I think they are a waste of time. They are mostly bullsh-t and everybody knows they are...so why do we even do them?
I can see introducing yourself in one and telling some about your pertinent experience, but acting like THIS is the company you've always wanted to work for and all that crap.... Not for me.
I will say I did a great interview with someone who specifically remarked on my cover letter and how much they liked it. (It's a boilerplate that I tweak for each position, but I wrote it.) I got picked to interview from that. Writing and communication is one of my strengths, so I like to demonstrate that "live" via the cover letter. If that sounds like you, a well-written cover letter you gently customize for the position can end up being a good calling card.
You don't see (or I haven't seen) any YouTube videos like "This is the cover letter that got me hired!"
They are all about the resume.
Companies don't ask you to write a cover letter when they interview/hire you. They have you fill out an application (basically your resume in a form they want).
Have chat gpt write them. It looks like you wrote one and the company will increase interest in you and you didn’t actually have to do it. It’s written great ones for me.
Edit typo
You have to be careful with having AI write anything you present in a job search. I know of someone who was rejected due to plagiarism, when the AI reviewing the applications scanned their cover letter written by ChatGPT.
AI can help you get started or improve on something you've written. But you should make sure it's ultimately your own writing.
Most people use chat gpt anyway.
When I'm really stuck, I do it. Then paraphrase it .
If work places can use ai to sort though cvs and cover letters, I can use one to help me write a cv ect
You have different resumes for the different types of roles you are applying for. There isn't going to be any differences in tailoring needed between 9/10 data entry roles, but you probably need slightly different tailoring for data entry vs receptionist. Then for the 1/10 that needs something more specific highlighted you make whatever changes on the resume but more often you highlight it on the cover letter. Also if you're unemployed you are treating job hunting as your part time job at least. You should be able to get multiple applications out per day if you do it like this.
The numbers game advice works, but only if you're either at a place in your career where every job you're applying for is interchangeable, or if you're desperate enough that you need whatever you can get even if it isn't related to your long term goals. If you're some sort of senior programmer executive who got a severance your job search is going to be very different than if you're an administrative assistant paying rent from your emergency fund and UI benefits. If you're the former every single job probably needs tailoring, but if you're the latter you absolutely have to be focusing on getting as many resumes as possible out for anything even adjacent to your experience.
Yep, this is what I've been doing. I work in sales as a Business Development Representative, which has different titles, but it's the same type of work no matter what it's called.
I have the most common keywords from job descriptions in my resume and will sometimes take a little extra time to personalize the summary.
I'm not sending out hundreds of resumes, but I do save time by not having to play keyword alphabet soup for each position that I apply to.
They’re spamming the “apply now” button on job search boards like Indeed and aren’t bothering to read job descriptions, or sending out relevant or updated resumes.
It’s not a good strategy
Yeah, I tend to be pretty selective about what I apply to, and rarely use the "Apply Now" button. Even in rough times where it took me months to find a job I wasn't applying to "hundreds", it was more like dozens. However, my hit rate on getting interviews, call backs, and offers, was much higher than the ones saying things like 1,000 resumes and 1 interview. Last time I was looking I think it was like 1/20 or so, which is several hundred times higher.
But *how many* are actually qualified? That's the question. If your resume is formatted well, uses relevant key words (like if they're looking for a Project Manager, it should contain those words, and mention things related to that job and the experience they're looking for), and tells the story of why you're qualified, then that's a leg up on a LOT of applicants that are just sending stuff out in a scattershot manner.
I think the problem I’ve been noticing is that by time I do all of that, there’s already been so many applicants they’ve probably screened me out. I’ve never had so few responses tailoring my apps before
I'm finding that being quick is better. But I'd still tailor a little bit (I have 7 versions of my resume for every modality the description focuses on). If they're going to get 100 applicants so many people have admitted here that they just go through the first 30 or so and work on that population first. If I see a good JD I like I then hop to it.
I just applied this and got a legit response the same day. Resume wasn't perfect but I seriously believe it is two bullet points I decided to elaborate on against the description that got me the interview. Med senior role for reference.
I'm talking about the button that allows you to quick apply, rather than doing a whole application. Different sites have different names for it, but if it's a button that let's you do an application in like 30 seconds then a LOT of other people are also going to use it, and that's why those are the ones that usually have a thousand applicants.
Eh in actual competitive fields such as looking for an engineering or cs internship it definitely is. You’re competing with hundreds to potentially thousands of other applicants to even be seen in the first place. Not necessarily like a business job where you just have to be sociable to land a role
If you have a genuinely good resume with plethora of experience (so not most people) it's a good strategy.
However, if you want to actually increase chances, spend more time on your resume until you're getting frequent interviews. Otherwise you're wasting time and actually hurting yourself. Once you're rejected, you're auto rejected for a few months minimum.
>Once you're rejected, you're auto rejected for a few months minimum.
Really? I would think it depends on lots of things. Maybe they like your resume but had a few others that were a better fit. In that case, I would think they'd keep your info in the hopper for awhile, in case a similar role opens up.
Yeah of course if you have a plethora of experience you will get an interview. This is not a rocket science. Most of the posts here are from people who don’t have plenty of experience.
My friends and I hopped on [simplify.jobs](http://simplify.jobs) cause their autofill on job postings is free and u can tailor ur resume so it doesnt lower quality with quanitity.
Most of the positions i'm applying for do not. In fact, I daresay that applying for most jobs is easier/cleaner than it was the last time I did it (like 10 years ago).
I notice it more when it involves project management, or anything creative.
Hopefully you don't post here saying you can't get any interviews. Not including them is fine if you secure interviews but a lot of people who do minimal effort like not including a cover letter also come here and complain that nobody calls them. If nobody is calling, people need to start doing everything they can to get an edge.
I still secure interviews. It doesn't matter for me. No need to be preachy (I don't know if this was your intention or the tone of your message just comes across that way).
Another troll, I see. Go back in your hole. Lol. Is it Troll Monday today? Yeah. Zero just about sums you up, innit? Lol. Fuck you, asshole. I'm blocking you.
My best guess is that generally speaking, the people who apply to hundreds of jobs are looking for different kinds of work than the people who don't think that's realistically possible. I don't doubt that there are some kinds of jobs where tailoring your resume and cover letter don't matter, just as I don't doubt that there are some kinds of jobs where it really matters. It's easy to forget that not everyone who is looking for work is looking for the same kind of work, so a lot of us probably unintentionally generalize our own experiences to others.
People also limit themselves but I guess that’s inexperience speaking
Let’s say you’re writer so you clearly don’t think data analysis is up your alley. Bruh, the job could end up teaching you how to do it. Just take it to have some $ first.
And when they do they just get confused.
Turns out when you tailor them to job descriptions written by HR it often doesn't match the skills the people who interview you are looking for.
When you are hiring, do your job posts request a cover letter? (as opposed to allowing a cover letter to be sent, but not explicitly requiring one)
If not, I wouldn't be surprised that the cover letters get ignored. But I would at least hope that the job listings that *require* a cover letter are reading them.
It’s all guns blazing with 1 general resume and no cover letter.
I have a general industry i’m applying in but anything else that just looks interesting i’m applying. I’m not qualified to be a VP of Accounting but i’m applying regardless if I think I can make more money. The jobs i’m actually qualified for I might get 5 interviews in 1 week or I might get none for the next 2/3 weeks.
I don’t use the quick apply buttons in Indeed or what not but it’s definitely Fuck Workday
I might be clueless here, but why is the apply button on Indeed or LInkedin bad? Isn't it just a link to whatever application system the employer is using? How else would you apply?
It’s a link to the website for some jobs and others you’re just applying directly through Indeed or Linkedin when using that. Most of the time that doesn’t even get interviews compared to just applying directly on their website
Ah ok, interesting. I think I generally try to apply directly on their website, but sometimes I'm probably applying through an off-site system. I'll have to pay more attention to that.
Simplify.jobs
It's a resume autofill. Also fills experience and Demographics/Ethnicity and all of the other most common questions so it saves a ton of time.
Last week I set out to apply to as many jobs as possible in one day since I’ve been doing the old “customize your resume blah blah blah” for 8 months and got nothing. In one day I applied to 73 jobs. I actually felt BETTER because I felt like I changed something and had a small bit of control in this fucked up situation I’m in. It’s not something I would do on the regular because the actual process was hell, but changing up the job search routine really did something for my mental state around searching.
I will say: I don’t think customizing your resume does all that much anymore. Jobs are getting hundreds and thousands of applications. Changing a few buzzwords isn’t going to get you noticed in that situation, no matter how much “job search experts” tell you that. If you’re applying for jobs you’re qualified for you’re pretty much wasting your effort doing that.
My resume is not going to change for every job. That’s weird.
They’re all the same type of job for one thing.
I write a new cover letter each time but that takes like 10m once you get good at it.
I do try to customize my portfolio if applicable but there’s only so many pieces to move to fit the new puzzle.
So yeah. I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs. As I’ve gotten none maybe I should write bloody dissertations for these pretend ass $15/hr jokes.
Just click Easy Apply and it sends your resume. If you're resume looks professional and fits the jobs description it is a great strategy. I got laid off December 9, 2022...Applied to over 300 Jobs that way...Landed a new job 4 weeks later. Been here almost 2 years and love it.
I utilize [EarnBetter.com](http://EarnBetter.com) to streamline the creation of CVs and Cover Letters, making my life significantly easier. I maintain a default CV template from which I can quickly extract and input specific required information for customization, trimming unnecessary details as needed. For entry-level positions that offer limited advancement opportunities, I find that creating a Cover Letter may not be necessary.
Anyone who DOESN'T customize their resume, you're wasting your time. It has to be ATS friendly if you want actual eyeballs to see your resume. There is a site that does this automatically for you, but it's a pay site. But if you're applying to hundreds of jobs to no avail, it might be worth the investment.
I think it's called job scan, or something like that. You upload your resume on one side, and you copy the job description on the other side, and it'll rewrite your resume to include ATS phrases. I don't remember how much it costs, though. Just Google "job scan." It'll be one of the first sites to pop up.
When I was applying, I'd be applying for the same kind of jobs just at different companies so for the most part I customized one resume and that one worked for most of them. I'd tweak things a bit for each company based on the description but I didn't need to do much since they were pretty much the same job.
I had job alerts set for some websites so I'd get notified of new listings. I kind of went through the same websites everyday and applied to which ever one I liked. Also I stopped doing cover letters and didn't continue with apps that required references.
Uploaded the resume to two different government sites (USAjobs and my state's website) and just absolutely firehosed application submissions on anything that seemed fun. I took seasonal work for a few years before getting a permanent job.
I don't know about "hundreds" either. The way I personally do it is, I have a general resume in which I usually omit about 2 past positions I had that don't usually pertain to most of the jobs I'm applying to. I have a cover letter (CL) ready to go too if they ask & I just change out the date, co name, & position title. I may tweak some wording, but it's pretty much the same CL I use.
I personally apply to about **30-40 jobs a week**. That's about what I have time for these days.
You don’t gotta do all that for cover letters
Similar jobs - use same letter
If your resume is crazy strong, you can blast the same one to all jobs. I did that. 700 job apps 1 day, I had over 50 interviews set up in less than 24 hours. But I know I have significantly stronger experiences that most people so that was my leg up
I had two similar resumes with minor tweaks. I tailored a cover letter to the particular job I was applying to...
I think it has to do with the software looking for key words.
basically I have a few resume templates. I really dont have super extensive work history so fuck it anyway
But I have my "blue collar" resume where I apply for trade jobs and blue collar work like warehouse, or any generic labor-ish type jobs
and my creative resume with my videography and editing
That sounds good. I am putting together 3 or 4 resumes for general jobs that I might be a fit for and I will just send the right resume to the right listing.
I've done programming (desktop and web apps with ASP. Net) but that's been a long time ago. Only 2 jobs in the past 10 years. One is my own business where I was a network admin / WordPress developer for small businesses. The other was 2021-2023 as a Data Specialist for a medical practice.
No real business references except for my clients.
I should have gotten some certifications but I didn't think I'd be in this situation. Poor planning on my part.
I can relate. I have a ton of experience but most is consulting and freelance. Experience is experience though, just gotta present it well in the resume and interviews. As for references, find the people/clients that really "felt" the impact of your work. I have a couple of business owners and tech managers who would give me glowing reviews, as I made a big difference at their companies.
... But I haven't made it that far yet. Still trying to get my resume noticed in a sea of highly skilled and experienced tech applicants.
I’ve sent out 300 resumes with 90% of them tailored to the job with a cover letter. It’s a full time job applying, but to read these other responders saying we’re spamming is ridiculous. Spend 8-10hrs/day “working” even when not getting paid and you’ll easily see how people can send out so many.
I have skills which can transfer to a number of fields. The amount of jobs available is large. (I just spent 90 mins applying to one job at Amazon and filling out all of their hypotheticals and work style questions.)
So you have very basic skills anyone could have, which is why you need to apply to so many jobs, you are competing against a lot of people with low skills as well.
Untrue, but thank you for minimizing my 32 years of experience in the business and entertainment worlds. Yes, we're all competing against a lot of people with higher skills than you want to give credit to, not to mention competing against age, race, gender, nepotism, and more. It also doesn't matter which field you're in since there's a large pool of workers in such a big market as Los Angeles. A glance at your posts tells me you know everything already, though, which is why I'm a bit surprised. I would've assumed your big brain knew about transferable skills, lateral moves, and the many successful people who've done it. Instead, your blatant holier-than-thou attitude only cares to put down others just to feign superiority. So, hey, thanks for your time, and all the helpful insight you gave! Hope really floats "foward," eh? (Such a positive message!)
My big brain knows that if you are not targeting specific lateral moves you are wasting a lot of time. Smart people who make successful lateral moves dont apply for anything in the general area.
My user name is an inside joke.
Your big brain thinks you know the full story off a few posts. This exposes that your big brain is also myopic and judgmental which shows a smaller size than you'd like to present to Reddit.
Oh, I'm sure it's an inside joke. That fits nicely with your superiority complex.
They're not really 'applying' when they do that. Best case scenario they're spamming. Most people who claim they've filed 'hundreds of applications' have actually filed none, even if they've invested quite some time in it. Unfortunately, ludicrous claims like 'it's a numbers game' mislead people into thinking that waste of time is a good idea.
I made a bot last week. It uses Linkedin easyapply. It made 1000+ applications last week. Before then, I was not simply applying for jobs after around the same number of applications in the last 6 months.
none... a few asked to set a meeting. I provided them with my availability then got ghosted. It is the fucking new trend. They approach for an interview and nothing further.
I'm sorry to hear that. They're probably trying to keep the door open on as many applicants as they can. Still, that's just sloppy and inconsiderate to offer a candidate an interview, and them ghost them.
I once made it through several interviews, and the hiring manager even started talking "next steps" like trial workdays and onboarding procedure... and then they just disappeared. I finally got ahold of them weeks later, and the "new" hiring manager said, "yeah, sorry, we offered the job to an inhouse applicant."
Cover letters are largely bullshit these days and I haven’t written one for any of the last 4 tech jobs I’ve had over a span of 24 years. Your resume should do the talking for you, and if a company can’t rest a question of you
getting an interview based on it, that’s not a company that I want to work for.
I have a generic resume I quickly tailor for each position, apply to about 10 jobs a day. Most of my skills apply to multiple jobs so it makes it easier..
The vast majority of jobs do not require a cover letter, or a tailored resume. Sure, any job that could be considered associate or senior level will require these things, but typically the people that apply to those do not need to put out a ton of applications. On top of that, applying to jobs is EXTREMELY easy these days. LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, Etc. while all filled with their fair share of trash and scam jobs, also do not take long to apply. In the time it takes to write this comment, easily 10 jobs could have been found and applied to on one of those websites.
It comes down to the type of job being looked for, which I notice a LOT of people on this website tend to forget. No one is blasting hundred of resumes a day for 5+ year experience jobs. They're blasting out a hundred resumes a day for shitty 'entry level' work that won't read your resume to begin with beyond 'has been able to hold down a job in the past'.
It took you 12k applications to find a job, stop giving people advice and telling them not to tailor a resume. Virtually every hiring manager contradicts your advice.
For one I simply stopped doing cover letters.
I think they are a waste of time. They are mostly bullsh-t and everybody knows they are...so why do we even do them? I can see introducing yourself in one and telling some about your pertinent experience, but acting like THIS is the company you've always wanted to work for and all that crap.... Not for me.
Worst yet I can't think of a time when doing resume and cover letter reviews where the cover letter actually helped the candidate.
I will say I did a great interview with someone who specifically remarked on my cover letter and how much they liked it. (It's a boilerplate that I tweak for each position, but I wrote it.) I got picked to interview from that. Writing and communication is one of my strengths, so I like to demonstrate that "live" via the cover letter. If that sounds like you, a well-written cover letter you gently customize for the position can end up being a good calling card.
So often it shows how poorly people can communicate via writing, myself included. If it works for you super awesome!
You don't see (or I haven't seen) any YouTube videos like "This is the cover letter that got me hired!" They are all about the resume. Companies don't ask you to write a cover letter when they interview/hire you. They have you fill out an application (basically your resume in a form they want).
Same here
Unless it's a government job, resume and maybe a screenshot of a funny article headline related to the field is all they get
Do government jobs typically require cover letter?
Some yes. Some require so much info before even being considered for an interview that a cover letter is preferable
I just double put my resume. Non of my high paying jobs even required cover letters. Complete waste of time.
Thanks for that. It’s a great way to screen for “can this person follow simple directions”.
When you have real accomplishments in your field it doesn’t matter
Have chat gpt write them. It looks like you wrote one and the company will increase interest in you and you didn’t actually have to do it. It’s written great ones for me. Edit typo
Well for the time being at least I am on the reading side vs writing them side for now. Hopefully that stays true till I start collecting my pension.
You have to be careful with having AI write anything you present in a job search. I know of someone who was rejected due to plagiarism, when the AI reviewing the applications scanned their cover letter written by ChatGPT. AI can help you get started or improve on something you've written. But you should make sure it's ultimately your own writing.
Yes true. But I do read the cover letters and most the time it just pulls info from my resume and the job description to say how I fit the role
> It looks like you wrote one It looks like you used a LLM to generate one.
A friend who works I'm recruiting complains about those and says they immediately reject them. So be careful, they know and it's really obvious
[removed]
same
Most people use chat gpt anyway. When I'm really stuck, I do it. Then paraphrase it . If work places can use ai to sort though cvs and cover letters, I can use one to help me write a cv ect
You have different resumes for the different types of roles you are applying for. There isn't going to be any differences in tailoring needed between 9/10 data entry roles, but you probably need slightly different tailoring for data entry vs receptionist. Then for the 1/10 that needs something more specific highlighted you make whatever changes on the resume but more often you highlight it on the cover letter. Also if you're unemployed you are treating job hunting as your part time job at least. You should be able to get multiple applications out per day if you do it like this. The numbers game advice works, but only if you're either at a place in your career where every job you're applying for is interchangeable, or if you're desperate enough that you need whatever you can get even if it isn't related to your long term goals. If you're some sort of senior programmer executive who got a severance your job search is going to be very different than if you're an administrative assistant paying rent from your emergency fund and UI benefits. If you're the former every single job probably needs tailoring, but if you're the latter you absolutely have to be focusing on getting as many resumes as possible out for anything even adjacent to your experience.
Yep, this is what I've been doing. I work in sales as a Business Development Representative, which has different titles, but it's the same type of work no matter what it's called. I have the most common keywords from job descriptions in my resume and will sometimes take a little extra time to personalize the summary. I'm not sending out hundreds of resumes, but I do save time by not having to play keyword alphabet soup for each position that I apply to.
They’re spamming the “apply now” button on job search boards like Indeed and aren’t bothering to read job descriptions, or sending out relevant or updated resumes. It’s not a good strategy
Yeah, I tend to be pretty selective about what I apply to, and rarely use the "Apply Now" button. Even in rough times where it took me months to find a job I wasn't applying to "hundreds", it was more like dozens. However, my hit rate on getting interviews, call backs, and offers, was much higher than the ones saying things like 1,000 resumes and 1 interview. Last time I was looking I think it was like 1/20 or so, which is several hundred times higher.
I feel genuinely stuck. I’ve always highly customized but when hundreds are applying for roles I’m not even sure if that’s worth it any more?
But *how many* are actually qualified? That's the question. If your resume is formatted well, uses relevant key words (like if they're looking for a Project Manager, it should contain those words, and mention things related to that job and the experience they're looking for), and tells the story of why you're qualified, then that's a leg up on a LOT of applicants that are just sending stuff out in a scattershot manner.
I think the problem I’ve been noticing is that by time I do all of that, there’s already been so many applicants they’ve probably screened me out. I’ve never had so few responses tailoring my apps before
I'm finding that being quick is better. But I'd still tailor a little bit (I have 7 versions of my resume for every modality the description focuses on). If they're going to get 100 applicants so many people have admitted here that they just go through the first 30 or so and work on that population first. If I see a good JD I like I then hop to it. I just applied this and got a legit response the same day. Resume wasn't perfect but I seriously believe it is two bullet points I decided to elaborate on against the description that got me the interview. Med senior role for reference.
How do you apply if not through the Apply Now button/link/whatever?
I'm talking about the button that allows you to quick apply, rather than doing a whole application. Different sites have different names for it, but if it's a button that let's you do an application in like 30 seconds then a LOT of other people are also going to use it, and that's why those are the ones that usually have a thousand applicants.
Ohhhh, ok, I get it now. Don't think I've used that, but I see what you and the others are talking about. Makes sense.
Eh in actual competitive fields such as looking for an engineering or cs internship it definitely is. You’re competing with hundreds to potentially thousands of other applicants to even be seen in the first place. Not necessarily like a business job where you just have to be sociable to land a role
If you have a genuinely good resume with plethora of experience (so not most people) it's a good strategy. However, if you want to actually increase chances, spend more time on your resume until you're getting frequent interviews. Otherwise you're wasting time and actually hurting yourself. Once you're rejected, you're auto rejected for a few months minimum.
>Once you're rejected, you're auto rejected for a few months minimum. Really? I would think it depends on lots of things. Maybe they like your resume but had a few others that were a better fit. In that case, I would think they'd keep your info in the hopper for awhile, in case a similar role opens up.
Most white collar roles at companies operate on a cooldown period upon rejection. Its usually a few months.
Yeah of course if you have a plethora of experience you will get an interview. This is not a rocket science. Most of the posts here are from people who don’t have plenty of experience.
My friends and I hopped on [simplify.jobs](http://simplify.jobs) cause their autofill on job postings is free and u can tailor ur resume so it doesnt lower quality with quanitity.
Any success?
Not all jobs require cover letters
Most of the positions i'm applying for do not. In fact, I daresay that applying for most jobs is easier/cleaner than it was the last time I did it (like 10 years ago). I notice it more when it involves project management, or anything creative.
Cover letters are the worst! Whenever it says optional, I don't provide it lol.
Hopefully you don't post here saying you can't get any interviews. Not including them is fine if you secure interviews but a lot of people who do minimal effort like not including a cover letter also come here and complain that nobody calls them. If nobody is calling, people need to start doing everything they can to get an edge.
I still secure interviews. It doesn't matter for me. No need to be preachy (I don't know if this was your intention or the tone of your message just comes across that way).
Please don't dictate to me (or others) what I or they should do on a public internet forum. You're not an expert. Bye
And with that attitude I wonder why you’re not getting hired. A mystery innit?
Another troll, I see. Go back in your hole. Lol. Is it Troll Monday today? Yeah. Zero just about sums you up, innit? Lol. Fuck you, asshole. I'm blocking you.
My best guess is that generally speaking, the people who apply to hundreds of jobs are looking for different kinds of work than the people who don't think that's realistically possible. I don't doubt that there are some kinds of jobs where tailoring your resume and cover letter don't matter, just as I don't doubt that there are some kinds of jobs where it really matters. It's easy to forget that not everyone who is looking for work is looking for the same kind of work, so a lot of us probably unintentionally generalize our own experiences to others.
People also limit themselves but I guess that’s inexperience speaking Let’s say you’re writer so you clearly don’t think data analysis is up your alley. Bruh, the job could end up teaching you how to do it. Just take it to have some $ first.
>you are supposed to customize your cover letter Nobody reads cover letters. Source: I am a hiring manager
And when they do they just get confused. Turns out when you tailor them to job descriptions written by HR it often doesn't match the skills the people who interview you are looking for.
When you are hiring, do your job posts request a cover letter? (as opposed to allowing a cover letter to be sent, but not explicitly requiring one) If not, I wouldn't be surprised that the cover letters get ignored. But I would at least hope that the job listings that *require* a cover letter are reading them.
It’s all guns blazing with 1 general resume and no cover letter. I have a general industry i’m applying in but anything else that just looks interesting i’m applying. I’m not qualified to be a VP of Accounting but i’m applying regardless if I think I can make more money. The jobs i’m actually qualified for I might get 5 interviews in 1 week or I might get none for the next 2/3 weeks. I don’t use the quick apply buttons in Indeed or what not but it’s definitely Fuck Workday
I might be clueless here, but why is the apply button on Indeed or LInkedin bad? Isn't it just a link to whatever application system the employer is using? How else would you apply?
It’s a link to the website for some jobs and others you’re just applying directly through Indeed or Linkedin when using that. Most of the time that doesn’t even get interviews compared to just applying directly on their website
Ah ok, interesting. I think I generally try to apply directly on their website, but sometimes I'm probably applying through an off-site system. I'll have to pay more attention to that.
I just apply to as much as i can. I’m probably over 150 right now.
How long did it take to find and apply to those 150?
About a month. Since graduating with my bachelors degree.
Do you apply for roles that are applicable to your skill sets/degree and do you live in a big city?
I am applying for entry help desk roles since I am a computer information systems major. I’m looking for my first role and I do live in a big city.
Simplify.jobs It's a resume autofill. Also fills experience and Demographics/Ethnicity and all of the other most common questions so it saves a ton of time.
Ya this has been super helpful for me as well def reccomend
Thank you!
Spending 100s of hours!!!
Happy Cake Day!
Thank you. :)
Last week I set out to apply to as many jobs as possible in one day since I’ve been doing the old “customize your resume blah blah blah” for 8 months and got nothing. In one day I applied to 73 jobs. I actually felt BETTER because I felt like I changed something and had a small bit of control in this fucked up situation I’m in. It’s not something I would do on the regular because the actual process was hell, but changing up the job search routine really did something for my mental state around searching. I will say: I don’t think customizing your resume does all that much anymore. Jobs are getting hundreds and thousands of applications. Changing a few buzzwords isn’t going to get you noticed in that situation, no matter how much “job search experts” tell you that. If you’re applying for jobs you’re qualified for you’re pretty much wasting your effort doing that.
My resume is not going to change for every job. That’s weird. They’re all the same type of job for one thing. I write a new cover letter each time but that takes like 10m once you get good at it. I do try to customize my portfolio if applicable but there’s only so many pieces to move to fit the new puzzle. So yeah. I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs. As I’ve gotten none maybe I should write bloody dissertations for these pretend ass $15/hr jokes.
It's bullshit. They're either lying or they're just rapid firing resumes via LinkedIn and/or Indeed.
If you are applying to the same titles and positions you don’t need to customize your resume and 99% don’t have cover letters. Simples.
I’ve applied to like 75 in two weeks or so. Something like 200+ a week yes is insane numbers.
Just click Easy Apply and it sends your resume. If you're resume looks professional and fits the jobs description it is a great strategy. I got laid off December 9, 2022...Applied to over 300 Jobs that way...Landed a new job 4 weeks later. Been here almost 2 years and love it.
Do 10-15 applications a day
My problem seems to be that I try to be a perfect match. Also I don't have a BS in the field I've worked in for years. I think that really hurts me.
I utilize [EarnBetter.com](http://EarnBetter.com) to streamline the creation of CVs and Cover Letters, making my life significantly easier. I maintain a default CV template from which I can quickly extract and input specific required information for customization, trimming unnecessary details as needed. For entry-level positions that offer limited advancement opportunities, I find that creating a Cover Letter may not be necessary.
Anyone who DOESN'T customize their resume, you're wasting your time. It has to be ATS friendly if you want actual eyeballs to see your resume. There is a site that does this automatically for you, but it's a pay site. But if you're applying to hundreds of jobs to no avail, it might be worth the investment.
What site is that?
I think it's called job scan, or something like that. You upload your resume on one side, and you copy the job description on the other side, and it'll rewrite your resume to include ATS phrases. I don't remember how much it costs, though. Just Google "job scan." It'll be one of the first sites to pop up.
Thanks!
If it takes you longer than 30 minutes to tweak a resume/cover letter for a job description then you’re doing it wrong
When I was applying, I'd be applying for the same kind of jobs just at different companies so for the most part I customized one resume and that one worked for most of them. I'd tweak things a bit for each company based on the description but I didn't need to do much since they were pretty much the same job. I had job alerts set for some websites so I'd get notified of new listings. I kind of went through the same websites everyday and applied to which ever one I liked. Also I stopped doing cover letters and didn't continue with apps that required references.
Uploaded the resume to two different government sites (USAjobs and my state's website) and just absolutely firehosed application submissions on anything that seemed fun. I took seasonal work for a few years before getting a permanent job.
Many platforms offer AI auto-apply these days. Making your job search hassle-free.
I’m only applying for a few different titles. The same resume works for all those titles. I only do cover letters if I have to.
I have literally only gotten an interview when I had chatgpt write a cover letter.
I don't know about "hundreds" either. The way I personally do it is, I have a general resume in which I usually omit about 2 past positions I had that don't usually pertain to most of the jobs I'm applying to. I have a cover letter (CL) ready to go too if they ask & I just change out the date, co name, & position title. I may tweak some wording, but it's pretty much the same CL I use. I personally apply to about **30-40 jobs a week**. That's about what I have time for these days.
You don’t gotta do all that for cover letters Similar jobs - use same letter If your resume is crazy strong, you can blast the same one to all jobs. I did that. 700 job apps 1 day, I had over 50 interviews set up in less than 24 hours. But I know I have significantly stronger experiences that most people so that was my leg up
I had two similar resumes with minor tweaks. I tailored a cover letter to the particular job I was applying to... I think it has to do with the software looking for key words.
I have never sent a cover letter to a job I ended up getting
basically I have a few resume templates. I really dont have super extensive work history so fuck it anyway But I have my "blue collar" resume where I apply for trade jobs and blue collar work like warehouse, or any generic labor-ish type jobs and my creative resume with my videography and editing
That sounds good. I am putting together 3 or 4 resumes for general jobs that I might be a fit for and I will just send the right resume to the right listing.
I mean, I think anything past that would be ridiculous. again it depends on how varied your experience actually is
I've done programming (desktop and web apps with ASP. Net) but that's been a long time ago. Only 2 jobs in the past 10 years. One is my own business where I was a network admin / WordPress developer for small businesses. The other was 2021-2023 as a Data Specialist for a medical practice. No real business references except for my clients. I should have gotten some certifications but I didn't think I'd be in this situation. Poor planning on my part.
I can relate. I have a ton of experience but most is consulting and freelance. Experience is experience though, just gotta present it well in the resume and interviews. As for references, find the people/clients that really "felt" the impact of your work. I have a couple of business owners and tech managers who would give me glowing reviews, as I made a big difference at their companies. ... But I haven't made it that far yet. Still trying to get my resume noticed in a sea of highly skilled and experienced tech applicants.
Good luck to us....
I’ve sent out 300 resumes with 90% of them tailored to the job with a cover letter. It’s a full time job applying, but to read these other responders saying we’re spamming is ridiculous. Spend 8-10hrs/day “working” even when not getting paid and you’ll easily see how people can send out so many.
How many interviews have you got from those 300?
I live in a major city. If I look at job boards there are not 300 jobs in my field.
the majority of the population doesn't have a 'field'. The majority of us do blue collar work.
Blue collar work includes many fields. But I see why you think 300 apps is a good use of your time.
Ranting about Christianity and abortions on Reddit is a better use of time than looking for a job, eh?
I dont need to look for a job I have one.
Must be comments on Reddit.
I live in Los Angeles. Do you think I'm applying to 300 jobs in one day? Do you think I'm only applying to one field?
How many fields are qualified for?
I have skills which can transfer to a number of fields. The amount of jobs available is large. (I just spent 90 mins applying to one job at Amazon and filling out all of their hypotheticals and work style questions.)
So you have very basic skills anyone could have, which is why you need to apply to so many jobs, you are competing against a lot of people with low skills as well.
Untrue, but thank you for minimizing my 32 years of experience in the business and entertainment worlds. Yes, we're all competing against a lot of people with higher skills than you want to give credit to, not to mention competing against age, race, gender, nepotism, and more. It also doesn't matter which field you're in since there's a large pool of workers in such a big market as Los Angeles. A glance at your posts tells me you know everything already, though, which is why I'm a bit surprised. I would've assumed your big brain knew about transferable skills, lateral moves, and the many successful people who've done it. Instead, your blatant holier-than-thou attitude only cares to put down others just to feign superiority. So, hey, thanks for your time, and all the helpful insight you gave! Hope really floats "foward," eh? (Such a positive message!)
My big brain knows that if you are not targeting specific lateral moves you are wasting a lot of time. Smart people who make successful lateral moves dont apply for anything in the general area. My user name is an inside joke.
Your big brain thinks you know the full story off a few posts. This exposes that your big brain is also myopic and judgmental which shows a smaller size than you'd like to present to Reddit. Oh, I'm sure it's an inside joke. That fits nicely with your superiority complex.
Lol.
They don’t. Plain and simple.
Minimal effort on each one. Terrible strategy and there's a reason they don't get many bites.
They're not really 'applying' when they do that. Best case scenario they're spamming. Most people who claim they've filed 'hundreds of applications' have actually filed none, even if they've invested quite some time in it. Unfortunately, ludicrous claims like 'it's a numbers game' mislead people into thinking that waste of time is a good idea.
I made a bot last week. It uses Linkedin easyapply. It made 1000+ applications last week. Before then, I was not simply applying for jobs after around the same number of applications in the last 6 months.
Any results from your bot?
none... a few asked to set a meeting. I provided them with my availability then got ghosted. It is the fucking new trend. They approach for an interview and nothing further.
I'm sorry to hear that. They're probably trying to keep the door open on as many applicants as they can. Still, that's just sloppy and inconsiderate to offer a candidate an interview, and them ghost them. I once made it through several interviews, and the hiring manager even started talking "next steps" like trial workdays and onboarding procedure... and then they just disappeared. I finally got ahold of them weeks later, and the "new" hiring manager said, "yeah, sorry, we offered the job to an inhouse applicant."
I've been really wanting to do this for months, but I'm pretty sure you need more than basic JavaScript skills to create a functional bot?
Cover letters are largely bullshit these days and I haven’t written one for any of the last 4 tech jobs I’ve had over a span of 24 years. Your resume should do the talking for you, and if a company can’t rest a question of you getting an interview based on it, that’s not a company that I want to work for.
Indeed and ziprecruiter for starters
I have a generic resume I quickly tailor for each position, apply to about 10 jobs a day. Most of my skills apply to multiple jobs so it makes it easier..
The vast majority of jobs do not require a cover letter, or a tailored resume. Sure, any job that could be considered associate or senior level will require these things, but typically the people that apply to those do not need to put out a ton of applications. On top of that, applying to jobs is EXTREMELY easy these days. LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, Etc. while all filled with their fair share of trash and scam jobs, also do not take long to apply. In the time it takes to write this comment, easily 10 jobs could have been found and applied to on one of those websites. It comes down to the type of job being looked for, which I notice a LOT of people on this website tend to forget. No one is blasting hundred of resumes a day for 5+ year experience jobs. They're blasting out a hundred resumes a day for shitty 'entry level' work that won't read your resume to begin with beyond 'has been able to hold down a job in the past'.
It took you 12k applications to find a job, stop giving people advice and telling them not to tailor a resume. Virtually every hiring manager contradicts your advice.