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Welcome to Issue #203 of Jobseeking is Hard!

Today’s issue is brought to you by HubSpot! They put together a free guide with more than 200 AI-powered income ideas for creators, entrepreneurs, and professionals trying to figure out whether any of this AI stuff can actually make them money. Check it out if that sounds useful!

Happy Wednesday!

If you spend enough time reading job search advice online, you’d think applying to jobs is basically pointless. You need a referral. You need to know someone. You need to message the recruiter. You need to network your way into the hidden job market. And if you just click Apply? Good luck getting past the robots.

I don’t buy that.

People still get hired from online applications all the time. The harder question is why some applications lead to interviews and others disappear into the void.

That’s what I want to talk about this week.

I’ll also share how one Basic Resume Review client’s application results helped reveal that the roles responding most often were also the ones their resume should have been positioning them for more clearly.

For a limited time, Basic Resume Reviews are on sale for $99, $20 off the regular price!!

If you want a quick diagnosis of the top reasons recruiters might be passing on your applications, this is exactly what the review is designed to help figure out.

This week we’re talking about:

• Why online applications still work, and what a low response rate may actually be telling you about your job search

• How application results can reveal whether your resume is positioning you at the right level

• The best (worst?) job posting of the week

• The meme of the week

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking a recruiter’s claim that the best candidates don’t apply for jobs

• Answering a Premium subscriber’s question about when to change their resume versus change what they’re applying to. I’ll explain how to use application results to figure out whether the problem is targeting, positioning, or what’s happening once recruiters start calling.

Let’s get to it!

WHY APPLICATIONS FEEL LIKE THEY DON’T WORK

I understand why people are skeptical about applying online. You can submit hundreds of applications and hear absolutely nothing. Some postings attract thousands of applicants almost immediately (thanks, AI application bots!). Other jobs disappear, get reposted, or seem to have an internal candidate already lined up. After enough silence, you just assume nobody is actually looking at the applications.

I get it. That conclusion makes sense.

Most people aren’t applying to jobs they think they have no chance of doing. No one is trying to waste their own time. They’re looking at the responsibilities, comparing them against their experience, seeing enough overlap to feel qualified, and applying because they reasonably believe they could do the job.

Then…nothing.

If that happens enough times, the logical conclusion is that the process must be broken. Maybe the posting wasn’t real. Maybe the ATS rejected you before a person ever saw the resume. Maybe the company already knew who they wanted. Maybe online applications are just there for show.

Sometimes one of those things is true. But a lot of the time, the application was real. The recruiter looked at applicants. The company interviewed people. Someone got hired.

The harder question is why they didn’t choose to talk to you.

That’s where I think a lot of jobseekers stop too early. They look at the job, decide they’re qualified, apply, and then treat the rejection or silence as proof that applying doesn’t work.

You may be right that you could do the job. That still doesn’t mean you looked like one of the strongest people in the applicant pool. You may be competing against people who already have the same title, have done the work in the same industry, or have recent experience that looks almost exactly like what the company is asking for. From the recruiter’s side, those candidates usually require fewer assumptions.

That doesn’t mean you weren’t qualified. It means qualified may not have been enough to get you into the smaller group they decided to move forward.

This is why application volume by itself doesn’t tell me much.

If someone tells me they’ve submitted 200 applications and gotten two interviews, I want to know what those 200 jobs looked like. Were they mostly the same kind of role? Did the level make sense? Was their recent experience closely aligned with what those companies were asking for? Were they applying across several different functions because each one felt possible?

Those answers matter a lot more than the number 200.

I also want to see the resume. Because if you’re applying to jobs that really do line up with your background and you still aren’t getting conversations, now I want to know what the recruiter is seeing when they open the file.

A recruiter doesn’t know everything you know about your own experience. They don’t know which responsibilities were more senior than the title suggests, which projects were unusually difficult, or why one accomplishment matters more than it appears to on paper. They’re making a decision based on what you gave them and how it compares with everyone else in the applicant pool.

Your level may be unclear. The work most relevant to the role may be buried. Your accomplishments may sound good without giving enough context to understand the scope. You may be using one broad resume for several different kinds of jobs and expecting each recruiter to pick out the part that applies to them.

Those are fixable problems.

That’s also why I don’t love the advice telling jobseekers to stop applying and spend all their time networking instead.

Can networking help? Absolutely. But it’s not the cure-all everyone is looking for. A referral can get someone to look at your application sooner. Following up can pull your resume out of a crowded queue. Knowing someone inside the company can give you useful context about the role. All of that can help.

But eventually, somebody still has to look at your background and decide you’re worth interviewing.

If you’re finding jobs that genuinely line up with what you’ve done, keep applying. If those applications aren’t leading to interviews, don’t immediately assume applying is dead. Look harder at the pattern. Maybe the resume is underselling you. Maybe the positioning is too broad. Maybe you’re applying to roles that feel closer to your background than they actually look from the hiring side. Maybe the market is crowded enough that being capable isn’t giving recruiters enough reason to choose you over people with more direct experience.

Those are things you can actually work on.

Have a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming issue? Reply or email [email protected] and tell me what you want to know!

SHAMELESS PLUG

If your job search needs a little more help, Karpiak Consulting offers resume and LinkedIn services, as well as job search strategy coaching.

Who knows...maybe you’ll land an amazing new role like this client 🤷‍♂️

One of the most useful things a client can send me with their resume is actual job search data.

A Basic Resume Review client recently sent me a dashboard covering their search since February: 92 applications, 4 interviews, and a 4.3% interview rate.

But the overall interview rate wasn’t the interesting part. Only 10 of those applications were for VP-level roles, yet 3 of the 4 interviews came from VP jobs. Meanwhile, they had submitted far more applications at the Manager and Director levels with almost no response.

That immediately gave me something to look at alongside the resume. And when I reviewed it, the pattern made more sense. This client already had a background that supported senior leadership. They’d built enterprise programs, developed long-term strategy, created executive reporting and governance, and led cross-functional initiatives.

But the resume was still presenting too much of that experience as technical expertise instead of consistently positioning them as the executive their background already supported.

That became the biggest theme of my review.

I also recommended giving the strongest accomplishments much more visibility. The leadership story needed more attention too. The resume didn’t give enough detail about team size, developing leaders, or the broader organizational impact of that leadership. That matters.

The lesson was that the jobs producing the best response were also the ones that lined up most closely with the strongest version of this candidate’s background. Now the resume needs to tell that same story.

You just have to know what to look for.

For a limited time, Basic Resume Reviews are on sale for $99, $20 off the regular price. If you want a quick diagnosis of the top reasons recruiters might be passing on your applications, you can grab one while the sale is live!

If you're not getting the response you expected from your resume and want an honest assessment of why, our services can help. 

Curious what the process has been like for other clients? Check out our testimonials here!

BEST (WORST?) JOB POST

OF THE WEEK

Here’s the job post that got the most people talking on my Instagram this week!

“include three professional references with contact information (one of which must be a current supervisor)” ABSOLUTELY NOT

If you come across an irritating job posting, email it to the newsletter or DM me on Instagram and I’ll add it to the list to post!

MEME OF THE WEEK

This meme got more reactions on my Threads than anything else I posted this week.

Today’s issue is also brought to you by The Hustle! Sign up for their free newsletter and you’ll get access to a database of 100 side hustle ideas, along with their daily business stories. Useful if your current backup plan is mostly staring at your bank account and thinking, “I should probably figure something out.”

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PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

“I’ve applied to about 500 jobs over the last two months and only had three recruiter screens. Most of the jobs felt pretty close to my background, but now I’m second-guessing whether I’m actually targeting the right roles. At what point do I change the resume versus change what I’m applying to?”

Check out the Premium Section below for my answer! Not a Premium Subscriber? Upgrade here: www.JobseekingIsHard.com/upgrade

Why upgrade? For less than $0.63/day, you get:

• Subscriber-Only Discounts: Get exclusive promo codes for Karpiak Consulting services, available only to Premium subscribers. Whether you're updating your resume, need a LinkedIn profile review, or want expert help tailoring your applications, these occasional discounts make expert support more accessible.

• Extra Tips & Advice: Gain exclusive insights, strategies, and advice from a recruiter with over 20 years of experience in the field. Discover what hiring managers truly value and how to stand out at every step of your job search.

• Access to Previous Issues: Explore a library of knowledge with all 100+ past issues of the newsletter. Each edition is packed with proven strategies, practical advice, and real-world jobseeking stories to give you an edge in today’s competitive job market. From resume tips to handling tough interview questions, you’ll find answers to every challenge.

• Exclusive Q&A: Have questions about your job search? Premium subscribers can ask Adam directly! Questions will be featured in upcoming issues, with detailed answers tailored to real-world scenarios, ensuring you get the guidance you need.

• Bonus Content: As part of your Premium subscription, you’ll receive 20 additional job search tips delivered to your inbox over the next 20 days. This includes advice on avoiding common mistakes and maximizing your job search strategy to land interviews faster.

Jobseekers, have a great rest of your week, and good luck with those applications!

-Adam

PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!

About Adam- Recognized as a leading voice on hiring and workplace trends, Adam has been recruiting and providing career advice since 2003, developing high-trust relationships based on honesty with companies and jobseekers. A highly sought-after speaker, he has appeared in numerous outlets, including Bloomberg News, Business Insider, LinkedIn, and CNNMoney. You can find out more about Adam's resume and coaching services here.

AFFILIATES

NOTE: As an affiliate to these services, we will receive compensation if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

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