Hit 50 rejection emails in 3 months - here's what changed for me

I started tracking every job application response back in February. After I hit number 50, I noticed a pattern - all my generic cover letters got ghosted, but the ones where I mentioned a specific project from the company got at least a phone screen. Last week I landed an interview for a role I really want using that same trick. Has anyone else tried customizing their applications like that and seen a difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kevin26d ago

Man I went through the exact same thing last year and it's almost painful how much of a difference it makes. You basically described my pattern exactly - those copy paste apps went straight to the trash but when I actually looked at the company's blog or recent news I'd mention one thing they did that I actually liked. That specific project mention is the difference between being a number on a spreadsheet and a real person to them. It takes an extra 15 minutes per app but I swear it cuts the ghost rate in half at least. Now I keep a folder of saved job description snippets and company research so I can drop those references in without starting from zero every time. Good luck with that interview man, sounds like you cracked the code for how the system actually works.

kelly_miller8026d ago

Oh man, I gotta say that's good advice but the "extra 15 minutes" thing might be a little generous. I timed myself and it's usually more like 20-25 if you're actually reading their recent blog posts or news articles instead of just skimming. But yeah, the research thing works way better than sending out the same generic stuff to everyone.