The Shame No One Admits on LinkedIn

Let’s tell the truth.

Every time you open LinkedIn, you see it: another “Thrilled to announce…” post.
Someone got promoted. Someone landed the VP role. Someone is so excited to begin their next chapter.

And you? You feel it in your stomach.

• Did I screw up my career?

• Am I falling behind?

• Why does everyone else seem to know the rules of the game but me?

That gut-punch? That’s shame. And most people will never admit they feel it. But we will. Because here’s the truth we at Get Her Hired need you to hear:

👉 You are not behind. You are stuck in a system that was never built for you to win.

The Broken Reality

This is not your imagination. The hiring process is broken.

Stand up if you’ve been ghosted… literally EVERYONE stands. 61% of job seekers report it happening after interviews.

Imagine investing your time, your energy, your hope, and then hearing nothing. Silence isn’t feedback. Silence is cruelty. And seriously: who are the magical 39% who HAVEN’T been ghosted? Good for those queens.

This is real. 1 in 5 job postings are “ghost jobs,” listed for optics or pipeline-building with no intention to hire. Talent acquisition leaders have confirmed this to me personally. That means you’re playing a game where some doors were never real to begin with.

Don’t let an ATS cock-block your career before you even get in the room. Everyone is obsessed with “beating the ATS.” But ATS systems don’t hire people, humans do. The real problem isn’t whether a keyword trips the system, it’s whether an actual human ever lays eyes on your resume.

And LinkedIn? It can be a highlight reel. A brave few post about the 40 rejections before the one offer. But mostly? Nobody shares the burnout, the interviews that went nowhere, the years of being overlooked.

So let’s get this straight: You’re not failing. You’re not “behind.” You’re playing inside a machine — capitalism, racism, patriarchy — that profits from keeping you invisible.

Here’s What We Want You to Know

The shame you’re carrying? It doesn’t belong to you.

It belongs to oppressive systems: the real engines behind a hiring process designed to keep you doubting yourself.

These ingrained ways of being:

• Reward sameness over originality.

• Promote insiders while gatekeeping outsiders.

• Exploit your labor with endless applications and false promises.

• Gaslight you into believing you’re the problem, when in fact, you’re the proof.

Here’s the truth: even inside this rigged system, you still have power.

How to Take It Back (Today)

When the shame spiral hits, here’s what you do:

1. Stop worshipping the highlight reel.
That post you’re jealous of? It’s PR. It’s champagne-toast energy after months (or years) of grind you’ll never see. You’re comparing your messy middle to someone else’s curated climax. Don’t do it.

2. Pull your receipts.
Write down five things you’ve built, fixed, or led in the past year. A project. A process. A team. A relationship. That’s your story. That’s your proof. That’s what makes you undeniable.

3. Move one piece forward.
Momentum doesn’t come from overhauls; it comes from micro-shifts.
– Edit one bullet on your resume.
– DM one person who could open a door.
– Write down one title you’re claiming next.

Tiny moves compound into tidal waves. Always.

Stop Asking the Wrong Damn Question

You’ve been asking yourself the wrong question: “What if I fail?”

That’s capitalism’s favorite trick — patriarchy’s favorite trick — racism’s favorite trick. Keep you so scared of falling that you never climb.

Here’s the better question:
👉 “What’s the BEST that can happen?”

• What if the bullet you edit today is the one that gets read?

• What if the DM you send this week sparks the conversation that changes everything?

• What if you’re not “behind” at all, but one bold reframe away from being seen for who you already are?

The Final Word

You are not broken.
You are not failing.
You are not behind.

You are navigating capitalism, racism, and patriarchy: systems that profit from your invisibility.

And every time you refuse to carry shame that isn’t yours, every time you take one step forward anyway, every time you flip the question to “what’s the best that can happen?” — you are taking your power back.

So the next time LinkedIn shame comes for you? Pause. Breathe. And remember: Capitalism is broken. Racism is broken. Patriarchy is broken. You are not.

Need some inspo while you wait for your next interview? 

Join us for our next Undeniable Sessions! Registration required.

📆 Thursday, September 4 at 11am CT. Featuring coach and author Dr. Tonya Jackman Hampton. Dr. Tonya is here to light a fire under your fabulous self. We’ll be talking about her book: “The Myth of the Fearless Leader: Exposing a New Path Beyond Fight, Flight, and Freeze”. Whether you’re ditching a soul-sucking job or staring down a life shift that’s got your knees shaking, we’ve got the mindset magic and strategy to help you strut through it like the queen you are. REGISTER HERE!

These sessions ALWAYS include at least 20 minutes of Q&A - that means YOUR questions, answered. And as always, it’s anonymous, so ask away.

👋 Before you Go …

Not getting interviews? It might not be you; it might be your résumé. We’ll tell you in 30 seconds if your resume is the problem. Book a call. Let’s remove the guesswork and get your Q4 search strategy moving. 📞 Book a call. 

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