Indeed, LinkedIn, or Recruiter? Comparing Job Search Strategies

You've heard all the advice. Optimize your LinkedIn. Apply to everything on Indeed. Network, network, network. But after weeks of following every tip, your inbox is still full of automated rejections. Or worse, complete silence.

So you start second-guessing everything. Maybe you should spend more time on LinkedIn. Or less. Maybe job boards are a waste of time. Or maybe you're just not using them right.

If the job search feels harder than it used to, you're not imagining it: 2025 was the weakest year for job growth since the pandemic, with employers adding just 584,000 jobs compared to 2 million in 2024. Economists have started calling it a "hiring recession," because companies aren't laying people off in large numbers, but they're not hiring much either.

The result is a frozen market. People who have jobs are staying put, which means fewer openings for everyone else. Job postings are down 15% from last year, and applicants are submitting more applications per opening than before.

In a tight market, your job search strategy matters more. And while there's no single "best" way to find a job, there is a smarter way to spend your time. It starts with understanding what each channel actually does well.

Referrals have the best results—here’s how to get them

Referrals remain the gold standard of today’s job market. While job boards generate 50% of applications, they account for just 27% of actual hires. Meanwhile, referral candidates are 2.8% of applicants, yet make up nearly 17% of hires. That means referred candidates are 11x more likely to be hired compared to job board applicants.

So how do you actually get referrals?

Start with people who already know you. Former colleagues, classmates, and managers are your warmest leads. Before cold-messaging strangers on LinkedIn, audit who you already know and where they work now.

Use LinkedIn to find connections at target companies. Search for a company, click the "People" tab, and filter by your school or previous employers. You're looking for any thread that makes your outreach personal rather than random.

Be specific when you ask. Don't send a vague "let me know if you hear of anything." Reference a specific job posting and make it easy to say yes or no: "I saw the marketing manager role posted last week. Would you be comfortable referring me?"

Remember that referrals benefit them too. Many companies pay employees $1,000 to $5,000 for successful referrals. You're not just asking for a favor.

►Your next step: List five people you've worked with in the past three years and check where they work now.

Job boards work best for entry-level and high-volume roles

Job boards have earned a bad reputation, but it's not entirely deserved. The problem isn't the platforms themselves. It's how people use them.

"When we look at Indeed and Zip Recruiter, those are very good as far as more entry-level roles," says Mason Armitage, Digital Product Development Manager at Kelly. His team manages relationships with major job boards and develops the technology that connects candidates with recruiters. "We use them a lot for electronic assembly, manufacturing roles. They're great for job fairs and hiring events."

Job boards excel at high-volume hiring where companies need to fill many similar positions quickly. They're also useful if you're re-entering the workforce and need tools to build or refresh your resume.

Where job boards fall short is matching. "It's really going to just show jobs based around your radius for location," Armitage says. "If your resume is not up to date or you decide not to use a resume, you may get a lot of irrelevant positions showcased." Without strong keywords and a complete profile, the algorithm has nothing to work with.

► Your next step: If you're using job boards, invest time in your profile and resume before mass-applying. The platforms match based on skills and keywords, so the more specific detail you provide, the better results you'll see.

On LinkedIn, engagement can boost your search

Many job seekers treat LinkedIn like Indeed with a social feed attached. That’s leaving opportunities on the table.

"LinkedIn is an interesting one because it's really turned into more of a social platform and networking," Armitage says. "We use it very commonly for our more professional roles."

The key difference is LinkedIn's algorithm rewards engagement. "Building connections on the platform is extremely helpful," Armitage explains. "The more you grow your network and interact and engage, you can actually get shown further up in searches by recruiting teams than just applying for a job."

This means your LinkedIn strategy shouldn't be limited to clicking "Easy Apply." Comment thoughtfully on posts in your industry. Connect with people doing work you find interesting. These activities make you visible to recruiters in ways that submitting applications alone never will.

►Your next step: Spend 15 minutes this week engaging on LinkedIn without applying to anything. Comment on three posts in your industry. The goal is visibility, not applications.

Recruiters give you access to networks you don't have

Armitage's own career path illustrates when working with a staffing agency pays off. He started at Kelly as a temporary customer service agent for a major tech company, a role he might never have accessed through direct applications.

"Working with the Kelly recruiter, they really took the time to see my direction as far as where I was trying to head, and helped place me in a few roles along the way to help get this experience."

That initial temporary role led to operations, then to his current position developing digital products. The staffing agency did more than just find him a job. They helped him build a career path.

Recruiters make particular sense if you're changing industries, re-entering the workforce, or struggling to get traction through direct applications. They maintain relationships with hiring managers that you don't have, and 84% of companies say referrals are their most cost-effective source of talent. Working with a recruiter essentially gives you a referral without needing to build the network yourself.

►Your next step: If you've been applying for months with limited results, consider connecting with a recruiter in your industry. It's a different channel with different conversion rates, and it costs you nothing.

How to actually balance your time

Quality beats quantity. Rather than firing off 20 applications on Monday and hoping for the best, invest time in fewer, better-targeted applications.

If you're entry-level or targeting high-volume roles: Job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter should be a significant part of your strategy, but not your only channel. Supplement with LinkedIn engagement and consider a staffing agency that specializes in your industry.

If you're targeting professional or specialized roles: LinkedIn engagement and networking should take priority. Your best opportunities will likely come through connections or recruiters who specialize in your field.

If you've been searching for months with limited results: Diversify. If you've been job-board-only, try adding in more networking. If you've been networking heavily with a limited network, working with a recruiter gives you access to relationships you don't have to build yourself.

When nothing’s working, tailor your resume

If you've been applying for months without results, Armitage says the first step is honest assessment.

"It may be that you're applying for the wrong type of positions in the industry, or your background may not best align," he says. "It's very common. We see all the time people bulk send cover letters or resumes and it's the same exact one, or it was tailored to one position or company."

The fix is to take the time to tailor your resume for the role. Job matching is skill-based, so the more skills you can list and identify in your role, the better matching chance you have.

►Your next step: Pull up three LinkedIn profiles of people in roles you're targeting. Note how they describe their skills and experience. Are you using the same language? If not, your resume might be getting filtered out before a human ever sees it.

Match your strategy to your situation

The "best" way to find a job depends on your situation: your industry, experience level, network, and how long you've been searching. But some principles apply broadly.

Don't put all your effort into one channel. Companies post different jobs on different platforms, and recruiters search across multiple databases.

Engagement matters more than volume. Whether you're on LinkedIn or working with a recruiter, building relationships beats mass-applying.

If your current approach isn't working, try something different. Job boards are the default for most seekers, which means they're also the most crowded. Recruiters and networking offer better conversion rates precisely because fewer people use them effectively.

Tired of the application black hole?

Connect with a Kelly recruiter who specializes in your industry. You'll get access to opportunities you won't find on job boards, and someone in your corner who can advocate for you throughout the process.