We tested 150 'recommended' jobs. One was real.
Over a couple of weeks, we collected every job Seek, TradeMe and LinkedIn actively recommended to a real, detailed 20+ year graphic designer and project management CV. Not jobs we searched for — jobs their own algorithms chose to push. Then we scored all 150 properly: hard requirements checked first, domain and seniority fit assessed honestly, no keyword shortcuts.
jobs recommended by their own algorithms
genuine strong match
The "recommendations" included a drainlaying role (2/100, zero trade skills or experience), a mining processing supervisor (2/100, no mining industry background whatsoever), a mechanical maintenance engineer (2/100), and a commercial drone pilot requiring a CAA licence the candidate has never held (4/100).
WHY IT MATTERS
One role, a delivery lead position at a healthcare provider, was recommended three separate times — twice via LinkedIn, once via TradeMe. Same job, same employer, counted as three different "opportunities."
New Zealand's unemployment rate hit 5.6% in the June 2026 quarter — the highest in 11 years. Job seekers are routinely submitting over a hundred applications per listing.
Platforms charging employers to post into that volume have no incentive to make the matching more precise than a keyword search — the fee is the same either way. It costs job seekers hours, and it costs employers too: every one of those applications lands on someone's desk, sorted by a keyword match rather than an actual read of the role.