Why Applying to Too Many Jobs (Doomjobbing) Can Hurt Your Job Search
Today I came across the term “doomjobbing”. Naturally I was curious, and the more I learned, the more concerned I became, especially for new graduates entering an already challenging job market.
What Is Doomjobbing?
If you’re not familiar, it’s basically a “quantity over quality” approach to applying for jobs (here’s an overview from USA Today). It’s being equated to doomscrolling, and I get it, I really do. I remember particularly my first time on the job market after graduation as I waited for interviews, calls, any response at all really. It felt like I should cast a wider net, that applying to more jobs would surely increase my chances of landing something. Life lessons, statistics, and hindsight have made me realize that was not necessarily the case…and that was before AI and the “easy apply” buttons came along.
Why Applying to Too Many Jobs Backfires
Doomjobbing by applying to as many jobs as possible without tailoring your applications might feel productive, but it can actually reduce your chances of getting hired by overwhelming hiring systems and lowering your match quality.
ATS Filters Out Low-Match Applications
Let’s think about what happens when you take a “doomjobbing” approach to your job search and start applying to too many jobs at once. Your resume goes into the company’s applicant tracking system (ATS). If that resume is AI-screened before even getting to the recruiter’s inbox, you might be swiftly rejected or ghosted if the qualifications on your resume aren’t a good enough match to the job requirements. So when you apply to too many jobs that aren’t a strong fit, you’re increasing the likelihood of rejection before your application is even reviewed by a person
Recruiters Are Overwhelmed by Volume
Let’s say there’s no AI pre-screen or you get through it. Now your resume heads to a recruiter in HR…along with hundreds of other resumes from other applicants who hit the easy apply button too. Let’s be generous and say the recruiter spends 10 seconds looking at each resume. If there are 100 applicants, we’re already talking about more than 16 hours on resume reviews alone, let alone narrowing it down and setting up phone screens. Keep in mind that recruiter is also likely trying to fill more than one position at a time, and you can see how that workload could get overwhelming quite quickly. Your resume is essentially a needle in a haystack and even well-qualified candidates might not make it to the hiring manager’s inbox at that rate.
Hiring Managers Notice Misaligned Applications
If you’re not applying to a large company, you might “luck out” with all resumes routed directly to the hiring manager. Now that flood of resumes has been dumped on someone who has a full-time day job in addition to trying to fill this role on their team, so they are even more strapped for time with even less patience. Applicants who are a poor fit really stand out at this stage, and not in a good way. For example, I was part of the hiring committee for a position I specifically stated was not a good fit for an entry-level/new graduate candidate when I shared it online, and I was flooded with inquiries and expressions of interest from entry-level grads. In some cases that might seem like initiative and enthusiasm is a good thing, but when I was overwhelmed with candidates to sift through, it felt more frustrating that people disregarded specific instructions.
Why This Makes a Broken Hiring Process Worse
I really do feel like the hiring process was already kind of broken before AI got folded into everything. AI has amplified issues with the process, and doom jobbing is only adding fuel to that fire.
If you prefer a sports analogy, think about a baseball player whose batting average has dropped to an all-time low (say, below .200). Just taking more at-bats is not going to solve the problem. In fact, more at-bats could make that average even worse. At that point, it’s time for the player to take a different approach, such as adjusting their swing, changing up training, or even focusing on other areas of their game to take a mental break from the stress of the struggle. Much like the slumping hitter, I think job seekers need to break free of the doomjobbing and try a different approach.
A Better Job Search Strategy
So how do we avoid doomjobbing and find a better approach? The goal of an effective job search strategy isn’t to apply to more jobs; it’s to apply more intentionally. Fewer, better-aligned applications will almost always outperform a high-volume approach.
I will share some recommendations in my upcoming webinar, so sign up today to join me and learn more about how to set yourself up for better outcomes. You can also contact me about an individual consultation.