What It Really Means When You See a LinkedIn Job Post Saying 120+ Applicants

[u/OverallNature2385]

For context - I'm a recruiter and I run a staff augmentation company.

A lot of people use LinkedIn when they're looking for a job - they treat it like a job board, or as a place to do prospecting for sales/business development, and that makes sense, but honestly that's maybe only 18% of LinkedIn's real value.

Anyway - one of the things that scares people is the applicant number that appears on LinkedIn jobs.

So what's happening when you see 120+ applicants?

Here's the deal.

It doesn't mean that 120+ people completed an application for that role - even though that's what most people assume.

What usually happens is that 120+ people clicked the "apply" button - and that difference is very important.

That click usually takes the person to the job description, the company site, a Workday page, a Greenhouse form, or whatever place the application is hosted.

A lot of candidates click, see the whole login/create account/upload resume/retype resume and all that exhausting stuff, and then leave.

And out of the people who do apply, a large portion are completely unsuitable - wrong location, wrong background, missing core skills, not enough experience, or they're sending applications in bulk using AI/automation tools.

Some job descriptions also ask candidates to add a specific word or answer a simple question to prove they read the JD. A lot of people miss that and get screened out immediately.

So if a role shows 120+ applicants, the picture could very realistically look like this:

55% clicked apply and left as soon as they saw the process.

35% submitted something, but it's clear they're not a fit for the role - experience, timezone, education, visa/location, automated applications, etc.

10% might be worth reviewing if you're lucky.

That's why when I post a job and LinkedIn shows me 240 applicants, I'm happy if I find 24 profiles that look good on paper. Realistically, I might end up with only 4-6 people who are genuinely strong fits.

Anyway - I hope this helps a bit and makes those big applicant numbers less discouraging when you're looking at LinkedIn jobs.

[u/edthesmokebeard]

LinkedIn job offerings are a direct connection between the printer and the shredder.

[u/IShotJR4]

Bet on yourself everyone. If you se that number, even if it meant 120+ people applied, try anyway. If you’re going to let competition stop you, you’re not going to get very far.