How to Use LinkedIn Like a Conversation (Not a Job Board)

Let me paint you a picture.

You walk into a networking event. There are hundreds of people milling around, drinks in hand, chatting in small groups. What do you do?

Option A: You walk up to a stranger, shove your resume in their face, say "I'm looking for a job," and walk away.

Option B: You introduce yourself, ask what they do, find some common ground, and have an actual human conversation.

If you picked Option A, congratulations, you've just described how most people use LinkedIn.

And it's not working.

LinkedIn Is a 24/7 Networking Event (Not a Digital Filing Cabinet)

Here's the thing most job seekers get wrong: LinkedIn isn't a place to park your resume and wait for magic to happen. It's not a vending machine where you insert applications and job offers fall out.

LinkedIn is a room full of real people. Recruiters, hiring managers, industry leaders, potential colleagues, they're all there, scrolling through their feeds, just like you.

The problem? Most people treat it like a job board. They update their profile once a year, hit "Easy Apply" on fifty listings, and then wonder why their inbox stays empty.

I call this the "Apply and Pray" method. And I've been in recruiting long enough to tell you: it almost never works.

What does work? Treating LinkedIn like what it actually is, a conversation.

Why "Apply and Pray" Is Killing Your Job Search

Let's get real for a second.

When you blindly apply to jobs without any human connection, you're competing against hundreds (sometimes thousands) of other applicants. Your resume gets fed into an applicant tracking system, scanned for keywords, and if you're lucky, maybe a human glances at it for six seconds.

Six seconds.

That's not a job search. That's a lottery ticket.

I wrote about this recently in Why 80% of Job Seekers Never Get a Callback, and the feedback was overwhelming. People are frustrated. They're doing everything "right" and getting nowhere.

The secret? The best opportunities rarely come from cold applications. They come from relationships. From conversations. From being a real human in a sea of faceless applicants.

How to Actually Start Conversations on LinkedIn

Alright, enough about what's broken. Let's talk about what works.

1. Comment With Value (Not Just "Great post!")

Here's a free tip: before you ever send someone a direct message, engage with their content publicly first.

See a recruiter post something interesting? Leave a thoughtful comment. Not "Great insights!" but something that shows you actually read it and have something to add.

For example:

• "This resonates with me because I experienced something similar when transitioning from bedside nursing to case management..."

• "I'd add that in my experience, the interview question that trips up most candidates is..."

This does two things. First, it puts your name on their radar. Second, it transforms you from a cold stranger into a warm connection. When you eventually send that DM, they'll recognize your name.

2. Send Personalized Messages (That Aren't Creepy)

Nobody wants to receive a copy-paste message that clearly went to 200 other people. We can smell those from a mile away.

Instead, keep it short, keep it human, and reference something specific:

Bad: "Hi, I'm looking for new opportunities in healthcare and would love to connect."

Good: "Hi Sarah, I saw your post about the challenges of retaining Gen Z nurses, it really hit home for me. I've been thinking about how workplace flexibility plays into this. Would love to hear more of your thoughts sometime."

See the difference? One is a transaction. The other is a conversation starter.

3. Share Insights, Not Just Job Hunt Updates

Your LinkedIn feed shouldn't be a running diary of "Still looking!" and "Open to work!" posts.

Instead, share things that demonstrate your expertise:

• An article you found interesting (with your take on it)

• A lesson you learned in your last role

• A trend you're noticing in your industry

• A question that sparks discussion

When you consistently share valuable content, you become someone worth following. And when you're worth following, opportunities find you.

4. Ask Questions That Invite Real Responses

Here's a psychological truth: people love to give advice. They love to share their expertise.

So instead of leading with what you need, lead with curiosity:

• "What's the biggest change you've seen in healthcare hiring over the past year?"

• "I'm curious, what do you look for in a candidate that doesn't show up on a resume?"

Open-ended questions invite dialogue. Yes/no questions end conversations before they start.

Build the Bridge Before You Need to Cross It

This is the part most people get backwards.

They wait until they're desperate, laid off, burned out, or stuck in a dead-end job, and then they start networking. By that point, they're playing catch-up, trying to build relationships while simultaneously needing something from those relationships.

It's awkward. And it shows.

The smartest career move you can make? Build your network before you need it.

Connect with recruiters in your field even when you're happily employed. Engage with industry leaders. Comment on posts. Share insights. Be a presence.

That way, when you do need to make a move, you're not starting from zero. You've already got a bridge built.

I talk about this philosophy a lot at Great Bay Staffing. We're not algorithms scanning for keywords. We're real people who respond to real humans. And we remember the people who treated us like people, long before they needed a job.

The Great Bay Staffing Philosophy: Humans First

Here's what I believe after years in this business: recruiting is still fundamentally a people business.

Yes, there's AI. Yes, there are applicant tracking systems and automation tools. But at the end of the day, humans hire humans. And humans respond to other humans who treat them like... well, humans.

I wrote about this in Why Recruiting Is Still a Phone Business, and I stand by it. Technology is a tool, not a replacement for genuine connection.

When you reach out to us, don't send a generic template. Tell us your story. Ask us questions. Be curious about what we do. Treat the interaction like a conversation between two professionals: because that's exactly what it is.

Your Action Plan (Starting Today)

Let's make this practical. Here's what I want you to do this week:

1. Engage with three posts from people in your industry. Leave thoughtful, substantive comments.

2. Send two personalized connection requests to people you'd genuinely like to know: not because you need something right now, but because they seem interesting.

3. Share one piece of content that showcases your thinking. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece. Just share something valuable.

4. Update your headline to reflect what you do, not just your job title. "Helping patients navigate complex care transitions" is more compelling than "Registered Nurse."

5. Respond to anyone who engages with your content. Keep the conversation going.

That's it. No magic tricks. Just consistent, human engagement over time.

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn can be one of the most powerful tools in your career arsenal: but only if you use it right.

Stop treating it like a job board. Stop applying and praying. Start treating it like what it actually is: a room full of real people having real conversations.

Be one of those people.

The opportunities will follow.

Looking for guidance on your next career move? We're always up for a conversation. Reach out to the team at Great Bay Staffing: real humans who actually want to hear your story.