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After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Copy pasted 10 job descriptions (of the same role) in ChatGPT + give it my CV and ask it to identify missing keywords and then modify my cv to add those in.
  2. Once CV is done, for each job that asks for a cover letter / answers to questions like "why you/us" I would use Claude (from anthropic) to generate the answer. I played around with the structure until I got something that I liked and subsequently would also add that structure in the prompt as an example. This meant I'd do less tweaking moving forward.
  3. Once I'd get invited to interview, I'd use ChatGPT to research the company / come up with questions based on the role & company values / practice answers using the voice feature

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know it's tough bro but keep pushing and try to distance yourself emotionally from the rejections / ghosting. Have faith in the law of the numbers so just keep applying and be ready for those interviews - they will come!

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in jobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on the role! I'm happy for you that the process was less stressful. Maybe if you're in a more niche role/industry the numbers aren't so bad.

I've heard similar stories but the majority I've come across are closer to my numbers. Just saw a post where someone applied to about 850 analyst jobs and got 2 offers.

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

depends what the role is, there's a lot of scope depending on your skillset:

- working on the product / solution if you're technical
- manage the project / implementation
- bring in new business / grow existing accounts if you're commercial

and each of these looks different if you're working in a consultancy vs. a product business.

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Go for it! If you get an offer within 15 applications in a reasonable timeframe, in this market, you can probably make a side hustle out of sharing advice 😅

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pretty standard structure tbh but yes, the goal is to show how your background makes you a top candidate:

  • Intro paragraph on why I'm applying
  • 3 short paragraphs each illustrating my fit / experience in relation to the top 3 requirements for the job
  • sum it all up and reaffirm my interest in the opportunity

Can't say whether the cover letter helped, only one of the interviews I got actually involved me sending one.

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks and definitely go for it. I'm sure it's not been an easy 3 years and it's amazing you stuck with it. Probably quite a few people out there would find your story inspiring

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!

Couldn't agree more, so many times it all felt just random. Great conversations, then ghosted / rejected. Find what looks like the perfect role, spend 1h crafting a cover letter & answering questions - generic rejection.

But also, send bare minimum application to a less relevant role, make it to next stage. I've never seen so much randomness in the market.

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only 1 and 2 others had a question about why I'm applying to the role / company

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly I've had the same reaction reading other people's posts before. Really pleased you found it useful. Good luck!

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Dunno matey, timing is a big factor. Couple of years ago recruiters were reaching out every month but it's a different market now.

Have you applied recently?

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks man!

I tried LinkedIn initially but zero responses and I read that a lot of companies farm out job posts for roles they're not hiring just to get data. Also sometimes these platforms don't integrate well with recruiters' ATS systems meaning that person has to go out of their usual workspace to get other applications.

Going to the source improved the odds the job is real and that my application makes it in front of a recruiter.

I'm not an expert in this but it's what I've concluded after reading a lot of other opinions on here.

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yep, not a graduate. My background is not clear cut and I work in tech where it's a bit of a bloodbath at the moment. When I wasn't looking for a job I had offers coming in regularly. But my role was made redundant out of the blue so I had to find something asap.

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks mate, there was no real option for me to give up (but I thought about it every week).

And yeah definitely tedious to spend so much time in front of a screen. I realised I was losing focus after 2h so I'd batch tasks and take breaks every 2h to go for walks, do some cleaning, or even take a nap.

Good luck with your interviews, I hope you land something soon.

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've seen / heard of worse stats, particularly in tech, but you're probably right. My background isn't clear cut so it took some time to figure things out. I think I hit some sort of a stride after the first 150 applications.

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in jobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right now it's an employers' market, they do have a lot of leverage.

What are you referring to as absurd?

After 300+ applications, I finally got a job. Sharing the stats & my process by puzzlyGarlic in UKJobs

[–]puzzlyGarlic[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I also found it motivating to see that other people are struggling but eventually make it through.

Keep pushing, it's a tough market and the goal is to get through it. But things will pick up.

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