LinkedIn is one of the most popular job search sites out there. However, its feature that shows how many applicants there are for a role is turning some people away from even applying.
This recruiter on TikTok explains why that number shouldn’t deter people from putting their name in the hat for a job opening they’re interested in.
In the viral video, TikTok user Amie (@getmethatjob) explained that she was recently interviewing a candidate who told her that they almost didn’t apply for the job because when they checked the LinkedIn posting, they noticed that more than 100 people had applied.
As a job applicant, that triple-digit number can be intimidating to go up against, potentially leaving people wondering, “If that many people applied, what are the chances that I’ll even get called for an interview?”
Amie green-screened the job listing behind her, showing that 113 people had applied. However, she pointed out that the number of applicants listed is not usually accurate.
“LinkedIn is lying,” the text overlay on the video read.
She explained that the number only counts how many people click the apply button. But “loads of people” who click the apply button don’t follow through until the end of the application, sometimes because it was too long or because they were just curious to get more information.
@getmethatjob 🤥 #linkedintips #recruitment #careeradvice #recruitmentsdvice #fyp ♬ original sound – Amie- Recruiter
“So don’t let that number up there put you off applying,” Amie said.
Currently, the job market is steadily improving. In 2023, 2.7 million jobs were added to the labor market (about 225,000 each month), the Washington Post reported. While that’s less than 2021 and 2022, it is more than each of the four years leading up to the pandemic. Plus, unemployment has held steady at under 4% for just over two years. The last time that happened was in the 1960s. “In many ways the labor market is at its best place it has been, not only since [before the pandemic], but by some measures in decades,” Diane Swonk, chief economist at accounting firm KPMG, told the Post.
Amie’s TikTok has amassed 780,000 views and more than 370 comments.
“I just got a job that said 220 applicants, so always go for it!” a person shared.
“SO HAPPY TO LEARN THIS!!! I am on the job hunt and I get so excited about a new opportunity but then see that high number and get sad lol,” a commenter wrote.
“Wow, 100% needed to know that,” another said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Amie for comment via TikTok direct message.