I have never known anyone to pay attention to certifications. I think it’s understood by everyone, except possibly some recruiters, that paid-for certifications

I have never known anyone to pay attention to certifications. I think it’s understood by everyone, except possibly some recruiters, that paid-for certifications mean next to nothing. Some exceptions may hold — for example at one time Oracle certifications did have value. I think applying for jobs on LinkedIn might be the actual problem. That site is the bottom of the barrel, the place people scrape through when all else has failed. You should start with your actual professional and personal contacts, i.e. people who know you as opposed to “connections” on LinkedIn and other social media sites. Identify specific companies you think you want to work for and target them by learning as much as you can. The idea is to present yourself as the perfect match for their actual needs, rather than one more mass-emailed resume that “ticks the boxes” on a generic job posting. You need to present yourself as someone who will add value and solve business problems. Regardless of what job postings say, no business has the requirement “We need another person with XYZ certification.” What business problems does that represent? Or rather what lazy outsourced hiring practice? If you don’t have a professional network (hard to imagine if you have 16+ years experience), reconnect with former colleagues and friends, and make it your goal to meet more people with jobs and spend less time on LinkedIn.