"I raced to every platform and hit "apply, apply, apply," only to realize that, according to the internet, what people really wanted wasn't just my resume or that god-awful cover letter. They wanted that blue-and-white website page to look sexy too. And mine absolutely did not. So I glossed her up, pressing all the buttons, maneuvering all the things, hoping confidence could be added retroactively."
"The platform asks us to perform competently at all times. But not actual competence, just the visual suggestion of it. You need a photo that says approachable but not fun, ambitious but not desperate. This is not a dating app, and the rules are somehow stricter. I had exactly one photo, taken last summer specifically for LinkedIn. After asking to retake it five times and still hating the result,"
A job seeker panics during winter break over an unsecured summer internship and applies widely. The applicant discovers that employers value a polished LinkedIn presence as much as resumes and cover letters, prompting intense profile curation. Profile photos and phrasing must signal approachability, ambition, and controlled eagerness while avoiding any hint of desperation. The platform encourages performative competence rather than demonstrating real skills. Peer announcements and celebratory posts intensify comparison, drive more applications out of fear or spite, and turn professional networking into a spectator sport that amplifies anxiety about time and progress.
Read at Her Campus
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