How many job applications a day?

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For those of you that are job hunting, how many online applications are you averaging a day? Personally, I usually apply for three to four jobs a day.

My friend thinks I should be going for twenty a day, which seems insane to me.

Whereas, my Jobcentre suggests six applications a day.

I would like to get my numbers up, but I don't think I could average twenty a day. Maybe ten if I really locked in.

Tricky since you want the applications to be quality but it's also a game of luck.

Volume seems less applicable somehow these days. In the era of bulk mailouts I suspect specialisation of application more useful.
The most important question to answer in the application is why you want to work THERE in particular.
With enough research, that will get you hired before an interview.

What is your dream job and do you live anywhere such employment is possible?

Location is definitely something that holds me back. You need a car to get by here, which is something that I don't have yet.

My last driving instructor definitely messed me about but I am learning faster with my new instructor.

Once you get into the centre, it's easier to get to other places. While I'm happy with a long commute, heck my last commute was around two hours, I know that potential employers have a tendency to frown at the idea. They'd prefer if I could just roll out of bed and be there in ten minutes.

I'd be more than happy to relocate. I don't like my small town. Rather hate it, actually. Finding an opportunity to do so is another matter though.

It's easier to find work when you're in work. Thing is, I'm not above doing less desirable jobs to get my foot in the door. Heck I've survived two months of constant Christmas music working in retail before.

Trouble is, there's something of bias here against people my age. I've been asked in interviews how can they know for sure I'm going to stay in the area. What's keeping you in this town? Won't someone your age want more hours, so they'll leave when they have the chance? Our last employee moved away, how can we know you'll stay?

They're not entirely wrong. I do want to leave. However, at the moment I don't have the opportunity. I need to find a way to get back on the employment ladder. To be in position where I can better myself.

These days lots of people are posting their resumes on job finding sites like Indeed. I get how that could be easier for job seekers & employers can sift through lots of employees more easily but it's not a viable option for people like me who don't have lots of experience & don't have special degrees, licenses, or certifications. When I was seeking employment I was submitting maybe 20 apps every two months but I have physical disabilities that majorly limit my employment options, only had a high-school diploma, only had three jobs & they were federal minimum-wage menial labor things, my area was rural with no public transportation system & I cant drive & was dependent on my parents to get to & from work & they both worked which majorly limited my schedule availability.

Three to four per day is a lot, especially for making sure each one is a quality application.

The Jobcentre setting 6 as a goal seems quite a lot and is probably unrealistic for a lot of job seekers.

I'd struggle to do one

I think it's hard to do forms

In the US people collecting unemployment after getting fired or laid-off are required to fill out a bit of apps in order to keep collecting their unemployment. I'm not sure what the required number is though. I've known people with health issues who intentionally applied for jobs they knew they won't get interviews for & they intentionally bombed the interviews when they did get one so they could keep their unemployment while trying to qualify for disability or better address their health issues. The system is extremely screwey

Yeah.

it takes me a while to do forms but I don't normally find them very difficult unless it's not online. My handwritting majorly sux so I need someone else to write it for me like my girlfriend & my parents before I moved in with her. That makes things more complicated & stressfull. The job job apps I've done online tend to be kind of standard & basic unless I had to do stupid personality questionnaires which I can manipulate in my favor by thinking logically & using my common sense. Problem I had is they're sometimes timed & despite being a good reader in school I've always had a very slow reading speed due to dyslecia & ADD type issues so I had to kinda rush which probably brought my score down.

Last edited by nick007 on 07 Jun 2025, 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I get confused by the questions

In the UK, the standard agreement is that those claiming unemployment must spend thirty-five hours a week on job searching activities such as applications, attending interviews, job fairs and so on.

There's no set number that you need to reach for applications, however if they think you're slacking they can have a stern word with you. Your advisor can suggest an amount they'd recommend, but you're not tied to it. This amount can vary depending on the advisor.

If you find yourself in the long-term unemployment category, then they'll put you on what they call the Restart Scheme. I was put on this as I found myself unemployed for a long time. Despite having had a temporary part-time job since then, I'm still on the scheme since they don't consider temporary jobs to be real jobs. However, if my job had lasted for a couple more months then I would have been taken off the scheme.

The six applications a day suggestion was from a woman from the Restart Scheme who has decided we're enemies now. We had a disagreement despite the fact she's not even my advisor. Now everytime I walk in there she glares at me like a toddler throwing a tantrum. It's kind of amusing, in a way. She's tried to cut my benefits but she doesn't have the authority to do so. Suffer, I guess. Schadenfreude

Today I was offered (and accepted) a job offer!

Oh wow, well done!

Is it another temporary job or a permanent one, this time around?

Yep, I have heard of the nightmarish welfare system in the United States. You have my sympathy.

Well, it's another temporary job (five month contract). On the plus side, it took significantly less time to get back into work this time around.

It's part-time which will allow me to schedule my driving lessons based on when I have availability left in the week. My driving instructor doesn't limit me to a set day so that works with shift work.

The commute is much shorter than last time and the hours are better for commuting.

I'll need to really put the work into applying towards the end of the contract but not too close to the end.

Hopefully with the extra time not spent on commuting, I'll be able to upskill in the meantime.