedIn’s algorithm is better at matching skills than a keyword-based search engine.
Indeed vs. LinkedIn: A Direct Comparison for Employers
To help you decide where to spend your energy, here is a breakdown of how these two platforms stack up for free recruiting.
| Feature | Indeed (Free) | LinkedIn (Free) |
| Primary Audience | Active job seekers (All levels) | Professional & passive talent |
| Volume of Applicants | Very High | Moderate to High |
| Listing Limit | Multiple (with restrictions) | Usually 1 active post |
| Search Visibility | Drops quickly as new jobs arrive | Limited to network and search |
| Networking Tools | None | High (messaging and sharing) |
| Best For | Hourly, entry-level, or urgent needs | Specialized, white-collar, or remote roles |
Strategies to Maximize Visibility Without Paying
If you want to stick to the free versions of these sites, you need to optimize your listings to ensure they don't get buried. Here are the professional secrets to getting more eyes on your "zero-dollar" job ads.
1. Use Search-Optimized Job Titles
Avoid "creative" titles like "Sales Rockstar" or "Coding Ninja." Candidates don't search for those terms. Use standard industry titles like "Account Executive" or "Full Stack Developer" to ensure your post shows up in the right search queries.
2. Front-Load Your Keywords
The first 150 words of your job description are the most important for SEO. Include the job title, key software or skills (e.g., "Python," "Salesforce," "Project Management"), and the location clearly at the top.
3. Leverage Your Employee Network
On LinkedIn, a free post gains massive momentum if your current team members "Like" or "Share" the update. This pushes the job into their second-degree connections, effectively giving you free advertising to a pre-vetted pool of professionals.
4. Refresh and Re-evaluate
If your Indeed post has been up for 30 days and you haven't found a hire, don't just leave it. Close the post, refine the requirements based on the resumes you did receive, and consider if a slightly different title might attract a better pool of talent.
Which Platform Should You Choose?
The truth is, you don't have to choose just one. For most American businesses, the most effective strategy is a hybrid approach.
Post your high-turnover or entry-level roles on Indeed to capture the widest possible net of active searchers. Simultaneously, keep your most critical professional opening as your one free "Limited Listing" on LinkedIn to tap into the specialized talent pool.
By understanding the strengths of each platform, you can build a robust talent pipeline without spending a dime on advertising. The "free" options are powerful tools—as long as you know how to play by the rules of the platform's algorithm.