Job Application Flow State

Written June 20, 2024

Efficiently Managing Job Applications

Applying to tech jobs in 2024 is a strange thing. Most people hiring are looking for someone they want to work with and solid foundational skills. However, most job postings include a myriad of keywords describing a hyper-specific job candidate. On top of that, we are playing a game of numbers as we are mixed into a massive hiring pool. So, you must provide a deeply fitting match for automated systems and recruiters but you also need to hit as many posts as you can find that fit your criteria. Here is what I do and how I manage to put out reasonably large numbers of applications with honest yet well-tailored applications.

Prerequisites

Application Process

Keep In Mind

You'll need to continuously tweak things as you go and at first, it might seem like there is an overwhelming number of things to improve (because there are) but making it a point to go through the application anyway is worth it. It might take you 5 minutes because you got fed up at the job market or 4 hours because you got fed up with yourself. Either way, it's progress.

You need to increase your sample size of applications before you see the patterns that help you build highly reusable resume profiles and to develop the muscle memory of the "flow state". Don't throw away everything unless you have seen many job descriptions and feel that your resume is truly misrepresenting you.

Do a little each day. Building the habit is crucial and difficult. Opening job posts every day and tweaking your resume can take just 5 minutes. You'll find yourself wanting to finish the process and spending more time, maybe hours. After awhile, it will take you 10 minutes for a good match or maybe 30 for a really interesting stretch role. Ultimately, you'll be able to put out 5, 10, 20 or more high-quality applications every day. This is the key to applying in numbers.

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