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LinkedIn Free Job Post Limit: Why Your Job Stopped Getting Applicants, and What Pakistani Employers Can Do
Amaan Farhan
6 min read
The short answer
Your free LinkedIn job post probably did not "stop working". It hit one of LinkedIn's free job post limits. A free job is shown less in search as it ages, is hidden from search once it reaches an applicant limit that LinkedIn says typically ranges from 10 to 30, and is paused after 14 days unless you pay to promote it (LinkedIn Help).
This guide is for HR teams, founders and hiring managers in Pakistan who post on LinkedIn for free, get a burst of applications on day one, then hear nothing. It covers the rules, what promoting costs, and other ways to keep applicants coming.
LinkedIn's free job post limits at a glance
From LinkedIn's help pages, checked on 28 October 2026. LinkedIn changes these rules, so check the linked pages before planning around them.
Rule | Free job post | Promoted job post |
|---|---|---|
How many open at once | One, plus a limited number in any 30-day period | Extra jobs can be posted as promoted |
Applicant limit | Hidden from search after the free limit, typically 10 to 30 applicants | Unlimited applicants |
How long it runs | Paused after 14 days; closes after 30 days if not promoted | Until you close it, the budget runs out, or 6 months |
Search visibility | Becomes less visible over time | Shown at the top of search, can carry a "Promoted" tag |
Reposting the same job | Same title and company within 7 days must be promoted | Can be reposted as promoted |
Screening questions | One free screening question | More questions available |
Sources: Differences between free and promoted jobs, Post a free job on LinkedIn, Free job reposting limitations, Job promotion and budget FAQ.
Why your free job post went quiet
You hit the applicant limit. After a certain number of applications, LinkedIn removes a free job from search, and people with a direct link may see it as closed until you promote it (LinkedIn Help). On a popular role, that can happen within a day.
It got older. Free posts "become less visible in search results over time" so newer jobs get seen.
It reached 14 days. The job is paused until you promote or close it.
You tried to repost it. Reposting the same title within 7 days is not free (LinkedIn Help).
In a thread on r/humanresources, one HR poster wrote that their jobs "stop showing up once ten people click apply", so they promote every job (r/humanresources). The limit counts applications, not good ones, so a few quick, unsuitable applicants can use it up.
A Pakistani example: three roles, one free slot
Say a 40-person distribution company in Karachi needs a Sales Executive, an Accounts Officer and a Warehouse Supervisor this month.
The HR manager posts the Sales role on LinkedIn for free on Monday. By Tuesday it has hit its applicant limit and dropped out of search. She cannot post the Accounts role for free while the first job is open, and reposting the Sales role within 7 days to get it back into search means paying.
Meanwhile, applications for the other roles arrive through WhatsApp, email and boards such as Rozee and Mustakbil, with no single list to compare them. The free post was not the problem. Relying on one free slot for three roles was.
What you can do: four options
Make the free post count. Put the must-haves, location and salary range in the post, and use your free screening question for the key requirement, such as "This role is on-site in Karachi. Can you work on this basis?" With 10 to 30 applications, every unsuitable one costs a slot.
Promote the one role where LinkedIn matters most. Senior and specialist roles are usually where paying makes most sense. Set a total budget (see below).
Post the same job in more than one place. Google Jobs, Indeed, Rozee and Mustakbil reach people who are not searching LinkedIn that week.
Bring every application back into one list. More channels means you need one place to screen. Our guide to shortlisting 200 CVs in an afternoon covers the screening side.
What promoting a LinkedIn job costs
LinkedIn does not publish a price list. You set a budget, and your "final cost will depend on the amount of demand for your job" (LinkedIn Help). What LinkedIn does say:
You pay per click, not per applicant. You are charged for clicks from candidates in the job's country (Promoted job posts). The cost per click changes daily with location, job title and competing jobs (Billing FAQ).
There is no fixed minimum. Minimum and maximum budgets depend on the role and your applicant forecast. You can go below LinkedIn's recommended budget, but may reach fewer applicants and lose AI-assisted features (Budget FAQ, Edit your budget).
LinkedIn's own example: a $10 daily budget for 30 days costs "$300 or less" (Hiring Pro pricing).
Only a total budget is a hard cap. With a daily average budget, LinkedIn will "adjust your daily budget to meet demand". A total budget pauses the job once spent (LinkedIn Help).
Your first promotion may be free. Some new posters get a free trial. Close the job before it ends, or you are charged at the recommended budget (Free trial).
What others report (not official prices):
Figure | Source |
|---|---|
$1.50 to $4.50 per click | We-Connect, a LinkedIn tools vendor, May 2025 |
$1 to $8 per applicant | We-Connect, "what we've seen" |
About $7 to $10 a day minimum, "depending on your location" | We-Connect |
$11 a day minimum, which rose to $156 a day "without warning" | One HR poster on r/humanresources |
That poster received an invoice of over $500 for 3.5 days and was advised to set a total maximum spend.
Pakistan: no published figure. We could not find a credible published cost for promoting a LinkedIn job in Pakistan. The rupee figures online are for LinkedIn ad campaigns, which are priced differently. LinkedIn accepts Pakistani rupees (Supported currencies), so your best number is the recommended budget LinkedIn shows for your role and city when you click Promote.
Whatever LinkedIn recommends, multiply the daily figure by the days you plan to run and set that as a total budget.
Where Taraki fits
We make Taraki, so weigh that when reading this section.
When you post a job on Taraki, it is published to your own company's LinkedIn page and appears in LinkedIn job search, so candidates searching LinkedIn can find it. The same post is distributed automatically to Google Jobs, Indeed and your careers page, for one flat monthly fee with no hidden fees. Silver includes 3 job posts a month and Gold has unlimited job posts. As of 29 October 2026, Silver is PKR 10,000 a month and Gold is PKR 25,000 a month on our pricing page.
What Taraki does not do: it does not make your job a promoted LinkedIn job, so it does not get LinkedIn's paid top-of-search placement. If a role really needs that extra reach, you can still promote it on LinkedIn with a total budget.
Wherever people apply, they land in one applicant tracking pipeline, and AI scoring ranks every applicant against your job, so you open the list with the strongest candidates at the top. You can also email candidates from Gmail and schedule Google Meet interviews in Taraki.
If you are comparing tools, our guide to the best recruitment software in Pakistan covers Taraki alongside Manatal, Zoho Recruit, Workable and others.
Frequently asked questions
How many free job posts can I have on LinkedIn?
One active free job at a time, and a limited number of free jobs in any 30-day period. LinkedIn does not publish the 30-day number (LinkedIn Help).
Why is my LinkedIn job post not getting applicants anymore?
Usually it reached the free applicant limit (typically 10 to 30) and left search, it was paused at 14 days, or it lost visibility with age.
How long does a free LinkedIn job post stay up?
It is active for up to 14 days, then paused. If you do not promote it, it closes automatically after 30 days.
Can I close and repost my free LinkedIn job?
Not for free within 7 days. LinkedIn requires a job with the same title and company to be promoted if it is reposted within 7 days (LinkedIn Help).
How much does it cost to promote a job on LinkedIn in Pakistan?
LinkedIn does not publish a Pakistan price, and we found no credible published figure. You pay per candidate click, against a budget LinkedIn recommends for your role and location. LinkedIn's own example is $10 a day. Always set a total budget.
Do jobs posted through Taraki show up on LinkedIn?
Yes. A job posted on Taraki is published to your company's LinkedIn page and appears in LinkedIn job search. It is not a promoted LinkedIn job.
Want one job live on your LinkedIn page, Google Jobs and Indeed without juggling free slots? See how job distribution works or see pricing.
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