Impact of LinkedIn: A single viral video led to hundreds of interview requests for this job seeker

The impact of LinkedIn: Marta Puerto, like many job seekers in a tough labor market, was feeling discouraged. However, her luck changed when she posted a 1 minute, 42 second video on LinkedIn.

Instead of relying on a standard resume to introduce herself to employers, the Madrid-based marketing manager decided to try to tell her story in a different way and showcase her skills by marketing herself.

With over 60,000 likes and counting on LinkedIn, the video has caught the attention of hundreds of employers. Puerto said he is now inundated with interview requests from companies and has received more than 5,000 contact requests on the platform.

“I really thought my network would have maybe 100 or 200 likes at the most,” he said in an interview. “And now I get contacts from previous recruiters who had said no to me. And now they’re like, “Oh, now I want a piece of Martha.”

As layoffs continue and white-collar workers lose their influence in the labor market, standing out from the hundreds of qualified applicants has become increasingly difficult. This is especially true as companies turn to AI to screen candidates, making it more challenging to get applications in front of hiring managers.

After being laid off from fintech company Xolo in October, Puerto submitted several applications, but mostly received automated emails in response, and it was difficult for him to get to the next stage of the process. Dozens of automatic rejections began to weigh on him. He did well when he got an interview, but it was almost impossible to get there.

“That was the first hurdle I couldn’t break,” he said. “And so I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve got to do something.'”

Just minutes after the 29-year-old posted the video Wednesday under the title “Meet Marta: the movie,” he said a former colleague, now at another company, messaged him asking if he could interview him next week. After that, the messages started flooding in. He had to set up a separate email box just to handle the volume of requests.

Some employers have offered to pay for his relocation. “The interview I did today wanted me to move to London and I said no,” Puerto said. “But then they said, ‘Okay, we talked to the CEO, you can be remote, that’s fine.’