LinkedIn Job Logger

Automate your job application workflow with one-click capture of LinkedIn job postings. This Chrome extension creates organized folders and PDF snapshots of job advertisements for your personal tracking.

Authored by Kelltom & Claude

Features

• One-Click Capture: Extract job details from LinkedIn job pages automatically
• Smart Parsing: Robust DOM parsing that handles LinkedIn's dynamic content
• Organized Storage: Creates dated folders with company and job title
• PDF Generation: Saves job details as HTML and text files (PDF coming soon)
• Easy Editing: Review and edit extracted data before saving
• Settings Management: Configurable base folder and connection testing

Architecture

• Chrome Extension (Manifest V3): Handles LinkedIn page parsing and user interface
• Native Messaging Host (C#): Manages file system operations and PDF generation
• Secure Communication: Uses Chrome's native messaging API for safe extension-to-desktop communication

Installation

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 or later
• Google Chrome browser
• .NET 9 Runtime (for the native host)

Step 1: Build the Native Host

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell in the host directory
2. Run the build script:

   build.bat

3. This will create LinkedInJobLoggerHost.exe in the host/bin directory

Step 2: Install the Native Host

1. Run the installation script as administrator (recommended):

   install.bat

2. This registers the native messaging host with Chrome

Step 3: Load the Chrome Extension

1. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/
2. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top right)
3. Click "Load unpacked"
4. Select the extension folder from this project
5. Note the extension ID that appears in the extension card

Step 4: Configure Settings

1. Click the extension icon in Chrome's toolbar
2. Click the settings gear (⚙️) icon
3. Set your base folder path (e.g., C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Job Applications)
4. Click "Test Native Host" to verify the connection
5. Save your settings

Usage

Capturing a Job

1. Navigate to any LinkedIn job posting (linkedin.com/jobs/view/...)
2. Click the LinkedIn Job Logger extension icon
3. Review the extracted job details:
   • Job Title (required)
   • Company (required)
   • Location (optional)
   • Pay (optional)
   • Job Description (read-only preview)
4. Edit any fields as needed
5. Click "Apply" to create the job folder and files

What Gets Created

Each job creates a folder named: {YYYY-MM-DD} {Company} - {Job Title}

Inside the folder:

• ad.html - Formatted job posting with all details

Folder Organization Example

📁 Job Applications/
  📁 2024-09-25 Google - Senior Software Engineer/
    📄 ad.html
  📁 2024-09-25 Microsoft - Product Manager/
    📄 ad.html

Troubleshooting

Extension Issues

"Failed to load job data"

• Ensure you're on a LinkedIn job page (linkedin.com/jobs/view/...)
• Try clicking "Rescan" to parse the page again
• Check that LinkedIn has finished loading the job details

"Native host connection failed"

• Run install.bat again to re-register the native host
• Make sure LinkedInJobLoggerHost.exe exists in the host/bin directory
• Check Chrome's extension error console for detailed error messages

Native Host Issues

"Base folder path does not exist"

• Verify the folder path in settings exists and is accessible
• Use forward slashes or double backslashes in Windows paths

"Access denied to base folder path"

• Check folder permissions
• Try running Chrome as administrator (not recommended for regular use)

General Issues

Job details not extracting properly

• LinkedIn frequently updates their page structure
• The extension uses resilient selectors but may need updates for major LinkedIn changes

Development

Project Structure

linkedin-job-logger/
├── extension/           # Chrome extension (Manifest V3)
│   ├── manifest.json
│   ├── background.js    # Service worker for native messaging
│   ├── content.js       # LinkedIn page parser
│   ├── popup.html       # Main UI
│   ├── popup.js
│   ├── settings.html
│   └── settings.js
├── host/                # Native messaging host
│   ├── src/
│   │   └── LinkedInJobLoggerHost/
│   │       ├── Program.cs
│   │       ├── NativeMessagingHost.cs
│   │       └── LinkedInJobLoggerHost.csproj
│   ├── build.bat
│   ├── install.bat
│   └── uninstall.bat
└── README.md

Building from Source

1. Native Host:

   cd host
   build.bat

2. Extension: No build required, load directly in Chrome developer mode

Privacy & Security

• Local Storage Only: All job data stays on your computer
• No External Services: No data is sent to external servers
• Minimal Permissions: Extension only accesses LinkedIn pages and local storage
• Open Source: Full source code available for review

Uninstalling

1. Remove the Chrome extension from chrome://extensions/
2. Run uninstall.bat to remove the native messaging host registration
3. Optionally delete the project folder and any created job folders

License

This project is for personal use only. Do not publish to the Chrome Web Store or distribute without modification.

Support

This is a personal project without formal support. However, you can:

• Check the troubleshooting section above
• Review error logs in %TEMP%\linkedin_job_logger_error.log
• Examine Chrome's extension console for JavaScript errors

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This extension is not affiliated with LinkedIn.