Yeah, LinkedIn always looked fake to me! But maybe they're fake because it's worth it for them.

I always refused to have a LinkedIn account (before the 2010s), and I still don't have one (2025). However, based on other people's experiences, it seems that you miss a lot of opportunities. Applying to jobs manually is a full-time job; maybe being found by a recruiter is easier to get a job?

Do recruiters even check manual applications? I can see that some people do, and as long as the application happens just a few minutes after being posted. For example, for "Who's hiring", if you don't apply immediately, you won't hear back!

Although I don't like it, LinkedIn seems to be very important if you don't want to waste your time. If you had an account 10 or 15 years ago, opportunities might have come knocking. Nowadays? Not very clear with so much noise out there.

So, maybe the fake LinkedIn people know much better than I do.