The week I submitted 40 job applications and got 0 callbacks

Last month I spent an entire week firing off applications on LinkedIn and Indeed, probably 8 to 10 a day. Tailored my resume for each one, wrote custom cover letters, the whole deal. By Friday I had sent out 40 applications and heard back from literally nobody, not even a rejection email. The worst part was seeing the same jobs reposted a week later, like they didn't even look at my stuff. Anyone else ever put in that kind of effort and get radio silence? What did you change to finally break through?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam_thomas6d ago

The real issue nobody talks about is timing. Those job posts that get reposted a week after you applied are often ghost jobs. Companies just collecting resumes to build a talent pool or because they already have an internal candidate but have to post externally for legal reasons. I started checking how long a job had been up before applying. If it was over 48 hours on LinkedIn I figured it was already flooded with hundreds of applicants or just a dead post. Focused on the fresh ones from the last 24 hours and actually got a few interviews.

finley_price246d ago

The 48 hour rule is a game changer honestly... I started filtering by "past 24 hours" only and it cut my wasted applications by at least half. Ghost jobs are way too common now, especially for roles that stay posted for weeks on end.

averymartin6d ago

Gotta disagree slightly @sam_thomas, over 48 hours still gets some legit posts that just aren't reposted yet.