๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
October 13th, 2026
๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐๐
Sometimes I feel like I've been in this industry for 1,000 years! (And if you look at my profile, it's not far off.) I've watched the recruitment landscape evolve dramatically. I first became interested in LinkedIn around 2011, and by 2016/17 it had become my primary recruitment tool.
What has changed is the job market?
Right now, we are in what I consider to be one of the toughest employment markets I have seen in my career. Competition is fierce, which means you need to play the LinkedIn game smart.
๐จCrucial warning: Do not treat LinkedIn like Instagram, TikTok or Facebook.
LinkedIn expects professional behaviour. If you post inappropriate content, spam people, or use automation tools that breach their terms, you risk having your account restricted or even suspended.
Remember: a future employer will often look at your LinkedIn profile before they look at your CV.
๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ:
โ ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ - Use LinkedIn's verification features where available. Verifying your identity, workplace or education can add an extra layer of credibility and trust.
โ ๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ - No party photos, heavily filtered images, or cropped nights out. Choose a clear, professional head-and-shoulders photo.
โ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง - Don't simply list qualifications.
Tell your story. What interests you? What motivates you? What skills have you developed? Give employers a reason to remember you.
โ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ - You don't need years of corporate experience to impress employers. Projects, volunteering, sport, societies, leadership roles and part-time jobs all demonstrate initiative and work ethic.
โ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ - Recruiters often review your activity.
Make sure your comments and posts reflect the kind of colleague an employer would want to hire.
The market is tough, but those who learn how to use LinkedIn effectively will give themselves a significant advantage.
Luc Fountain
Back
Sometimes I feel like I've been in this industry for 1,000 years! (And if you look at my profile, it's not far off.) I've watched the recruitment landscape evolve dramatically. I first became interested in LinkedIn around 2011, and by 2016/17 it had become my primary recruitment tool.
What has changed is the job market?
Right now, we are in what I consider to be one of the toughest employment markets I have seen in my career. Competition is fierce, which means you need to play the LinkedIn game smart.
๐จCrucial warning: Do not treat LinkedIn like Instagram, TikTok or Facebook.
LinkedIn expects professional behaviour. If you post inappropriate content, spam people, or use automation tools that breach their terms, you risk having your account restricted or even suspended.
Remember: a future employer will often look at your LinkedIn profile before they look at your CV.
๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ:
โ ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ - Use LinkedIn's verification features where available. Verifying your identity, workplace or education can add an extra layer of credibility and trust.
โ ๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ - No party photos, heavily filtered images, or cropped nights out. Choose a clear, professional head-and-shoulders photo.
โ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง - Don't simply list qualifications.
Tell your story. What interests you? What motivates you? What skills have you developed? Give employers a reason to remember you.
โ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ - You don't need years of corporate experience to impress employers. Projects, volunteering, sport, societies, leadership roles and part-time jobs all demonstrate initiative and work ethic.
โ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ - Recruiters often review your activity.
Make sure your comments and posts reflect the kind of colleague an employer would want to hire.
The market is tough, but those who learn how to use LinkedIn effectively will give themselves a significant advantage.
Luc Fountain