Too Many Applications?

One of the most common questions I get asked as a recruiter on panels, resume reviews, or in mock interviews is whether or not “does applying to multiple roles [or every role] have a negative impact on my chances to move forward within a company?”.

The answer is: it depends. Here are some of the factors to consider:

Location: if you are only looking in one city, and there are only a few jobs you are qualified for it is not an issue to apply to more than one job - but your resume is going to need to SHOW your versatility. Applying to dozens/hundreds of jobs IS something that sends up warning signals.

You are qualified: companies don't pull job descriptions out of thin air. When a company puts a list of requirements on their job description, it isn't random.

• Many times there are legal compliance reasons, especially in STEM and financial-related positions. EEOC/OFCCP, PCI, SOX, and USCIS requirements may all impact how various job categories are evaluated and hired for. Rule of thumb: the smaller the company, the more flexibility they generally have with job requirements.
• Privately held companies, non-profits, and religious organizations all have much more leeway in how they structure their job requirements. They also usually only have a small team reviewing resumes, so you don't need to apply to every single job of interest - one or two is sufficient.
• Anything associated with the government (city, county, state, federal) like public universities, school systems, any medical entity that accepts Medicare/Medicaid have VERY STRICT GUIDELINES they must adhere to as it pertains to hiring to stated requirements. Government contractors (basically anyone with a contract receiving any form of federal funds/payment) are also subject to very strict hiring practices. Examples would be: Lockheed-Martin and Boeing (military contractors), Pentagon Technologies (environmental filtration systems/services), Maersk (merchant marine contractor on research missions), American Apparel (armed services uniforms).
• For very large companies (ie falls on a “Fortune” list like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, GE, Disney, P & G, Target, national/international banks or insurance companies, Kraft, etc.) it is a pretty safe bet that there are many recruiters working across the company, so applying for similar positions in different business units makes sense.

Here is some information from the other side of the table.

Applicant Tracking Systems are called relational databases, which means there are multiple points of contact across views of intersecting data sets. In other words, recruiters use two basic “views” when we are evaluating candidates.

1)?????The “job” view: we look at all the applicants to a particular position

2)?????“Candidate” view: we see the entire history of a candidate’s interactions with our company.

So, not only do I see your resume attached to a specific job, I also see your entire history as a candidate.

• This includes the roles you have applied to, recruiter notes, interview/phone screen feedback.
• If you have applied for every single position that has opened with the title of, say, “software engineer” or “accountant” at every level in the last month, then that signals to me that you are not being thoughtful in your job search, that you are desperate - either to find a job, or to work at our company (or as is often the case in STEM roles - for sponsorship).
• Desperation is never a good sign to a recruiter – it is actually a red flag.

Is this always going to be a stumbling block for you, the candidate? Not necessarily. If you applied for a job, say two years ago -?and the reason you were rejected was because you didn’t have enough experience, or someone internal was hired for the position, then it makes sense for us to revisit your qualifications. (This is why it is very important to keep your resume updated at target companies.)

The biggest question I get is about "blackballing" or being "silenced" for a specific amount of time. The reality is, some companies DO have policies in place if you interview for a specific role and are not hired, they may put a moratorium on considering you for other positions. If you were just too junior, it will be for a year - the rationale is to give you a chance to grow and get more experience. If you were deemed not a good fit (and see my article on making assumptions) for reasons other than your functional skills - then it is possible that you will never be considered for another role. The reality is, unless you know someone in HR/recruiting or a highly-placed manager that is willing to dig and share that information with you "off the record" - then you may never know.

Final thoughts

Be judicious about your applications. It is a fallacy to believe that applying to every job will net you more notice/interviews. Quite the opposite.

Applying to an online job is just one step in the process of finding your next career move. Networking is much more important and will net you MUCH greater returns overall.