LinkedIn’s “Top Applicant” feature

I've never been a big fan of LinkedIn's "Top Applicant" feature. The main reason: employers don't have any control over who sees the top applicant alert.

It sets up this terrible, ugly expectation from the start that because you're a top applicant, you're going to be guaranteed an interview, or a phone screening, or some kind of interaction from the employer.

Then, when the rejection message arrives, the disappointment hits twice as hard and mingles with confusion, frustration, and bitterness over the seemingly failed promise of the alert.

If you see the top applicant alert, it usually means that there's something about your profile's content that aligns with the content of the job posting. It could be related to location. It could be related to certain skills or keywords. But it's not something that guarantees a specific, positive interaction from an employer.

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