You’ve polished your resume, set up job alerts, and maybe even rewritten your LinkedIn bio five times. But here’s the real question: where should you actually spend your time looking for jobs?
Is LinkedIn the golden ticket, or are job boards like Indeed and Glassdoor still pulling weight? And more importantly—where are recruiters actually paying attention?
Let’s break it down, channel by channel, and figure out where your effort really counts.
1. The Case for LinkedIn: More Than Just a Digital Resume
LinkedIn isn’t just a place to park your work history. It’s a full-on job ecosystem.
Here’s what makes it powerful:
- Recruiters can search for candidates based on skills, job titles, and industry.
- You can apply directly to roles with your profile.
- You can connect with people who already work at the companies you’re targeting.
It’s not just a static platform—it’s dynamic, searchable, and interactive. That makes it recruiter-friendly by design.
2. Recruiters Love LinkedIn for Passive Candidates
Not everyone actively applies for jobs. Many recruiters use LinkedIn to find people who aren’t looking—but might be open.
They search by keywords, location, current company, and even mutual connections.
If your profile isn’t optimized with the right keywords, you’re probably invisible to them.
Fix it:
Make sure your headline includes the job title you want, not just the one you have.
Fill out the “Skills” section.
Use phrases like “Open to new opportunities” in your summary—even better if you toggle on the “Open to Work” setting.
3. The Case for Job Boards: Volume, Speed, Simplicity
Platforms like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and Glassdoor still dominate the job posting world. Why? Because they’re:
- Easy to use
- High volume
- Designed for fast filtering
Recruiters post there because they get a flood of applicants quickly. These platforms also have better tools for sorting by location, salary range, or education level.
They’re ideal for companies that want to fill a position fast, especially for roles in operations, customer service, logistics, or admin work.
4. Job Boards = Active Searchers
When recruiters post to job boards, they’re expecting a response fast. These platforms are full of active job seekers, which can be good—or overwhelming.
The downside? You’re often competing with dozens (sometimes hundreds) of other applicants who clicked “Apply” in the same 10-minute window.
That means your resume has to be sharp and your application fast.
Tip:
Use job boards to spot openings, but don’t rely on the one-click apply. If you’re really interested, try going direct to the company’s website or following up via LinkedIn.
5. What About Easy Apply on LinkedIn?
Ah, the deceptively easy “Easy Apply” button. It feels efficient. It’s also very… crowded.
For popular jobs, Easy Apply listings can get thousands of applicants. And since you didn’t submit a resume or cover letter, there’s less info for recruiters to judge you on.
Use with caution:
If a job seems like a perfect fit and you’ve already optimized your LinkedIn profile, go for it. Otherwise, find the hiring manager or apply through the company site with more materials.
Think of Easy Apply as a light touch—not your main strategy.
6. Which Roles Work Best on Which Platform?
Here’s a rough guide based on how recruiters tend to behave:
LinkedIn dominates for:
- Tech
- Marketing
- Design
- Sales
- Strategy roles
- Anything mid-senior level or above
Job boards are strong for:
- Operations
- Administrative support
- Warehouse/logistics
- Customer service
- Entry-level roles
- Government or healthcare jobs
Of course, these aren’t hard rules. But they’re useful for understanding where recruiters put their energy, based on industry norms.
7. Want the Best of Both? Combine Platforms
The most successful job seekers don’t pick one—they use both.
Here’s a simple workflow:
- Use job boards to identify roles and get a sense of what’s available
- Then research the company on LinkedIn
- Apply through the company’s site if possible
- Connect with someone from the team (or recruiter) on LinkedIn afterward
This multi-touch approach helps you show up in both the system and their social network.
8. Track Where You Apply—and Who Responds
Not all platforms work equally for every person. Some folks get tons of hits from Indeed, while others only hear back from LinkedIn.
You won’t know what works for you unless you track it.
Use a job hunt tracker (spreadsheet, Notion, or Airtable) and note:
- Where you found the job
- Where you applied (LinkedIn, company site, job board)
- If you heard back, and how long it took
After 15–20 applications, patterns will emerge.
9. Where Recruiters Actually Look: The Honest Breakdown
Here’s what most recruiters do:
They search their internal candidate database
If you’ve ever applied before, your info might already be in there.They search LinkedIn
Especially for mid-level and senior roles. Keywords matter.They post to job boards for reach
But they expect a flood of applicants, and many won’t make it past the initial filters.They rely on referrals
Don’t underestimate how often someone gets hired because they knew someone who worked there.
The more places you show up, the more chances you have to get noticed.
10. Where Should You Focus?
Short answer: both—but be strategic.
If you’re in a creative or knowledge-based field, invest time into making your LinkedIn profile incredible. Post occasionally. Engage with people. Connect with hiring managers.
If you’re in a high-volume field, job boards will give you reach—but your resume needs to be on point. Set up alerts. Apply fast. Follow up smart.
And if you're applying to a dream role? Use all the channels—LinkedIn, job board, website, email, mutual connection. Don’t be shy.
