While filling out graduate school and job applications over the course of my senior year, I’ve found that nearly every college and employer has asked me for my Linkedin profile. When I first began the application process, I had fewer than 100 connections, had never posted and hadn’t thought much about the platform beyond uploading my resume.
Then, I made the mistake of looking up my peers. Upon browsing profiles of people with similar backgrounds, majors and experiences as me, I was filled with anxiety, forced to confront that it’s not enough to build real-world experience or connections. In today’s job market, it has become necessary to market oneself online. Especially when considering nearly 70% of employers reportedly look at job candidates’ LinkedIn profiles before extending an offer. In its current form, LinkedIn has become less about real opportunities and more about curated appearances and unrealistic comparisons , especially for young job seekers and soon to be graduates.
LinkedIn currently has over over a billion users, and every hour 300,000 job applications are reportedly submitted through the site. This volume creates a flood of applicants for every role. LinkedIn’s “Easy Apply” button encourages low-commitment submissions, meaning companies receive stacks of resumes that are not necessarily closely matched for the role. As a result, qualified candidates can easily get overlooked.
Scams are also a major problem with the platform. Last year, Linkedin released a community report, which found that in the first half of 2024, the platform detected over 86 million fake profiles and more than 142 million spam or scam incidents. While LinkedIn uses automated detection and relies on user reporting to spot fake accounts and mass messaging schemes, this structure is more reactive than proactive, leading several scam accounts to slip through the cracks, especially ones posting as “entrepreneurs” or “financial advisors” with professional-looking profiles.
Despite the website having policies banning multi-level marketing (MLM) activity, the app is oversaturated with them. I personally receive these types of messages on a weekly basis, promising “six-figure remote opportunity, no experience required” or “be your own boss.”
Beyond scams and stale listings, there’s also the emotional toll. LinkedIn encourages a kind of “toxic positivity” with endless posts about new jobs and promotions that feels more like a highlight reel than real life. While, at times, it’s encouraging to celebrate the successes of peers, platforms like LinkedIn also create a sense of constant comparison and pressure. Users may begin to feel like they’re never doing enough, especially when they’re consistently exposed to others’ achievements.
LinkedIn’s format also blurs the line between professional networking and social media, adopting elements similar to Instagram or Facebook. This design encourages frequent engagement but can also make users feel like they always have to be “on” and professionally presentable. Likewise, because recruiters can reach out at any time, not just during designated networking events or emails during work hours, it can blur the boundaries between work and personal life, making it even harder to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Other platforms, like Indeed, feel less competitive and curated. They focus on job listings, not status signaling. But the culture on LinkedIn, on the other hand, weaponizes productivity, trapping users in an endless cycle of “do more, post more, connect more,” quietly feeding anxiety and burnout.
In a 2023 study conducted at the University of Edinburgh, researchers found that frequent use of LinkedIn or similar professional social network sites led to increased anxiety and feelings of inadequacy among users. The study also found that excessive time spent on these platforms often leads to users experiencing “imposter syndrome” defined by the National Institute of Health as a persistent inability to believe that one’s own success is deserved or was legitimately achieved.
Since deciding to take LinkedIn “seriously” this year after feeling like my applications didn’t leave me much choice, I have gained over 500 connections, but I hardly know any of them or feel that they will advance my future goals in any way. LinkedIn has in essence replaced “traditional” networking with a more accessible, remote form, but this kind of networking is more about curating an image or polished online persona for prospective employers. Subsequently, the platform often rewards those best at self-branding rather than those most qualified or capable. I did end up getting into the graduate school I’d been hoping for, and while I don’t know for certain whether my renewed effort on LinkedIn played a role, fixing and curating my profile was definitely something I kept in mind throughout the application process.
For graduates navigating a competitive job market, this pressure to constantly appear impressive online adds another layer of stress. LinkedIn does have the potential to help people build connections and access opportunities, but it’s important to understand its limits. Seeing it as just one tool of many instead of a final verdict on a person’s value or potential can make space for a more balanced, authentic approach to finding work.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
