A young man from Generation Z discovered a LinkedIn flaw to be the first candidate and ended up working at Google.

Finding a job in a saturated market is one of the biggest challenges for Generation Z, a cohort that faces fierce competition for every available vacancy. In this scenario, any advantage, no matter how small, can make all the difference.

Michael Yan, a young computer engineer, shared an ingenious trick that allowed him to get ahead of other candidates on LinkedIn, quadrupling his chances of being considered for a position, according to data confirmed by experts to Business Insider. His simple but effective method consists of slightly modifying the search URLs on the platform.

The LinkedIn Trick
Yan’s strategy stems from a technical observation: when LinkedIn displays job postings in the last 24 hours, it uses a specific number, 86400, in its links, corresponding to the number of seconds in a day. By changing this parameter to 3600—the number of seconds in an hour—the system filtered only newly posted job postings in the last 60 minutes. In this way, Yan ensured he was one of the first to apply, a decisive advantage considering that applying within the first 10 minutes increases the likelihood of receiving a response up to four times, as reported by the platform.

He ended up working at Google and Meta
Thanks to his strategy, Michael Yan managed to access high-demand positions at top-tier technology companies like Google and Meta, where competition can reach over a thousand candidates per vacancy. His case reflects a growing trend among young professionals: the creative use of technology not only as a work tool, but also as a strategic ally in their careers. This agile and adaptive mindset will be crucial in a labor market that is transforming at an accelerated pace due to automation and artificial intelligence.

Beyond his personal anecdote, Yan’s trick raises a broader reflection on the new rules of the game in the job search. Speed, technical knowledge, and the ability to understand digital systems have become essential skills for making headway in a hyper-competitive work environment. For Generation Z, mastering these codes is not just an advantage: it is increasingly an unavoidable necessity.