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‘Tell me why I need a degree in job searching just to apply for jobs’: TikToker reveals Google hack for job searches

‘If you say LinkedIn, I’m literally gonna punch you in the throat.’

Photo of Braden Bjella

Braden Bjella

man speaking finger up (l) google search 'site:lever.co site:greenhouse.io site:jobs.ashbyhq.com site:app.dover.io' with resulting websites 'Lever: Recruiting Software for More Hiring in Less Time' 'Inside.Lever' 'Greenhouse: Applicant tracking system & recruiting software' 'Lever Engineering' (c) man speaking (r)

After watching a video from TikTok user @vecnussy about how she doesn’t want to use LinkedIn to find a job, TikToker Tem (@tem.bv) shared a way to find employment without the platform.

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In a video with over 1.5 million views, Tem reveals his Google hack to find careers, bypassing LinkedIn and getting straight to job postings through the creative use of boolean terms in his Google searches.

@tem.bv #stitch with @Vecnussy #career #careeradvice #careertiktok #careertips #careers #careertok #careergoals #job #jobs #jobtips #jobsearch ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show
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The video shows Tem going onto Google and inputting a list of job application host sites, including Lever, Greenhouse, and Ashby, among others, which he says he acquired through browsing LinkedIn job listings.

From there, he further specifies what he’s looking for, adding his own skills while subtracting undesirable positions and skills he does not possess. He also adds a date to his search, allowing him to only see recent job postings.

After all this work, he has a streamlined job list catered to exactly what he is looking for.

In comments, he directed users to the SEMrush “Google Search Operators Cheat Sheet,” which provides instructions on how to use Google the same way he did.

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While some users were thankful for the instructions, most were simply amazed by Tem’s ability to utilize the power of Google.

“Tell me why I need a degree in job searching just to apply for jobs,” one user wrote.

“Oh great, so I’ve been using google like a toddler for my whole life…” another added.

“Bro is coding in the Google search bar,” a third shared.

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Others said that, while this tip is helpful, there is still value to approaching companies and people within those companies directly rather than relying on faceless job application sites.

“After 120 applications this spring, company’s websites had like a 35% hit rate for interviews. LinkedIn/Indeed had like 10% for me,” a commenter claimed.

“I got my job by using Indeed and calling them before applying and talking to them,” a second explained. “I would ask them what they’re about and they’re looking for.”

“There’s value in going directly to recruiters on LinkedIn though, higher response rate then getting filtered out by the resume algo,” an additional TikToker noted.

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Overall, however, users were simply appreciative of the tip.

As one user wrote, “This single tiktok was more helpful than the entirety of my university’s Career Center staff.”

Update 12:00pm, Aug. 24: In an email to Daily Dot, user @vecnussy shared the following: “From the confusion in the comments, i.e. ‘just use LinkedIn’ — the reason I was doing this is to only target hassle-free websites. As when I click apply on LinkedIn, I don’t know if that application process takes me 5 minutes or 30 minutes that involves a 25 step process along with a whole signup / email verification process etc.” @vecnussy also mentioned the above Boolean cheat sheet and encouraged users to use Google’s Advanced Search.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Tem via email.

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