When Applying Isn't Flying

Read Time — 3 Minutes

You’ve heard the stories:

“I applied to 500 jobs and only got 3 interviews”

“I wrote a tailored cover letter for every company. I still haven’t heard back...”

“I’ve been interviewing for 10 months with no offers. I’m exhausted!”

It feels like the Hunger Games of job searching right now, am I right?

I’ve been laid off 4 times. I understand your frustration. Trust me, I’ve been there!

As a former tech recruiter of 10+ years, I also come with a unique perspective.

I know what it’s like to hire people. Hundreds, in fact.

From intern to VP, I’ve had a front-row seat working with hiring teams to learn what it takes to get hired.

The good news? I really want to help you!

The more you understand how the job search game works (and it truly is a game), the more effective you’ll become.

The Application Treadmill

One of the best ways to win at job searching is to consider the recruiter’s perspective.

I know, I know. You’re thinking, why should I care about the recruiter? I’m the one who needs a job!

Trust me on this one, because these insights can really benefit you.

When a recruiter opens a job, the applications pour in.

By the hundreds. By the thousands.

They are ONE person. It’s simply impossible for them to review every resume.

Recruiting teams have been hit the hardest by layoffs. They’re often the first to be let go.

Their teams are more short-staffed than ever before.

They truly want to help you. I honest-to-goodness promise you this.

But they’re overwhelmed. They’re exhausted.

That’s why when you apply for a job, the likelihood of a recruiter seeing your resume is minuscule.

Per the gif above, the odds are NOT in your favor.

So all that time and energy you’re pouring into applications?

It’s like running on a treadmill, expecting to get somewhere. You’re expending a lot of energy, but not moving forward.

This is why it’s not worth your time and energy to apply to jobs.

The Don’t Apply Application Method

By now you might be thinking, if I’m not supposed to submit applications, how in the world am I supposed to get interviews?

Be a referral.

Being a referral used to be a nice extra. You’d have your prior colleague submit your resume and not think twice about it.

But times have changed.

The harsh truth: Being a referral is no longer optional.

But why is being a referral so important?

A referral typically guarantees that a recruiter will review your resume. It moves your application to the top of the list.

You will beat out 99% of job seekers if you do this (no joke).

But here’s a bonus tip: Most people don’t leverage their referrals effectively.

As a recruiter, here’s how I typically received referral submissions through our internal system:

“Jim is a college buddy of mine. I haven’t spoken to him in years, but he expressed interest in this role so I wanted to send his resume over.”

“Kelly and I worked at the same company but in different departments, so I can’t really vouch for her. Here’s her resume, please reach out if there’s interest.”

CRINGE.

These employees didn’t give me any reason to reach out to their connections. But these types of referrals happen ALL THE TIME.

And you know what I would do as a recruiter? Send a rejection email.

I just felt like they were wasting my time.

And you definitely don’t want a valuable referral to go to waste!

What should you do instead? Take control of the narrative.

If someone offers to refer you, send them a 2-3 sentence write-up they can submit on your behalf. Write it in the 3rd person so it appears like it came from the employee, not you.

Example (pretend you’re Melissa):

“I’m excited to submit Melissa for the Product Manager, Platform role. She and I partnered together on X project and she was able to deliver X results in X months. I can see her adding immense value to our product team since she’s partnered directly with engineering leadership and she’s used similar SaaS technology at scale.”

You can tell - the difference is astounding!

This extra step MATTERS. This is exactly what will move the needle to get you to that first interview round!

And if you don’t have a contact at a company you’re interested in being referred to, don't worry. I give advice on how to network and find those connections in a prior Layoff Lemonade issue.

The Winning Formula

So what happens if you land the interview?

The interviewing advice I’m about to give you is subtle. But it can be extremely effective when executed well.

My #1 tip for you is…

Be different.

You want to do everything you can to stand out in the best way possible throughout the interview process.

Here’s the secret sauce:

Treat every interview like a conversation.

The best interviews I had with candidates didn’t feel like interviews. They were conversations that I genuinely enjoyed.

Too many people make the mistake of treating an interview like a formal transaction.

They come off sounding stiff and rehearsed.

Would you want to hire a robot? I didn’t think so!

But how in the world are you supposed to do this? (I’ve got you, don’t worry!)

The best way to start is to ask questions throughout the interview. Then the interaction feels so much more natural.

Here’s an example:

Recruiter: "What specifically interested you in applying for this role?"

You: “What caught my attention initially was [mention a specific aspect of the role or company that intrigued you], particularly because [explain why it resonated with you]. But I’d love to hear from your perspective, what do you think makes this company different and why do you like working there?"

Why does this technique work so well?

You’re genuinely interested in them and the company.

A recruiter can tell the difference when you’re interviewing just to get any job vs. actually being excited and invested in the opportunity.

Very few people utilize this interviewing method. So if you put it into practice, you’ll immediately stand out from the masses!

You can use this technique in most types of interviews. I’d say the exceptions are if you’re in a live technical assessment or giving a presentation, so situations where there usually isn’t much time for general conversation.

I know the job market right now is truly abysmal. I’m hopeful this advice will help to alleviate some of your stressors and make your job search a bit easier.

Let me know if you try some of these techniques, especially if they end up working well for you! You can always reply directly to this email, I love hearing from you.

Big hugs, Jenny

P.S. If you feel like you’ve tried everything under the sun with your job search and still aren’t getting anywhere, let’s chat! One of my favorite things to do is to help people rethink their 9-5 and discover new career possibilities.