Job seekers are likely aware the cringe factor on LinkedIn posts is high these days.
On the one hand, there’s a flood of AI-generated “thought leadership,” recycled sentence structures, and posts decorated with the same emojis. On the other hand, people vent about how hard it is to get hired. The platform may have started to feel pointless for many. But LinkedIn still is an incredible tool for getting noticed, finding opportunities, and connecting with people who can change your career. You can find real value and get an entirely different experience when you’re mindful of who you follow.
Once you take control of that, things start to shift. And that’s when you can actually start using LinkedIn to your advantage.
Let’s talk about 5 ways you can use LinkedIn to your benefit and without feeling cringe.
Don’t feel pressured to post
You don’t need to post daily or even weekly to make any use of LinkedIn. If you’re not sure what to post, try commenting on useful content first? Comments are a low-pressure way to show up. Try: “This was really helpful, thank you.” or “I’m going through something similar, thanks for sharing.” Just keep it authentic.
You can focus on using Linked with with small, but meaningful engagement.
Ensure you:
- Organize your profile
- Comment and react to helpful posts
- Build your network of people to follow
- Save job leads
- Follow recruiters and managers
Connect with people you’d like to learn from
Back to my initial point: the people you follow have a huge impact on your experience on LinkedIn. If your feed’s full of hustle culture, recycled AI posts, or “sell, sell, sell” content, it might be time to rethink who you’re giving your attention to. LinkedIn is full of not-so-famous creators who share genuinely practical, thoughtful advice, and they exist across industries.
To find more authentic content, start small by:
- Searching for topics that matter to you
- Following a few voices who feel authentic and grounded, not just loud
- Unfollow the hustle-bros, the generic “thought leaders,” and anyone who leaves you feeling discouraged instead of inspired
Get in touch
On LinkedIn, people are actually approachable and many will respond to comments or DMs. Don’t let someone’s title, following, or industry fame intimidate you. If you read a great article, watch a great video, or stumble on a project you’re genuinely excited about, reach out to the person behind it. Congratulate them. Thank them. Tell them exactly what you loved. Ask them for an informal chat. You’d be surprised how often people say yes. Honestly, 50% of the time (or more!) they’ll agree. And just like that, you’ve just made a super valuable connection. Sometimes, reaching out can open doors you didn’t even know existed.
Casual chats can turn into:
- informational interviews
- ongoing mentorship
- collaboration
- future job opportunities
- or simply a positive connection
FYI: Big Interview has actually hired people based on informal chats they had with their team. That’s how real and impactful these conversations can be!
Keep it human, not AI-generated
You don’t have to try hard to notice that some posts and comments somehow all sound the same.
Maybe it’s the dramatic openings.
Maybe “it’s not about X, it’s about Y” play.
Maybe it’s the rule of three obsession (see what I did there?).
AI is a fantastic tool for brainstorming things to write about or polishing a sentence or two. But when you use it to write an entire post from scratch, it stops sounding like you. And people can feel that, especially people who know you in real life. When you comment or post, show the real you and write in your voice. Share what you think, even if it’s simple. It doesn’t have to be perfectly worded, as long as it’s your own.
Build your presence gradually
LinkedIn is not a place where you have to perform. You don’t need to post every week, chase virality, or do a complete renovation of your account overnight. You can edit something today and update something else tomorrow. Rushing things will add unnecessary pressure that won’t help with anything.
You can start small and still make real progress:
- Add one or two lines to your About section
- Share a post once a month about something you actually learned
- Leave one thoughtful comment a week on someone’s post in your field
- Save roles you’re curious about and see what skills you’re missing
- Send a short thank-you message when someone posts something that helped you
- Follow a few people who consistently share practical, relevant advice
This will take a lot of the pressure off, and you’ll start showing up more naturally. This is how you actually use LinkedIn for what it was meant for: building opportunities, not building an audience.
This article is adapted from a biginterview newsletter. Subscribe here to get tailored expert advice to get you hired.