How Many Companies Should I Apply To
Short Answer:
As many as you truly want to.
My understanding of the question:
Here are my assumptions when I get asked this question.
- You want to get a job that you'd really enjoy.
- You've seen that there are people who say or actually apply to over 1000+ positions.
- You've seen personal blogs or advice articles like this one that say to apply to as many places as you can.
- You hear that recruiting is a numbers game and you have to "play the field" like a salesperson, cold recruiting to as many places as they can so they can find a job.
To the people who have brute forced the recruiting process and have gotten their "dream job" from it.
I'm really happy for you.
I'm glad that it worked for you and that all the time, energy, and resources you put into the process worked out for you. I'm glad that the opportunity cost of brute force recruiting worked out and that your sacrifices of time that could've been spent doing things that really excite you, helping other people, or even hanging out with your friends was all worth it.
That's not sarcasm, I seriously mean it! I know it comes across a bit tongue and cheek.
Disclaimer:
I'm writing this article to the people who are still really confused about the "best" way to do it. I can't tell you that. Truth is no one can. There's no such thing as outcome equality. If I did everything the same exact way the recruiting gods of our generation did there's no guarantee that I will find the same success as they did. I'll point you what I believe and hopefully I can make enough of a case so that you can at least understand my viewpoint.
Image source: https://aimhiredenver.com/staffing/images/joboffers.jpg
However...
The people you see who are getting offers from all kinds of different amazing companies are people who undoubtedly:
- Work hard. They are consistent and persistent in what they do.
- They are passionate about the roles they apply for and show that.
- They have actual skills and experiences that they have voiced and can back up that differentiate them from the typical candidates who apply for a position.
- They have invested their time into things that are meaningful to them and to others.
Here's what I recommend you do if you've read the rant above and still are reading.
Stay true to your end goal with recruiting.
My end goal was finding a company and position where I saw myself flourishing.
I wanted to enjoy the company's mission and culture. I wanted to find a team where I would be accepted, a manager who would help me develop professionally, and a role where I would continuously learn new things and have some scrap of decision making (autonomy) over what I'm working on.
Be aware of your end goal.
- If you want to find a job that makes you boat loads of cash you will be giving up other things like time with friends or personal health. Something will have to give.
- If you want a job that has amazing work life balance you might be sacrificing your potential earnings for other jobs that pay more competitively.
There are many different types of jobs and companies. Do some soul searching, figure out what you want.
Go for quality with your applications rather than quantity of applications.
Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles. -Steve Jobs
To be explicitly clear, I'm not telling you to only apply to 5 places.
Quality over quantity is not an argument to do less work, just to go about work differently!
Yes you have to apply to a lot of places but if you aren't focusing your efforts on quality rather than quantity it's harder to be successful from each application.
For example if you apply to 50 places with thoughtful effort rather than 200 places with little to no effort you'd find more success with 50 places. 50 places is still a lot of companies with their own unique culture and job responsibilities and expectations.
Life advice I've heard from a lot of older people
Finding a job that fits you and your interests is more important than finding a job that doesn't appeal to you or appeals less then most jobs you want. You will not be as productive and you will easily burnout. You won't be able to perform at a level which makes you and your employer happy. You won't be happy and that will spill into the rest of your life.
My thoughts on mass applying or brute forcing recruiting
Mass applying works don't get me wrong but know that you are investing that time and energy with the mentality and expectation that less than 1% of your applications will lead to an interview (not even a job). Try to create a list of your top 10 or 20 companies, spend more time on those companies than you would applying to the others. Prioritize those companies. Apply to at least 50 companies. Maybe even go for more companies if you're so inclined and not doing anything else productive or enjoyable. But do so thoughtfully! If you want to do more then do more but please do that consciously.
I've heard that people apply to 500 companies, 1000 companies, I've even seen people say they've applied to 2000 companies.
Here's what I think when I see/hear this.
- Does someone who would apply to these many companies sound like someone who knows what they want?
- Does it insinuate that they haven't taken the time to do the research and are simply trying to brute force the recruiting process?
- What did they give up to do all this? Was it worth it?
Brute force can work. I see that it works for some people and its a viewpoint that gets tossed around everywhere. Recruiting is *partially* a numbers game, clearly. However cold applying to 100+ places takes a LOT of time. Time, effort, and resources that could be better spent optimizing your "recruiting solution", reiterating on what's working than what's not. The process will feel more rewarding and enjoyable guarantee by focusing on what you want and working on the applications thoroughly rather than cold applying to 100+ companies.
Afterthoughts
Recruiting isn't a battle royale, everyone can win. Help others.
How Many Companies Should I Apply To
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-many-companies-should-i-apply-davis-joseph
Posted by: frenchsamenes.blogspot.com
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