LinkedIn is Awful
Recently I’ve needed to look for a job. It’s been a horrible experience with the (as the French say) de rigueur ghosting, unfair interviewers and hardcore screening quizzes that go with the territory.
Even if I was prepared for all of that (and I wasn’t) there is another forum where professionalism seems to simply not exist. The humblebrags, HR platitudes, and endless streams of self-promotion disguised as wisdom on LinkedIn.
You know what, I’m sick of it and think everyone in tech should be deleting their accounts. Here’s why: LinkedIn’s awfulness isn’t your fault. It’s theirs.
What LinkedIn has Become…
LinkedIn has forced its users to project a façade where a perfect professional is the only persona who succeeds.
I’ve one LinkedIn “connection” (they’re not a friend) who is using a bot to blast every piece of tech news at me daily. I’m looking for a job, not JavaScript tips made by a chatbot, thanks.
The next post is invariably “How I grew my startup to six figures by sleeping two hours a night” or just spamming my feed:
When I see this, I feel as sick as when I put on a VR headset.
I’m happy to announce…
Sure, somewhere in the feed, someone’s genuinely sharing a milestone or advice, although that’s degenerated into celebrating Coursera courses that can be completed in a day.
Yet even these celebrations are lost in the mess of recruiters telling tall stories about how they’re supporting candidates, and celebrations of things that have never happened.
The Application Process
LinkedIn’s application process is flawed by design.
“Easy Apply” makes it seem like you’re saving time, but most of these applications go directly into the black hole of applicant tracking systems (ATS). Even if your résumé isn’t flagged for a missing keyword, there’s no guarantee a human will ever see it as AI filters you out of not having one keyword (that wasn’t on the job description).
The platform’s obsession with efficiency results in the opposite: job seekers spamming irrelevant positions because the button is right there. Meanwhile, recruiters are overwhelmed with unqualified applicants. The system incentivizes quantity over quality, leaving both sides frustrated.
TBH I never use LinkedIn to apply for jobs, although I do use it to find them. I then go to the employers’ website to check if the job is a real opening, gather information about the company and ultimately apply (and later get rejected).
Recommendations: Network Theater
Oh, and recommendations. Do these even help anymore? LinkedIn seems to think my career prospects hinge on whether my manager from three jobs ago can eloquently describe my Excel wizardry.
These curated, glowing endorsements often say more about your network’s creative writing skills than your actual abilities in the estimation of recruiters.
The Issue: Algorithms
Ultimately, LinkedIn’s algorithms are the puppeteers behind this madness. They prioritize viral posts, reward surface-level engagement, and push the idea that networking should look more like a popularity contest than building meaningful professional relationships.
Conclusion
So no, it’s not your fault that your LinkedIn experience feels like trying to network at a motivational speaker’s convention where everyone’s talking but nobody’s listening. It’s the system.
Are you a victim or a player in the world of recruitment social media? Actually, I think it’s better to be neither and opt out entirely. I can’t be the only one?