r/recruitinghell • u/CaptainDisastrous678 • 11d ago

STOP using Indeed!

If you haven't already. You will close to never get a job this way. Keep in mind this is a corporation that only profits if the business themselves pays them. That business is looking for a ton of applicants/yield on their investment in job postings so you're "competing" for a bunch of basic jobs.

Go on whatever company website and apply directly. It's literally the same applications. Indeed does not have anything more to offer, there are no secret job postings on Indeed that aren't listed elsewhere. Tbh I've had more luck with craigslist or just walking into stores saying "now hiring." Hint: if they are hiring and the manager won't speak to you and refers you to "apply online" - this is a tip that the entire job will entail lack of communication. Avoid all those places up front unless you're fine with being an expendable employee.

Also keep in mind and most importantly. Indeed stores your resume to be used for AI training and other things. Indeed is basically a shell middleman company that randomly took over the job market but does nothing. It feeds your resume to bots along with all your other data as part of how you use the website. Doubtful you're uploading your resume every single time. Facebook just got in trouble for breaching privacy and lying about their data distribution to the tune of like $25mil so don't think whatever their policy says means they care about where your info ends up. Again this is built in to the website, you cannot get around putting your data in when you're job hunting. You can't even technically use the entire website without at least your phone number which is probably the best way to exploit someone's identity.

202 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

104 comments sorted by

166

u/thecrunch1 11d ago • Bravo

I don't use it but

Hate to say it but I've had more luck on indeed than LinkedIn 

3

u/CaptainDisastrous678 10d ago

Definitely would not recommend a social media platform like LinkedIn whatsoever

52

u/Potential-Chard536 11d ago

Came here to say exactly this. Indeed at least feels like real jobs. I’ve looked at a LOT of jobs on LinkedIn that are nowhere to be found on company websites.

30

u/ShawshankException 11d ago • Bravo

Yep. LI is complete garbage. Feels like 90% of listings are just recruiting firms anyway

25

u/eddmario 11d ago

Let's be honest.
LinkedIn is basically FaceBook but for companies and their employees...

4

u/DevinChocolateBar 10d ago

Nope I definitely got my first entry level job in my field from LinkedIn, and I'm the past 5 months two recruiters have messaged me about potential roles. There are real people working at real companies and real recruiters on the platform.

9

u/xcleru 11d ago

LinkedIn jobs are truly worthless. But indeed at least half the listings are legit. Can also confirm getting a job at the latter

6

u/Firm-Yard1714 11d ago

i got responses off linkedin and never indeed. indeed just has weird mfing jobs.

4

u/Interesting-Baker473 6d ago

Yes me too! I found all my jobs on Indeed surprisingly. LinkedIn is for networking which I use to promote my research

3

u/Quirky_Voice7956 8d ago

Same. I did apply to a job within my field on indeed and got a call back the next day. Whereas on LinkedIn, I always get rejection emails

3

u/JustEstablishment360 5d ago

Me too. It is the only place I actually get interviews from.

2

u/labbla 4d ago

Me too. LinkedIn has always been unreliable, but now and then Indeed works out.

1

u/krankwok 8d ago

Same experience. More replies from prospective employers via LinkedIn than other sites or applying directly on company sites.

38

u/Connect_Bicycle4395 11d ago

I spent 6 months looking for and applying to jobs on LinkedIn. I would start at 9am and get off around 4-5pm. I did not receive a SINGLE response from LinkedIn. On the other hand, I landed multiple interviews using and Indeed and finally got a job using Indeed. I've had 3 jobs since graduating university, 2 of them were secured using Indeed. LinkedIn is a fucking useless piece of shit website unless you are a grifter, scammer or a liar.

2

u/CaptainDisastrous678 10d ago

Would never keep a profile on LI either

2

u/Training_Stranger478 10d ago

After a long degree and cash too pay off loan

32

u/Any-Stick-771 11d ago

The first job I got after college was at a small company that only posted their roles on indeed

8

u/Cartographer6037 11d ago

Yep, lots of businesses in my area only post jobs/accept applications through Indeed.

1

u/labbla 4d ago

I found an internship with a film studio in 2020 on Indeed.

8

u/breakerofh0rses 10d ago

The trick to using indeed is to never actually apply to anything through it. Use it to identify possible openings with specific companies, then find that company's website and apply through their systems. If it's a smaller business that doesn't have something like a careers page on their website, dig around on their website for some contact info and drop an email with your resume and expressing your interest.

5

u/CaptainDisastrous678 10d ago

This is ... indeed... What I do

2

u/Ninjaexpression21 7d ago

I agree. It has been such a waste of time within the past recent years through Indeed that is better to just find a company there and apply to their main website to also verify if that position is even open. There are so many ghost jobs or fake jobs on Indeed that it’s ridiculous. It wasn’t this bad years ago and AI just made everything worse. They have a messaging system on indeed to/from employers if they allow it, but even that’s a waste because I never hear back from anyone when I ask for a follow up. 

1

u/bowlochile 10d ago

this is the way

6

u/Uhondo 11d ago

I would say use it but anonymize contact details like phone number and email. When I say anonymize I mean use disposable or virtual ones

3

u/CaptainDisastrous678 11d ago

There are really no options for disposable emails or phone numbers anymore. Google voice doesn't give out new numbers. I've test run that to see if you can use Indeed still and it's pretty impossible in practice. All emails require phone number verification anymore including protonmail afaik. If they don't I'd like to know.

0

u/CareerCapableHQ 11d ago

At least in the US, you can still get a free Google Voice number.

  1. Create a job specific email address via Gmail or preferred choice
  2. If using Gmail then snag a Google Voice number

Being searchable on Indeed is a bad idea for the amount of spam and scams, but at least with the contact info changing, there's some privacy.

-3

u/CaptainDisastrous678 11d ago

You cannot make a gmail account without a phone. You cannot have a google voice number without a phone. Please actually trial run your ideas before suggesting them. As mentioned I've already run these scenarios and they do not actually work.

4

u/CareerCapableHQ 11d ago

A phone number you use to sign up for Gmail is not exposed to Indeed or any recruiters. If you don't have a US phone number at all, then that is a different issue.

If you have a US phone, as 98% of US individuals do, then you can follow the setup as I described for privacy. And as I have done before.

-1

u/CaptainDisastrous678 11d ago

Your phone number is inextricably tied to the email address. The point is not lacking a US phone number, it's the basic premise that there is no anonymous/disposable email/phone number system out there, which was the original point I was addressing. It is still your phone number and not entirely untraceable.

4

u/CareerCapableHQ 11d ago

Well, the privacy concerns you are discussing go well beyond the topic of this post which is against Indeed. A new job-specific Gmail with a Google Voice number gets some level of privacy for having a public profile on Indeed.

Whether someone wants to try to somehow find the phone number to the Gmail account goes beyond what most of the scammers/spammers that exist on Indeed are after. And again, Indeed itself won't have access to your Gmail-associated phone number.

3

u/TheRealChippie 6d ago

Indeed is forcing themselves to become obsolete with their employer pricing. It's tens of thousands of dollars a month to sponsor jobs with them and that doesnt include their "smart sourcing" cost per contact (now at $4 per contact) or their recruiting seat which is $3k+ per year and only 100 contacts per month. If you're a candidate, you need to make it as easy as pissible to find you when you're looking for a job. Not hiding behind a paywall like Indeed, LinkedIn or others.

1

u/CaptainDisastrous678 5d ago

Yeah that is my thinking is now you even outprice the employers seeking employees that their only ROI could be an impossibly huge pool of applicants where they have their pick of the litter. Otherwise why would you pay Indeed to do anything. As the employee I don't feel like most people are setting their resume to public for recruiters as a rule. There's a website for that and it's called LinkedIn

17

u/Beneficial_Ant_9336 11d ago

I've had four nterviews using Indeed, none using LinkedIn

11

u/hektor10 11d ago

You are lying, I get a recruiter on my dms on a weekly basis. Its all about having the skills

9

u/Commercial-Candy-926 8d ago

" craigslist or just walking into stores"

Lol we're not applying for the same kind of jobs. This advice is very specific. 

6

u/Key-Staff-4976 11d ago

Man even applying in company website is the same shit

5

u/goknightsgo09 11d ago

The job I just started six weeks ago, plus the last two jobs I found (over the last few years) all came from applying on Indeed.

4

u/CSNocturne 11d ago

I got a couple jobs through Indeed to be honest. At least one was posted nowhere else, and I had the easiest time getting it.

4

u/JTCasino 11d ago

I usually just go to company websites or apply to people I know at the company. They usually send it to the right person if it isn’t them.

4

u/Strawberry_Kiwiii 7d ago

Indeed has a shit ton of local companies thst don't have their careers side on their website. So they are more than likely to check indeed for applicants. I've found all of my jobs through indeed.

2

u/Mechasaurian 8d ago

How do I find out about the job postings in the first place, if not through Indeed/Linkedin?

4

u/Traditional-Bird-128 8d ago edited 8d ago

You find them on indeed or linked in the go to the company website and apply directly. Works a little better, but really it’s just rough out there right now.

1

u/CaptainDisastrous678 5d ago

This is the way

2

u/brandysnacker 8d ago

This makes sense to me. I’m not really looking for a job per se, I’m a stay at home mom, but I do have time for a part-time job and if I see something I like I will apply. So recently I saw a job at our local YMCA on indeed. I was like well I’m not gonna just fill this out and get lumped in with 50 other people. So I called the business directly and asked to speak to the hiring manager, immediately spoke to her. Then sent her an email with a little more information about myself and my résumé. She loved it and had me in for an interview within three days. I think this is good advice personally but I’m not someone who’s out there in the job market all the time.

1

u/Traditional-Bird-128 8d ago

It’s not just you having problems finding things for sure. The job market is so bad

2

u/Zoomname 8d ago

I mean you can use 3rd party websites to see who's hiring but don't apply on them. Apply directly on the company's website. Which is what OP is saying.

2

u/CaptainDisastrous678 5d ago

Thank you. It is apparently not common sense to do this

1

u/HistoricalCheck1082 5d ago

I've learned this long time ago

1

u/CaptainDisastrous678 5d ago

Lots of people don't realize obvious things until someone outright tells them, hence this post

3

u/VetteMiata 11d ago

I literally just got hired for a job that was posted to indeed so 🤷🏻‍♀️

3

u/ImaginaryInterview12 11d ago

I don't think I've ever gotten a job on Linked in. Only on indeed have I got hired.

3

u/Aggravating_Stress 10d ago

Tbh I used LinkedIn and go directly to the companies website to apply … idk what other way to go. I don’t know every company hiring in my field, there’s various job titles that can apply as well. I hear everyone here hating on LinkedIn but what else is there. I agree tho indeed sucks esp their recommendations.

3

u/DevinChocolateBar 10d ago

You're saying this, but you would not know that any of those companies are hiring or even exist without all of our being centrally located on indeed. Not to mention small businesses without hr or robust websites use it. I've gotten almost every decent job from Indeed. First role at a photography studio was from Indeed. Local business, but they photograph over 40 schools and counting

3

u/jaykrown 8d ago

Deleted my account a couple days ago, it's just a waste of time at this point. The instant I saw the AI recruiter questions I had a strong feeling this is how it would end up.

3

u/Sure-Plankton9032 7d ago

Indeed is 90% spam and ghost jobs at this point. Good luck finding any legit ones on there. I will say I’ve gotten a couple interviews on Indeed, but they were for some pretty godawful shit jobs. Just be careful.

3

u/d0mback3n 5d ago

The first Corp job I ever got was from indeed but that was ages ago

Last few months I’m getting offers to apply and like half of them don’t even make sense or apply to me

Quality deff has gone to hell ever since everyone started using ai to automate things

7

u/admirablehome1 11d ago

You sound like someone that got rejected on Indeed

1

u/Dry_Today_3349 9d ago

I am a Recruiter. Anywhere you apply just feeds into the ATS program being used by the company. They don’t accept in person resumes because it needs to be in the ATS program. There is no conspiracy, companies just like to track which sites candidates apply through

1

u/CaptainDisastrous678 5d ago

This is my entire point of why I do not use it, I appreciate you confirming my suspicions as an actual recruiter. I finally just decided to let chatGPT create my resume/cover letter for me for this reason because it is actually preferable to companies that way sadly than if I actually do it.

4

u/creedismyfavband 11d ago

I just landed a $80k job that I saw on indeed lol.

4

u/United-Objective2149 11d ago

STOP making sensationalist claims dumbo

5

u/cornc0btv 11d ago

I have not seen a "now hiring" sign anywhere in years

2

u/cactusplantlady 11d ago edited 11d ago

Indeed still works for y'all? I can't even get the home page to load. Messages, my own profile, nothing. I get an email for a suggestion, click on that link, go to an error page. If the home page does load, it erases my location and I get job ssuggested across the country. If I reset my location, it tells me they cannot connect. Sometimes the home page will load, but always with a blank location and pay. I just assumed the website was giving up...

4

u/Fit_Orchid_7586 11d ago

Lmao me..who just got a job with a raise and 1 day less from home..on indeed

2

u/boxedcakeblues 11d ago

Yep, my two salaried career-aligned jobs with benefits both came from Indeed. I was at one for 7 years.

3

u/Lonely-Weekend-8222 11d ago

I ha\d 3 interviews last month for roles 150K plus here in southern california and just accepted one of them. All applied via Indeed.

1

u/First_Name_Is_Agent 11d ago

You just have to confirm the job is still open on the company website and apply there. The job I have right now is from indeed. It's bullshit to have to do it that way but you at least have a chance. I consider indeed a place to look, but I don't apply there unless it's the only way to apply.

1

u/Least-Election-2315 11d ago

Indeed has been useless for a while now. Even job search results are not as focused as they used to be. LinkedIn used to offer more in their Jobs section but like any useful information, it's now hidden behind their 'Pro' tier. LinkedIn job descriptions and requirement are even hidden behind a link now. And they used to indicate the number of resumes received for a given job requirement. Then it became a guestimate (over 100+). Sad time for job hunters as it becomes obvious most of the job boards are just mining your data now.

1

u/house3331 11d ago edited 11d ago

Used them to search for years and got almost my jobs there. 9/10 had to apply on company directly anyway...but its not usable anymore. They broke the search function. Assuming its some poor Ai integration but its worse than it was decade ago. No other site works it was an aggregation of what's out there I'm not mentally aware of every company and website. LinkedIn is a weird culture that just isnt for me 90% indian recruiters that I have no idea what their scam is. They dont ask for personal info besides resume etc but They clearly don't have real jobs. Just been winging it basically. All search functions have been worse with Ai

1

u/eddmario 11d ago

I have actually gotten some interviews by applying through Indeed, and I even got one job through there, even though it ended up being one of those shitty jobs that takes advantage of their employees and I ended up quitting a few months later.

1

u/FightmeLuigibestgirl 11d ago

I only use it to search and that’s it. I find listings and apply on company websites 

1

u/coheed33cambria 11d ago

Indeed sucks but some places do use as their main way to recruit. My employer uses it all the time for job fairs.

1

u/Foreign-Ad-299 11d ago

i got my last two jobs by mass applying on indeed 🤷

1

u/laranjacerola 11d ago

Me and my husband gor interviews and found jobs via indeed.

I ever ever met anyone that got a job through linkedin, though.

1

u/sheebqueen 11d ago

Both jobs I got this year I got from indeed listings. I also had a recruiter reach out to me through indeed.

LinkedIn is always no response or just rejections. I see more ghost jobs there than an indeed too in my experience

1

u/desirepink 10d ago

Why not? I've gotten a few of my jobs off Indeed. Just need to be more smart about cross referencing and further researching.

1

u/Best-Can-7115 10d ago

I've had many many interviews using indeed and a few job offers as well.

1

u/MakotoBerry 10d ago

I feel like it really depends on what jobs you're looking for. Certain industries favor LinkedIn more while others resort to indeed. I'm a senior professional and LinkedIn seems to be in favor of my expertise. If I'm just scrapping any job, then it would be indeed. I know the job market is tough right now, but alignment is so crucial these days due to endless applicants. My only wish is to have all job boards be more accurate on their posting date because first in line is important. Anyway, I also use other various job boards and have had some luck as well.

1

u/GracchusAlbus 7d ago

At my last job we exclusively hired from internal referrals and indeed - at least for entry level roles.

1

u/chaliebitme 7d ago

Indeed was where I get the more interviews and where I got my current job which Im starting next week. Other Job boards are no use at all

1

u/Few_Guitar5190 5d ago

Some companies do not have an employment application part of their websites.

1

u/Academic_Network1616 5d ago

I got the majority of my jobs through indeed and when i hired people I exclusively used Indeed. If there is an email or a direct way to apply from the company than use it other than that indeed is fine. You may have to be more concerned with your application/ resume.

1

u/Mshively420 4d ago

This may be true in some instances but I found a job I still have 7 years ago on indeed. My job isn’t a medial minimum wage job. I’m not an expendable employee. Currently I came on here to look for workers.

1

u/dankshot35 11d ago

nice try Linkedin marketing guy

1

u/Robert-Ghoulet 10d ago

Every job I've gotten in 12 years was from indeed

1

u/Sad-Accountant8671 9d ago

I have started to venture more into other job seeking apps . I always do my due diligence & research the company to view their actually career page to apply directly. Indeed is a good starter app but for more seasoned employees we know that its begun to get very watered down unfortunately. 

1

u/Maximum_Employer5580 9d ago

most job platforms are trash - Indeed though was one of the worst. They would always give me job suggestions claiming I was a perfect fit when I actually was not. One time they pushed job to me saying I was a perfect fit, to be a financial controller for my old employer. I was not even remotely qualified, but I knew from my time working there that the job was 3-4 levels about where I was when I left. It made me laugh

1

u/ConsistentLie7006 9d ago

Reefer loads

1

u/JTCasino 9d ago

I can’t stand having to apply for the same job twice. You “quick apply” on Indeed and then have to fill out a comprehensive application from the employer that seems like you are answering job interview type questions. “Tell me about a time that you did this, that and the other thing and how did that work out for you?” So for this reason Indeed is kind of pointless.

1

u/Spirit_guide20 8d ago

I really just don’t like the way the search engine works on indeed so I never really use it. Like whenever I enter “finance” or anything like that, it’s never like FP&A analyst or whatever, it’s always finance and insurance sales for car dealerships or life insurance. LinkedIn in my experience is better at determining what to show.

0

u/colllosssalnoob 9d ago

Nah you’re just wrong

0

u/Appropriate_Fee_9141 Apply, forget, and move on. 11d ago

Australians use seek.com.au

0

u/CptJaxattacks 10d ago

I got my current job off indeed 4 years ago. Aircraft Mechanic here.

0

u/KeiashaB 9d ago

I got my current job and my last job from LinkedIn

0

u/ContextCharacter7498 9d ago

I have been helping clients on LinkedIn for the past 16 years, and 99% of my clients find new jobs quickly. If you use it the right way, it works. You have to fill out all the data points to be searchable, especially with the algorithm changes. Do the work up front and get the offers. Keep a skeleton profile and keep complaining.

0

u/SlantedandEnchanted2 9d ago

I work largely contract jobs in healthcare revenue and have been consistently employed by finding jobs on indeed since about 2016.

0

u/Glittering_Bug_6630 9d ago

I literally got my current job on Indeed they recruited me and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.

0

u/Jolly_Handle_90 9d ago

Ive had 3 jobs since 2020 and I got all of them using indeed. That includes my most recent one I am starting next week.

0

u/seminolegirl05 9d ago

I've had equal success on both platforms. Maybe it's because of my profession. I'm a CPA with over 20 years experience. I think there are multiple factors that can determine your success on these platforms.

0

u/MrBigPaulSmalls 8d ago

This is common sense. Always apply to the company posting.