Doomjobbing: Expert explains how to avoid the trap of endless job applications

If you mix doomscrolling with job hunting, you get what’s called: doomjobbing. If you’ve ever found yourself idly scrolling through jobs and applying for any role that vaguely fits your skillset—you’ve doomjobbed. 

Doomjobbing (like doomscrolling) feels draining and demotivating, as it involves applying to multiple jobs quickly without putting much thought into it. It often leads to rejection emails or no response at all, which results in disappointment and frustration.

To help you avoid falling into doomjobbing, Peter Duris, AI career tool Kickresume’s CEO and Co-founder, has prepared tips and advice for job seekers who are feeling demotivated in their search.

Peter Duris, CEO and Co-Founder of Kickresume, comments:

“Doomjobbing, which means applying to lots of jobs without much thought, ultimately leads to more disappointment than success. While it may be tempting to hit “Easy Apply” on everything that catches your eye on websites like LinkedIn, it’s not the best way to go about job hunting. 

“It’s best to be intentional with your job search. Take your time applying to relevant roles and check multiple job boards . Don’t fall into the trap of clicking ‘apply’ to every job you come across where you vaguely meet the criteria—as this can become discouraging.

Tips for jobseekers

• Narrow down the search: To avoid doomjobbing, create a list of criteria on what you want from a future job. This can include only applying for jobs with relevant job titles,  setting a salary range, and filtering by the type of work arrangement you want. You could  also create a shortlist of companies you want to work for that align with your values, whether that’s companies known for their sustainable practices or for their flexibility.  Having clear filters makes it easier to focus on roles you genuinely want, instead of applying out of habit. Once you’ve found roles that match your criteria, make sure you also meet the requirements in the job description.
• Tailor each application: To improve your chances of landing an interview, it’s worth tailoring your application to each role. You don’t need to completely rewrite your resume for every role, but make sure it focuses on the skills and experience most relevant to the job you’re applying for. If a cover letter is required, it should be personalized to the role and company.  You can also use AI to save time, but always review and edit everything before sending it.
• Make sure your resume is ATS optimized: Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are software tools that filter resumes for hiring managers. By scanning for relevant keywords, these scanners are used to narrow down the volume of applicants and select the most relevant ones. To make sure your resume gets into the hands of recruiters, optimizing for ATS is vital. You can do this by embedding keywords into your resume and using a clear and easily-scannable format with simple headings and bullet points. There are online tools available to check if your resume is optimized or not.
• Turn on job alerts: On some job boards, you can turn on job alerts to get notified when a relevant role is posted. This way you’re only notified about the jobs you want and can be one of the first applicants to apply. This can help boost your chances while streamlining the process. 
• Don’t feel demotivated by the competition: On platforms like LinkedIn, job ads might show how many people have applied for the job — while this figure might look very high,  it often includes everyone who clicked “Apply”, not just people who fully completed their application. Many applicants won’t have tailored their resume to fit the role, and may not have the right skills or qualifications, so they won’t necessarily be a meaningful competition. 

If you’re a job seeker struggling to find a relevant role, there are many people in the same boat right now. The job market is tough, and more and more people are relying on AI to help them land a role. In Kickresume’s recent research, they found that 1.2 million people used AI-powered features last year.