How to apply for jobs effectively

Question

Hi, I am looking for some tips to apply for jobs. Currently, I am doing an internship. I applied for 800+ jobs and I only had 8-10 interviews. I want to avoid this struggle for full-time. I did not go for referrals nor did I contact the recruiters. Could this be a reason for the low interview rate? Also, what should be the right time to apply for these jobs? Any tips would help a lot. I am targeting 2023 full-time roles.

Metaman · Accepted Answer

From what you’re saying, 3 simple things you can do to get a 10x better response rate:

1. Have a hiring manager or experienced individual in your field review your resume and give you feedback.

2. Always get a referral if you can, even if it takes slightly longer than submitting an application.

3. Apply to roles that are a fit. Definitely apply to some stretch roles, but if you’re applying to multiple positions, tune your resume accordingly. For example, if you’re applying to PM/TPM roles vs SWE roles, make separate versions of your resume that communicate your experience appropriately for the given role.

HangryMan83 · Answer

Lots of different factors here. Applying to 800+ jobs sounds unrealistic. I probably haven’t applied to 800 jobs in 10 years of working. I can’t imagine those were quality applications.1) narrow your search to roles you ACTUALLY care about. If you get interviews and seem uninterested, you’re not gonna get far.2) use a resume parser to beat the ATS, or applicant tracking system. You’re going to want to format your resume to match terms from the job description. It’s a screening tool, especially for highly competitive jobs. If you aren’t making a resume for each job, you aren’t setting yourself up for success.3) make sure you’re not padding your resume with terms to sound smart. Recruiters can spot a fake or padded resume pretty easily these days. Even if you get past the ATS, you’re gonna get exposed at some point if you’re unqualified.4) depending on the role and size of company, when you apply matters. It’ll be good to have a mix of applications for large and small companies simply because the hiring process timelines are different and companies may have immediate needs. Depending on the state of the economy, companies may be on hiring freezes until things turn around. So if I was in your position, I’d ramp up my applications in Q3 and Q4 since budgets usually are adjusted then for the new year.

19g6wl3un8vyf · Answer

The idea is to apply for a matching role instead of increasing probability by applying for more roles.Because in the end it comes down to the probability of clearing the rounds after initial contact, which is higher for the role that matches your experience. And that I’d say is typically 1/5 in offer/full loop

19g615l1c8yag4 · Answer

If you are not getting responses after 100s of applications, it’s your resume. Make sure it’s machine readable; make sure it has as many of the keywords as the job description has.

yqr7sskhd · Answer

I can tell you right now, the process you're using to source and apply for jobs is inefficient and ineffective. Some quick tips:

1) Apply for jobs curated by your department or university career center. Most schools have a job board of some kind where employers post the jobs they are specifically hiring for at that school. If you didn't know, companies have recruiting road tours and if they are at your school, they want to hire there.

2) if your department or career center hosts company info sessions, attend. Having face-to-face interactions with recruiters are the best. If they are virtual, be active in the chat or ask questions during the Q&A time.

How to apply for jobs effectively

About

Software Engineer

Members