I've been actively searching for jobs and it's been quite a rollercoaster. Recently, I learned that LinkedIn is under investigation in Texas for ghost jobs, which are essentially job listings that don't actually exist or that companies have no intention of filling. It's estimated that 20 to 33% of online job postings might fall into this category, meaning that a significant portion of applications could be going nowhere. On top of that, I've noticed that Indeed's new AI features aren't much help either; they often recommend jobs that don't align with my background or show listings that are no longer available. With the two major job boards being so unreliable, I'm left wondering where to focus my efforts. I’ve been applying directly through company career pages for the last three months, and I've managed to secure two interviews this way. I find that using LinkedIn mainly to identify companies and then visiting their career pages has been more effective than applying through LinkedIn itself. I've also heard from others that referrals seem to be a reliable way to land interviews. A former coworker of mine recently helped me out by sending my resume to his manager at his new company, which I think is a great strategy in this tough job market. I’ve also explored other platforms like Greenhouse, Glassdoor, Click Hired, and Wellfound, which have yielded better results for me. It seems that applying through company sites directly is the way to go, as they tend to be more trustworthy than the job boards right now.