LinkedIn: How to Build Your Profile and Find Jobs

LinkedIn is a free professional network where you can build a profile, search for jobs, receive alerts, and talk to recruiters. A complete profile, with a photo, a clear headline, a summary, and experience, tends to make it easier for you to be found, but it does not guarantee you will be hired.

How to build a complete profile

• Photo and cover image: a sharp headshot with a plain background. Having a profile photo is your choice; the law does not require you to show one.
• Professional headline: instead of just "Unemployed," say what you do or are looking for, such as "Administrative assistant | Financial routines and customer service."
• About: three to five lines with your field, your main results, and the type of opportunity you are looking for.
• Experience: job title, company, period, and deliverables, with the same information as your résumé.
• Education and courses: include courses, certificates, and volunteer work.
• Skills: list the skills you really have, using terms that appear in job postings.

Keep the details the same as on your résumé. Inconsistencies between your profile and your résumé can raise questions during selection. See Résumé: how to write one, what to include, and what to avoid.

How to search for jobs

1. Use the job search and filter by job title, city, work arrangement (on-site, hybrid, or remote), and experience level.
2. Turn on alerts for the job titles you are looking for, to receive new openings.
3. Read the whole description and adjust your profile and résumé to the words in the posting.
4. Apply through the platform or the company's website, as indicated in the posting.
5. When possible, write to the recruiter or someone on the team, briefly and politely.

Build your network

Connect with colleagues, teachers, former bosses, and professionals in your field. When you send an invitation, write a sentence explaining why. Take part in useful ways: comment on posts, share what you learn, and follow the companies you are interested in. Some opportunities come through referrals, which makes your network relevant.

Privacy and security precautions

• Do not post your CPF (taxpayer ID), RG (ID card), full address, or documents on your profile.
• Be wary of jobs that ask for payment, a deposit, or bank details to "release" the hiring. See Job scams: warning signs and how to protect yourself.
• Confirm that the company exists and that the recruiter is actually linked to it.
• Do not speak ill of current or former employers on social media.

Your rights

Lei 9.029/1995 (Law 9,029/1995), art. 1, prohibits discriminatory practices in access to employment on grounds of sex, origin, race, color, marital status, disability, age, among others. This also applies to selection processes that begin on social media. If you suffer discrimination, keep screenshots and see how to report it to the Ministry of Labor or the MPT.

Use Sine too

LinkedIn does not replace public services. The Portal Emprega Brasil and the Carteira de Trabalho Digital (Digital Work Card) app offer free registration and job openings, with your gov.br account. See the guide to Sine (Sistema Nacional de Emprego, National Employment System).

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay to use LinkedIn to look for a job?

Registration and job searching can be done without paying. The platform also offers optional paid plans, which you do not need to subscribe to in order to apply.

Should I announce on LinkedIn that I am looking for a job?

It is a personal choice. If you are still employed, consider being discreet, since your current company may see signs that you are searching.

Does the profile replace the résumé?

No. Many companies still ask for a résumé. Use the profile as a complement and keep the two consistent.

Read also

• How to get a job in 2026: step by step
• Job scams: warning signs and how to protect yourself
• SINE and free job listings: how to register and look for work