PSA: Stop applying to jobs through LinkedIn and go direct to the company site

I spent 6 months sending out resumes through LinkedIn Easy Apply and got maybe 3 callbacks out of 200 apps. Total waste of time. Then I started going straight to company career pages, finding the hiring manager's email on LinkedIn, and sending a short note with my resume attached. First week I did that I got 2 interviews. Within a month I had an offer from a place in Austin paying $12k more than I expected. The trick is to customize each email like their name and why you fit the specific role. Has anyone else had way better luck by skipping the job boards?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucasschmidt25d ago

12k more than you expected just from that switch? That's wild, I had a nearly identical experience. I was doing the Easy Apply thing for like 5 months straight and got absolutely nothing but automated rejections. Then I tried what you said, found the actual hiring manager's name for a design role at a tiny agency in Denver, sent a 3 sentence email with a link to my portfolio, and had a call scheduled the next morning. It honestly feels like the job boards are just black holes for resumes these days, the human connection piece is everything.

parker18325d ago

Nah @lucasschmidt, easy apply works fine if your resume is actually good.

coleman.gray25d agoMost Upvoted

Job boards are just black holes for resumes" is the truest thing I've read all week lol. It's wild how sending a quick email to an actual person changed everything for you too, makes you wonder how many decent candidates just get lost in that automated void. Glad the direct approach worked out, it's honestly the only thing that seems to cut through the noise these days.