Ten good applications beat a hundred fast ones
Why the spray and pray approach underperforms, with the arithmetic.
Mass applying is appealing because it converts anxiety into activity. The arithmetic does not support it.
The numbers
A tailored application to a role you genuinely fit converts at something like ten to twenty per cent to a first conversation. An untargeted one converts at perhaps one to two per cent. So a hundred fast applications and ten careful ones produce a similar number of conversations, and the fast route costs you far more time and a great deal more morale.
The careful route also produces better conversations, because you applied to things you actually want.
What careful actually means
- You read the whole posting, including the eligibility line.
- Your title line matches theirs.
- Your summary front loads the two things they lead with.
- You can name why this company, specifically, in one sentence.
- You know what your weakest match is and have decided how to address it.
Where volume does belong
Early in a search, when you do not yet know what you want or what the market pays, breadth is genuinely useful. Apply widely for two weeks, watch which conversations you enjoy, then narrow hard.
The honest exception
Some markets really are a numbers game, particularly graduate schemes and high volume contract markets. If you are in one, automate the admin, not the thinking.
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