The Trap of Job Applying

As most people know, when out of work, hunting for a new job is itself a full-time job. Repetitive tasks eventually entail, making the mind become numb. This numbness seeps into all other aspect of life, draining creativity, motivation, and even your sense of self, trapped in a loop. Personal projects, hobbies, and self-development take a backseat slipping through your fingers as the days roll by. Because how can you justify working on something creative when you’re supposed to be finding a job?

There’s something soul crushing about the job application process that no amount of “stay positive” pep talks can fix. What starts as a mission filled with ambition quickly turns into a never-ending loop of CV tweaks, cover letter rewrites, and job board scanning, making you feel like a desperate prospector panning for gold. Having made something like 25 CV tweaks already, I am still left figuring out how to please the hiring ATS overlords.

When applying for jobs its easy to be left in a loop of constant job applying and email checking for a response from the dozens of applications made. No feedback, no indication of where you went wrong—just radio silence. If you are however lucky enough, the joys of a response may come through. Only to find that generic rejection response stating how unworthy you are through the words “unfortunately, we will not be moving forward with your application, but we appreciate your time and interest in …”? The grind to go again gets underway.

The Easy Apply Illusion?

The “Easy Apply” button—tempting, efficient, and utterly misleading. Luring you in with the promise of quick applications, tricking you into thinking you are mastering the job scene by steam rolling you through applications. Some system, notably LinkedIn, will see your CV gets tossed aside, never to be seen by hiring managers if the organisation has not paid for the premium feature which unlocks the cap on the amount of applicant submission that can be seen. So even if you if you have pleased the almighty ATS lords your application may still not be viewed. Thus, the easy apply button should not be relied upon, especially for jobs with over 100 applicant submissions, which for me now gives a late to the party feeling, echoing how one feels when discovering an investment opportunity that has already passed.

The Creativity Killer?

The longer you stay trapped in this grind, the harder it becomes to show off the best version of yourself to recruiters. The ability to be creative as to set yourself apart from the crowd requires you to stay proactive by continuing your own projects and hobbies, not only for grabbing attention but simply for your own mental wellbeing. ?The system of job hunting seems in its very nature designed to sap you of your creative spark and enthusiasm. The irony being that writing, designing, and thinking with a creative mindset is what gets you to that interview stage. The trap of job applying is it etches away at your motivation and charisma, plateauing improvements to CV and cover letter rewrites. I have experienced this challenge firsthand, finding my progress with online courses stalled, my goal of consistent blog writing having faded away, and the enthusiasm in my cover letter writing waned. What once was a tailored approach for each application has now become a series of generic responses, all in an effort to maximize submissions.

In my mind reclaiming lost creativity is essential for gaining your desired job role and getting rid of the despair job hunting illuminates. I have found returning to the basics of simple discipline, through following a planned, written-out weekly schedule has begun helping me reclaim my drive and creativity. By planning my days a week in advance, I have gradually stopped losing track of time. This method breaks the loop of job scrolling and applying by proactively assigning my own creative projects to specific time blocks throughout the day. I set a maximum of five different activities per day, limiting myself to a max of three hours per task before moving on to the next. This ensures that job hunting does not dominate the days.

Sometimes taking a step back is needed for progressing forward. ?The mind needs a break from doing the same repetitive tasks that job hunting brings and traps you in. As the rejections pile up the lure of playing the numbers game appears, especially with the easy apply option which ends up chipping away at your creativity and drive. Structure and discipline help lead the way to the desired goal of securing that job and staying out of that negative side within yourself.

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