This doesn’t directly answer your question, but building on Calum’s and Dee’s points—I think it might also be helpful to first clarify what approach you’re taking in your job search, since different strategies have very different success rates and timelines.
It might be helpful to think of job searching as existing on a spectrum—on one end, you have applying through job boards and official channels, and on the other end, you have less structured approaches like networking, volunteering and turning that into a full-time role, creating your own side projects, etc.
For the more structured application approach, I personally use a tiered approach that balances my long-term career vision (the one I spend 100s of hours discerning) with current personal constraints (needing a salary, visa sponsorship, supporting family). It may look like something like this, where I allocate a percentage of my job hunting time to specific roles under the following tiers:
Tier 1: Organizations I genuinely want to work for or roles I want to be in—these align with my 10-year career goals (70% of the time I budget for structured applications)
Tier 2: Roles that could be stepping stones to Tier 1 positions i.e., can help me build career capital for my dream role (20% of my time)
Tier 3: Positions that meet my immediate financial or other personal needs (10% of my time)
However, the actual number of roles I apply for varies significantly—I have a very specific career path in mind, so there aren’t many positions that fit Tier 1, especially when factoring in my personal constraints. This means I might apply to fewer Tier 1 roles in absolute numbers compared to Tier 2 or 3, but invest more time crafting each Tier 1 application.
This approach of focusing on time invested rather than sheer number of applications is useful because it takes into account the realities of the job market (e.g., how many jobs that fit Tier 1 are actually available right now), the actual amount of time you have for job hunting (which varies depending on whether you have full-time work, etc.), and other personal factors (like whether you’re prioritizing an impactful role right now instead of meeting immediate financial needs). I also spend about half my time exploring the less structured approaches to job searching—mixing both helped me land my current and previous roles. Worth noting that everyone’s situation is different—those with strong safety nets might focus more % of their time on Tier 1 roles, while others might need to prioritize Tier 2 or 3 initially.
A helpful estimate someone told me during my freshman year in college that I still use today is expecting around 1 response per 10 applications. This might even be optimistic given that there are likely 50-500 (sometimes even more) applicants per role and only 1 person will be hired, but it helps me set realistic expectations and stay motivated rather than getting discouraged. During my last job search, I remember applying to at least 50 jobs within 1 month.
I agree with Calum about being careful about updating your beliefs based on rejection data—many factors beyond your individual qualifications and fit for the role affect outcomes.
This doesn’t directly answer your question, but building on Calum’s and Dee’s points—I think it might also be helpful to first clarify what approach you’re taking in your job search, since different strategies have very different success rates and timelines.
It might be helpful to think of job searching as existing on a spectrum—on one end, you have applying through job boards and official channels, and on the other end, you have less structured approaches like networking, volunteering and turning that into a full-time role, creating your own side projects, etc.
For the more structured application approach, I personally use a tiered approach that balances my long-term career vision (the one I spend 100s of hours discerning) with current personal constraints (needing a salary, visa sponsorship, supporting family). It may look like something like this, where I allocate a percentage of my job hunting time to specific roles under the following tiers:
Tier 1: Organizations I genuinely want to work for or roles I want to be in—these align with my 10-year career goals (70% of the time I budget for structured applications)
Tier 2: Roles that could be stepping stones to Tier 1 positions i.e., can help me build career capital for my dream role (20% of my time)
Tier 3: Positions that meet my immediate financial or other personal needs (10% of my time)
However, the actual number of roles I apply for varies significantly—I have a very specific career path in mind, so there aren’t many positions that fit Tier 1, especially when factoring in my personal constraints. This means I might apply to fewer Tier 1 roles in absolute numbers compared to Tier 2 or 3, but invest more time crafting each Tier 1 application.
This approach of focusing on time invested rather than sheer number of applications is useful because it takes into account the realities of the job market (e.g., how many jobs that fit Tier 1 are actually available right now), the actual amount of time you have for job hunting (which varies depending on whether you have full-time work, etc.), and other personal factors (like whether you’re prioritizing an impactful role right now instead of meeting immediate financial needs). I also spend about half my time exploring the less structured approaches to job searching—mixing both helped me land my current and previous roles. Worth noting that everyone’s situation is different—those with strong safety nets might focus more % of their time on Tier 1 roles, while others might need to prioritize Tier 2 or 3 initially.
A helpful estimate someone told me during my freshman year in college that I still use today is expecting around 1 response per 10 applications. This might even be optimistic given that there are likely 50-500 (sometimes even more) applicants per role and only 1 person will be hired, but it helps me set realistic expectations and stay motivated rather than getting discouraged. During my last job search, I remember applying to at least 50 jobs within 1 month.
I agree with Calum about being careful about updating your beliefs based on rejection data—many factors beyond your individual qualifications and fit for the role affect outcomes.
Hope this was helpful!