stop mass-applying to jobs today
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AI is killing the traditional job hunt as we speak.
Not in the way you think. Yes, tools exist now that'll mass-apply you to a thousand jobs while you sleep. But recruiters have AI too — and they're using it to filter you out faster than ever.
The result? Both sides are miserable.
As job seekers, we feel like they're applying straight into a black hole. Recruiters are drowning in unqualified applications and AI slop.
Nobody's winning here.
But there's a few things you can do to fight back & start landing interview:
Stop playing the lottery
Say this outloud: You're not solving a volume problem.
Most people think the math works like this: "My odds of landing any one job are .01%, so if I apply to 1,000 jobs, I'll get a job."
Wrong.
If you're mass-applying with zero targeting, your odds aren't .01%. They're 0%. Because in a tough market, companies can be picky. They're not hiring the person who sprayed-and-prayed applications everywhere. They're hiring someone who is actually qualified and wanted this job at this company.
Play fewer games. Win more of them.
Apply to 10 jobs where you're a real fit and you've done the work to stand out, and suddenly your win rate isn't .01% — it's 1% or even 10%.
Sometimes less is more. Quality > Quantity.
btw, this isn't to say you shouldn't apply to dozens or even hundreds of jobs - you should. But thousands is too much - there's a balance
Referrals are underrated & under utilized
Back in 2016, getting referred to a job made you 10 times more likely to get hired than applying online.
Think about that. 10x!
But inn 2026? It's 20X.
Why? Because online applications are a dumpster fire now. Everyone's resume looks the same. Everyone's cover letter was written by ChatGPT. Recruiters can't tell who's real anymore. They don't trust the applicants any more.
But a referral? That's trust. That's a human vouching for you.
If you can have a human that the company already knows, likes, and trusts, mention you. All the sudden, you are trustworthy.
And companies value this so much that they are willing to pay for referalls. At Google, they sometimes give a $25,000.00 bonus to employees for a referal.
Why? Because referred candidates accept offers faster, stay longer, and perform better.
I recently had a company reach out to me for a pretty senior data role & ask if I knew anyone. I asked around and couldn't find anyone so I offered to post it on FindaDataJob.com for free.
They declined. They only wanted referred candidates. They wouldn't even look at the job board applications. Too much noise.
So yeah. Referrals matter. More than ever.
Okay but how do I get a referral?
Okay, so referrals are 20X better. Great. How do you get one if you don't know anyone at the company?
You probably do know someone. You just haven't looked.
Go on LinkedIn. Find people at the company who went to your school. Or who volunteer with the same nonprofit. Or who are in the same church. Or who post about the same hobbies.
I'll be honest — this works. When I get LinkedIn messages, I don't always have time to reply to all of them (I try my best). But if you went to the University of Utah? I'm replying. We cheered for the same football team. We lived in the same place. That matters to me even though it probably shouldn't.
This is the human phenomion of generosity — humans are hardwired to help the next generation, especially people who remind them of themselves.
And if you don't have any of those connections? Find someone who knows someone. Ask for a warm intro. That's still way better than a cold application.
Ask your neighbor. Your cousin. Your kids' friends' mom. Your dog park friend. Your mailman. Ask around.
Why no one does this
So if referrals and quality are the way to go, why are we all mass cold applying still?
Answer: Dopamine.
Applying to 100 jobs in an hour feels productive. You're doing something. You're making progress. You get that little hit every time you press submit.
Networking? That's slow. You send 10 messages and maybe none of them reply. That doesn't feel good.
But the thing that feels good is not the thing that works.
I want to fix the problem
That's why I'm working on gamifying FindADataJob.com to reward the more "boring" but powerful steps - like sending cold messages and networking.
I'm thinking you'll get 1 point for sending an application, but 20 points for sending a cold message or networking.
Leader each month gets a shoutout in this very newsletter? Sound fun?
Hope you found this helpful. If you want even more about this topic, listen to this week's episode.
LATEST EPISODE
Interview with Jeremy Schifeling
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As always, hope you found this helpful, thank you for reading, and see you next week.
