Hit 1000 job applications in 3 months before getting 1 offer

I kept a spreadsheet and the numbers were brutal. 1 offer out of 1000 apps is a 0.1% success rate. Has anyone else just had to grind through that many rejections before something stuck?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kevin9d ago

Buddy of mine had almost the same ratio.

sarah53113d ago

The 0.1% success rate is basically the same odds as getting a free coffee with a loyalty card. Except the coffee probably doesn't ask you to do five rounds of interviews first. At least you're consistent, most people can't even stick with one hobby for three months. That spreadsheet belongs in a museum next to "proof the system is broken.

alicesingh13d ago

Dig into those 1000 applications - how many of them were tailored to the specific job versus just a quick copy-paste with the resume? I ask because I've seen people blast out 50 apps a day and wonder why they get nothing back, but the ones who spend 20 minutes customizing each one have a way better hit rate. Not saying you did that, but your numbers are so extreme it makes me wonder if there's something else going on besides just bad luck. The market is rough for sure, but 0.1% is brutal even by today's standards. Like, did you track which types of jobs you were applying to or what industries they were in? Sometimes shifting the target makes a bigger difference than just grinding harder.