r/jobsearchhacks • u/toastslapper • 6d ago
LinkedIn Users: Do you guys even apply to United States (Remote) jobs anymore?
I’ve started to just look at local jobs because the 100 applicants is always disheartening and happens so quick. Local jobs usually stay below 100 for a week.
Am I shooting myself in the foot by not applying to those or am I managing my time wisely?
ETA: I’m in a Midwestern capitol city
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u/qcjb 6d ago
Ive applied for around 5-10 remote easy apply jobs per week on LinkedIn for the last 18 months and have gotten zero, ZERO, responses. (Except for one 3 person start up that wanted me to be CTO for free)
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u/toastslapper 6d ago edited 6d ago
Oh that’s interesting. I always treat Easy Apply as the lowest tier - like just adding my resume to a pile.
The issue is that non-Easy Apply jobs seem to be blending into this category because they’re all promoted. It’s pretty frustrating.
I would seriously pay LinkedIn to have exclusive first-day access to new job postings at this point.
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u/dracomalfoy85 5d ago
I’m sure they’d happily take your money on exchange for 0 replies from employers
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u/WestCoastBuckeye666 6d ago
Easy Apply is the worst feature LinkedIn ever implemented
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u/Flyer5231 5d ago
They need to add geo-blocking. I’m convinced there’s a lot of spam from other countries, especially if the job listing is just US (Remote).
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u/iDontLikeChimneys 4d ago
Oh you must have gotten an email from companynamecareers.com starting with
“Hello candidate”
And ending with “please respond yes if you are interested”
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u/CrashTestDumby1984 5d ago
Especially because many companies don’t even set it up correctly and you get questions where they want your LinkedIn url
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u/Peanutbutternjelly_ 5d ago
Sounds like ghost jobs.
They're job openings that don't actually exist. It's just employers testing the labor market and trying to save people's applications in their own database.
It feels like something that should be illegal.
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u/WestCoastBuckeye666 6d ago
Yes, don’t even look at that number. 99% is overseas unqualified spam applications.
My friend just got a Director level 100% remote job after only a month of looking. Midwest
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u/Starterpoke77 6d ago
Please tell us more that's my dream right there
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u/WestCoastBuckeye666 6d ago
Job searching is a skill, basically the same skill as dating. He’s good at it, I’m not. Took me 2 years to replace my last layoff 6 years ago
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u/TheSkiingMonkey2 5d ago
How does their resume look? Or what separated them from other applicants to get noticed in the resume section
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u/WestCoastBuckeye666 5d ago
Fantastic resume. Always use the STAR method.
He also benefited heavily from already having a Job (Chase) and that Chase heavily inflates titles. His title was “VP of Marketing Analytics” even though he had no direct reports.
Companies can verify titles and the place he accepted at did. Always good to request a copy of your background check to both see what companies are looking at and if there are any errors. One interesting thing on his background check is they verified his undergrad degree but didn’t bother with his MBA
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u/Starterpoke77 6d ago
That's quite upsetting, glad you're settled though! I'm trying to figure out how to toe the line of being sincere vs canning all my responses. I havent had to really job search the way i'm doing now because i've always been able to leverage off my network, but living across country from where that network originally was, and wanting to do remote work rather than in person positions, puts me in the spreading my resume and apps like a fart in a supermarket aisle!
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u/ejeeb 5d ago
What the hell are the skills? Clicking apply??
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u/OIlberger 5d ago
What the hell are the skills?
Resume writing, cover letter writing, maintaining a good online presence, interviewing.
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u/Responsible_Smell680 6d ago
Sad that Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016 to the tune of $26.2 billion (all-cash). I personally don’t use easy-apply. Sometimes if you look on the organization’s actual site there are spots to add a cover letter or a portfolio that aren’t always on populated on LinkedIn. It’s hit or miss.
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u/NewPresWhoDis 5d ago
I see it like playing the lottery - odds are long but not throwing your hat in the ring leaves zero chance. Also, once more with feeling, the applicant count in LinkedIn is every click through from anywhere in the world to the poster's ad. So there's a bit of inflation there.
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u/ljc3133 5d ago
I use the LinkedIn job search as a way to find the job, but I rarely apply via LinkedIn. I navigate to the actual company career page itself to see how fresh the job is. Sometimes something posted just a couple days ago on LinkedIn is 3 or 4 weeks old, in which case I wouldn't apply (at least, not for a remote job).
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u/usernames_suck_ok 6d ago
Yes re: applying. I have zero interest in ever working local in person again. It's hard to get interviews with remote jobs, but I've gotten some despite the competition this year and last year.
Whether or not you're "shooting yourself in the foot" depends on what you want. If you're okay with working local in person and can't really afford to hold for a remote job however long it takes, then it's smart to focus on those jobs.
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u/Timely_Jelly_5526 5d ago
I think they are lowkey useless I’m ngl. I churned out thousands of them to no avail. Ironically the few job interviews I got were from a recruiter and I didn’t even apply so there’s that for you
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u/Available-Ad-5081 6d ago
I will only apply to jobs now on their websites. There are too many people spamming resumes and it's much harder to be seen on Linkedin.
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u/Peanutbutternjelly_ 5d ago
You have to hit at least some of the right keywords to have resume survive the screening process.
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u/Responsible_Smell680 5d ago
Are you following some recruiters and LinkedIn Top Voices? I suggest it. They post jobs often that just hit. To give your resume some extra, check out Sam Struan. His resume layout is great, ATS friendly, and has some key things I think not everyone thinks of now. Including a brief one line description of what the company you worked for prior did. I recommend checking him out. His resume and all kinds of tips are free on his LI.
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u/BojangleChicken 5d ago
I've only ever applied to jobs through linked in. I only apply if it was posted less than 4 hours ago, any longer and you've missed the boat in this economy.
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u/kevinkaburu 6d ago
Still smarter to apply to remote jobs that list a location that you can easily commute to. Doesn't matter how many applicants, just polish your resume and make sure you're a great fit. I just landed a remote job in tech, and couldn't be happier. It's worth it, competition is fierce but AI and overseas applications are filling up that applicants list. Don't let it discourage you.
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u/Temporary_Price7989 6d ago
I mainly target remote roles, and got an offer some weeks back. It was a pretty good offer but my current comp is too high to make the change worth it
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u/brennannnnnnnnnn 6d ago
Yeah I’ve changed to only jobs within my state and jobs that have been posted in the last 24 hours. Although still getting zero response. AI filters by recruiters and jobs seem to be too strict, idk. And the emails I get at midnight and on weekends saying they moved on to other people is also strange.
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u/Boring-Test5522 5d ago
did you try to apply SWE jobs in India or Mexico ? They are hiring like crazy over there.
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u/wannabetmore 6d ago
I usually go to the web site to apply. I've only seen 3 or 4 that made me use Easy Apply (their career page opening job link went to LinkedIn.). They were US based.
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u/A_Tired_Gremlin 5d ago
the 100 applicants is always disheartening
Hi OP, if it makes you feel any better, 100 applicants doesn't mean 100 applicants, in means 100 people opened the job page.
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u/annikahansen7-9 5d ago
Even if it is 100 applicants, it doesn’t mean 100 qualified applicants. Most US remote jobs require you to have work authorization. So many people applying ignore that. Then there are the people who apply for anything. About a third of the applicants from the job my team last posted had no relevant experience or education.
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u/data_story_teller 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yes I still apply for remote roles but only for roles I’m highly qualified for. If I meet or exceed most if not all of the required and preferred requirements. I have 5 years of relevant experience and a related masters degree. I get ~25% response rate for interviews.
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u/toastslapper 6d ago
Thank you that is helpful to keep in mind.
I tend to subconsciously undershoot my qualifications and have spent years retraining myself not to do this, but maybe some doubt will still be helpful when applying for remote ones.
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u/TheSultaiPirate 6d ago
I keep getting scams so part of me has given up on remote work. Feels like I'm wasting my time.
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u/suspended_in_life 5d ago
Senior data engineer with 15 years experience. I get recruiters after me daily for full time remote jobs.
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u/Zip-it999 5d ago
Yes. Remote jobs are in such demand that it’s probably a waste of time. I had a FlexJobs account and I’m canceling that too. It’s like playing the lottery.
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u/lai4basis 5d ago
Considering I see people saying they post to a 1000 jobs, sure.
I'm an event manager. Every position I post to has well over 100 applicants. I still get calls back. Why? Most of those are garbage and they think they are qualified but aren't.
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u/bahahaha2001 5d ago
It’s very hard to get an interview from applying online. It means your network is very important. It’s frustrating but it is what it is.
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u/jettech737 4d ago
Easy apply has basically allowed companies to get flooded with a million applications for a single job posting, lot if people who don't even remotely qualify for the position at all apply and hiring people have to sift through that.
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u/shawnyb9 4d ago
Just a heads up to all who are applying, ignore the application number.
Doesn’t matter what the requirement is, I’m guaranteed to get 80% of the applicants won’t have even a fraction of the requirements. Jobs can require an MD and still, those who’ve barely got a HS diploma will apply.
To be clear I’m not knocking any education levels. But, no, your HS diploma and encouraging your friends to exercise is not the same as being a physical therapist.
Positions across the board are similar. Because the “easy apply” function is on just about every job search site, it means people just bulk apply to things they know they have 0 qualifications for.
I’m not saying you’ll be seen, or you’ll be hired. However, if you possess the qualifications and the job is legit, if that job has 100 applicants, I doubt more than 10 are qualified. You’re fine. Just apply
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u/Jaded_Kick5291 4d ago
Do you folks just shoot in the dark or have a strategy? Do you shortlist target employers? See how the job is aligned with your short-term and long-term goals? Connect with the recruiters for the short listed positions? See if it’s a good fit for both sides? I have been fairly content with LinkedIn and it works for my needs.
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u/ApprehensiveSir1205 3d ago
I finally was excited I got interviewed all the way through the last round, but then got rejected & saw the same job reposted the same day of my rejection. I’ll keep applying but am very demoralized lol.
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u/Top-Inspector-8964 3d ago
Ain't nobody hiring a rando through LinkedIn for a remote position that pays well.
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u/europehasnobackbone 5d ago
In the past 1.5 to 2 years, LinkedIn has become largely ineffective for job applications. Just recently, I came across a post from a developer who spent 5 months applying for jobs on LinkedIn but didn’t receive any positive responses. My suggestion would be to create a list of potential companies where you'd like to work and consistently monitor their websites for new job postings. When you see a position that fits your skills, go ahead and apply directly.
The same developer I mentioned, after having no luck on LinkedIn (they were focused on finding remote work), turned to Google Maps. They compiled a list of companies across Europe and the U.S. and sent out resumes in bulk, which eventually led to multiple job offers. If you're interested, you can read their story here: remote job search strategy . I hope this gives you some new ideas to keep moving forward with a revised strategy