LinkedIn Integration

This article will help you configure your LinkedIn integration.

LinkedIn v2

LinkedIn introduced a new API version and completely removed old API on 1st March 2019. If you used old API before, you will need to reconfigure everything.

Create App

The first thing to do is to create an Application in the LinkedIn Developer console. If you do not have LinkedIn Developer account you need to create it.

Important is how you will configure your application.

• App name – Application name, can be visible when you will be asking the user for access.
• Company name – your company name.
• App description – short description for your application.
• App logo – visible on the login screen to identify your page.
• Privacy policy URL – on login screen you will see URL to the privacy policy, linked to this URL, should be valid URL to your page privacy policy.
• Business email – should be valid email to contact you

You need to agree on the terms in point 3, and click “Create app”.

Further application configuration

After your application will be completed, you should the see edition page. On the bottom, there should be “SDK settings” box. Click pencil icon (edition) near JavaScript header.

In new box, provide a valid URL to your page. Please be sure that you used correct protocol (http or https) and that you didn’t leave slash “/” at the end of the URL. LinkedIn has issues with this symbol, and your integration may not work with a slash at the end of the URL.

Now, in tabs on the top of the page, choose the “Auth” tab.

First of all, scroll at the end of the page, where you can find “OAuth 2.0 settings” box. You need to again click the pencil icon, and provide the same URL you provided before.

Configure WPJobBoard

Now your app is ready, but you still need to prepare your WPJobBoard. First, go back to the “Auth” tab in the LinkedIn Developer console. At the beginning of the page, you can see your Client ID and Client Secret.

Copy both values (in case of client Secret you need to click eye icon next to box to see it).

Now, go back to WPJobBoard. Go to wp-admin -> Settings (WPJB) -> Configuration -> LinkedIn.

Paste Client ID and Secret Key into proper fields, then click “update”. Now you are nearly done! You should see “Connect with LinkedIn” link. Click it.

You should see a new window when you will be asked for access to your LinkedIn Account. (If you are not logged in into LinkedIn account, you might be asked to log in first). As you can see, you have there information you provided in your application – app name, logo, and URL to Privacy Policy. Click “Allow access”.

Now you can go back to the LinkedIn configuration in wp-admin, you should see new options.

Automatic Sharing

To enable automatic sharing of new jobs on your LinkedIn profile, first, you need to choose to post As you. Just select your name. For now, you can choose an only private profile. LinkedIn API is not documented well and we have some issues with accessing company list, but we will do our best to correct this in the next update.

Next, check the checkbox “Share new jobs on LinkedIn”, provide comment (this will be visible as a comment to post on LinkedIn), title and description – both will be visible as title and description of the post. You can use their variables from the job.

After this click “Update”. Now you can click “Post Test Share” (You need at least one job in WPJobBoard!). New post should be visible on LinkedIn. LinkedIn does not allow to share multiple times the same content. So if you try to do this again, you will receive an error. You need to go to your LinkedIn profile, and remove the test post, to be able to create a new test post. Please note, that LinkedIn works with cache so there will be some delay between you will remove the post, and be able to post new one – this could take even several minutes.

If everything is like you wanted, you are good to go.

Apply With LinkedIn

Unfortunately, in new API this feature is limited only to LinkedIn partners. We will try became a LinkedIn partner to allow you to use this feature, or will integrate with one of the partners to allow you to use this feature. Currently, we can’t do anything about that. Sorry.

V1. Not active after 1.03.2019 (Deprecated)

Claim your API keys

In order to use LinkedIn API you need to signup for API keys (they are free), in order to do that while loggedin go to LinkedIn Developer area (it might require some additional registration). Once you are there click Add New Application link.

The form you will see there is quite long, but most information you will be entering there is pretty much irrelevant, you need to focus on four fields only:

• Application Developers – you need to have at least one developer assigned to this application, because only users listed there will be able to use the API. In very least you need to make sure that “Include yourself as a developer for this application” checkbox is checked.
• Live Status – remember to set this to Live once you are done with testing (if you will be testing at all), otherwise network updates will not be visible to users.
• Default Scope – make sure to have this configured as on the image below
  
• JavaScript API Domains – here enter domain names from which API can be used, in other words put your site URL(s) here, otherwsie you will be unable to use Apply From LinkedIn button.

Once you are done click Add Application it should automatically created, and one the page you will be at you should find API Key and Secret Key, we will be using them in next step.

Important note, since May 12th 2015, LinkedIn changed it’s API terms of use, if you are planning to use Apply From LinkedIn, aside of configuring the integration you will now additionally need to request access to this API.

Configuring LinkedIn Integration

In WordPress Admin Panel go to wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / LinkedIn. You should see a form that allows to enter API Key and Secret Key we generated earlier. Paste those keys into your form and save it.

If the keys are correct you should now see a “Connect with LinkedIn”, click it, you will be asked to authenticate yourself via LinkedIn OAuth protocol, when done you will see configuration form.

The most important is to select as whom and where you want to post updates (“Post As” field), the allowed options are: your personal account you used to authenticate yourself, list of Company profiles were your account is set as an administrator.

The rest of the form is divided into two sections: “Automatic Sharing” and “Apply with LinkedIn”, each of them you enabled/disable with a checkbox. The configuration for this sections should be self-explanatory, in case of problems you can ask in comments or via email.