“Thank you for your application, but unfortunately…” These are some of the hardest words to swallow as someone hoping to find a new job. You spend days and weeks, sometimes even months, searching and applying for jobs. Eventually, you begin to wonder if there’s something about the way you apply and interview that is the problem.
However, as data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows, annual hiring has been cooling off in recent years. To be specific, in 2023, hires were reduced to 70.8 million, or 5.8 million lower than the previous year. Likewise, the gap between the number of job openings and hirings happening also sat at a wide 3.1 million.
So, it’s not entirely your fault. The market is changing, and millions of other people are feeling the same frustration. That said, there’s always scope to raise your odds of making it through a selection process. Today, let’s go back to the drawing board and look at a few ideas.
#1. Don’t Play the Same Game
For candidates today, they’re lucky if their resumes get seen by a human. This is because many companies have now decided to use AI screening tools to filter applications. On the one hand, it makes sense since they often end up receiving several hundred applications for a single position.
On the other hand, it can feel like any effort you put in is made null by whatever combination of factors the filters are looking for. As you can imagine, this hasn’t exactly gone down well with people.
As the Pew Research Center notes, 71% of Americans oppose the use of AI analysis to make hiring decisions. Likewise, 62% of Americans believe that the use of AI will have a massive impact on jobholders.
The only way to beat this is to consciously avoid going through the default approach of mailing in your resume. Flip the script and start tracking companies and recruiters, and what networking events in real life they’ll be at. It’s tough, but it’s one of the only ways you’ll be able to counter AI hiring tools.
#2. Revisit Portfolio Presentation
Another aspect that you could possibly look at is how you present your experience in the form of your portfolio. You’ll want to take a metaphorical magnifying glass and start cutting out or repurposing unrelated work experience.
So, if you’re applying for a job in customer relations but have only worked in sales, focus on how your people skills helped build good relationships. Likewise, think beyond a resume and start looking at your personal brand.
As Quynh Mai, founder of a digital creative agency, tells Business Insider, building a personal brand is more important than ever. Mai explains that this is because no one wants to do business with anyone they don’t trust. This same logic applies between you and hiring managers.
Thankfully, this is ridiculously easy to do in 2025. As Hocoos notes, there are AI website builders that you can use to create your own professional website in minutes. All you need to do is answer questions on the kind of platform you want, and the builder does the rest.
Having your own personal website is often leagues better than simply sharing your LinkedIn profile in applications. It costs next to nothing and immediately raises your chances of getting a second look.
#3. Try Both Spray and Pray and Surgical Approaches
In your job search, you’ll likely have to use two strategies. The first is where you send out your resume to as many openings as you can find every day. The second is where you slow down, research the employer, and spend extra time editing your application to be the best fit.
Of course, the second approach sounds more successful, but often, it still comes down to luck. Moreover, it is incredibly disappointing to put in extra effort into your application and not even receive a single response.
This is why some people like to alternate between both methods. They go with option two when they feel motivated and aren’t already stressed out. Then, when that motivation starts to fade, they switch to a less intensive application effort. Sometimes, this is the only way to ensure you don’t get burned out in your job search.
At the end of the day, finding a job is just as much a numbers game as it is a skills-and-experience one. As long as you don’t take the silence from recruiters personally, that’s all that matters. Combine that attitude with real steps to improve your resume, its presentation, and your overall approach to sending applications, and your odds will start to increase.
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