How many jobs should you actually apply for?

There’s a lot of career advice out there for students and graduates about applying for internships, grad schemes and jobs. You’ll find CV tips, cover letter advice and interview preparation strategies at every turn.

One thing that’s less talked about when it comes to job application tips? How many jobs you actually need to apply for before you can expect to get an offer.

The reason that career platforms (us included) are reluctant to give a simple answer is that it depends.

We know that's a frustrating answer to hear when you're looking for concrete job application advice, especially if you just want a ballpark estimate to ensure you're on the right track.

In this article, we'll explain why it depends – but we'll also share some of those numbers you're looking for, and how you can make each application count for more. We'll cover:

• Why "it depends"
• How many applications it takes to get a job, with real-life examples
• What you can learn from other people's success stories
• What employers are saying
• The role of generative AI tools
• How to maximise your chances when applying to a job
• The big question: how many jobs should you apply to?

Every job hunt is different, depending on a whole range of variables, like:

• Industry
• Time of year
• Type of company
• Type of opportunity
• Current economy
• Role requirements
• Competition for the role
• Location
• Working model
• Individual requirements based on personal background

Imagine that a recent Modern Languages graduate (let’s call him Greg) is looking for an entry-level graduate role after uni. He knows he wants to work in marketing, but he’s not sure what part of it. He’s open to relocating to anywhere in the UK, and he doesn’t mind whether the job is office-based or hybrid. Greg is keeping his options open.

Now imagine that a Software Engineering student, Maya, is looking for an internship to complete between her second and third years of uni. The internship would have to be somewhere she could commute to near Cardiff, but she wouldn’t be able to go to the office every day, because she cares for a family member a few times a week from home.

Maya’s job hunt will look very different to Greg’s, because she has specific needs for the time of year, location and working model. She’ll probably send around 5 applications due to the narrower options available to her. Greg, on the other hand, might want to cast a wider net to help him figure out what he wants to do. His job hunt might result in him sending over 30 applications.

This example shows you why we’re hesitant to be prescriptive about how many jobs to apply for. There's no right answer.

It’s too easy to get bogged down with hitting an arbitrary goal of applying to X number of jobs. What’s actually more important is which jobs you invest time in applying for and how you handle those applications.

That being said, the phrase “it depends” has its boundaries. If you apply for over 80 jobs within a few months, for example, you’re probably not spending enough time tailoring each application.

Likewise, if you only apply for one role a month, you’re likely missing out on opportunities and slowing down your job hunt.

To help you get an idea of how many job applications you can expect to make before securing a role, we've asked members of our team at Bright Network about their experiences of job-hunting as graduates.

Christopher, who is our Finance Graduate at Bright Network, says:

"I think in total, I applied to about 20-25 graduate jobs over around six months. I got to the later stages for four or five of them. I wasn't successful with any of the bigger companies, because I found the recorded video interviews difficult. So, I focused on smaller companies where there's more face-to-face interaction. That worked out well!"

Millie, our Partner Success Executive, says:

"I applied for 36 graduate jobs over a period of around two months. I started off strong, doing a lot of applications each day, but as I moved into the interview stages, I sent fewer applications. I also got better at finding jobs I actually liked, rather than just applying for whatever was there."

Firas, our Senior Events Manager, says:

"After my undergraduate degree, I applied for ten jobs over a span of three months. I was deciding whether to move countries or not, so I was a little slower on those. When I was interviewing for the role I eventually got, I knew I had a strong chance, so I focused my energy on interview prep rather than applying for more jobs with other companies. After my postgraduate degree, I applied for about 20-30 jobs over a space of three months, two of which I got interviews for."

Ella, our Senior Marketing & Community Executive, says:

"I applied to 10-15 big graduate schemes. I then realised I wanted to work for a start-up, so I applied to another five positions. This was over the space of two months. I remember I had my heart set on a role at L'Oreal, and I got to a final interview at Meta before being rejected. Overall, though, I'm so glad things have worked out the way they did."

Katie, our Platform Partnerships Executive, says:

"I applied for about 20 roles before I got this one. I have been chatting to some friends recently though who've applied to more than 40!"

It’s normal to get some job rejections, as you can see from our team’s stories above. However, if you’re not getting any invitations to interview, that means you probably need to review your approach to initial stage tasks and application answers.

You can also learn a lot about yourself and your chosen industry throughout the process of searching for jobs. Christopher and Ella realised they wanted to apply for different types of companies, for example, after sending their initial applications. Often, the job hunt itself helps you get clarity on exactly what you're looking for.

Firas and Millie both focused their time on interviews once they got further into job applications, too, which is a great idea. By giving themselves more time and energy to prepare for those later stages, they set themselves up for success.

At Bright Network, we have over 300+ partnerships with top graduate employers in the UK. We're always in conversation with them, finding out what's happening in the world of recruitment.

Recently, our employers have told us that they’re more overwhelmed with application volumes than ever. Some companies have even seen a 500% increase in applications year on year.

We think this could be due to more and more candidates using AI tools like ChatGPT to speed up their application process.

Unfortunately, it also means that hiring managers are overwhelmed with applications – and to put it bluntly, they're tired of seeing identical, generic applications written by ChatGPT when they'd rather hear from individuals.

Georgia Button, who is an Emerging Talent Advisor at Ocado Group, told us:

"As a recruiter, receiving a high volume of applications is common, but it's the tailored, well-thought-out ones that truly stand out. A quality application shows me you've taken the time to understand the role and our company, which signals genuine interest and potential fit. One exceptional application speaks louder than a hundred generic ones."

Georgia also shared that she's noticed there's an increased risk of errors when applicants are applying to multiple jobs. "In terms of particular pitfalls, there are clear mistakes, ie. addressing the wrong company or wrong job title!"

Meanwhile, Matt Williamson, the Head of Programme Talent at Teach First, says:

“Job searching is not a numbers game. Your chances of securing a job are higher if you put more effort into each individual application rather than applying to lots of roles. We love seeing applications where it’s clear the candidate has thought hard about what unique skills they can bring to the role.”

We also spoke to Nena Rushworth, an Early Careers Recruitment Manager at Goodwin Law, who told us:

"Tailoring your job application to the specifics of the firm and role is essential. We want to see what genuinely interests you and your passion for our firm and sector. Authenticity, your own creative thought, and enthusiasm are what truly stand out."

Generative AI is a powerful tool, and when you use it responsibly, it can help you supercharge your job applications without harming your chances of securing a role.

However, AI should never be a replacement for your own work. If you copy-paste responses directly from AI tools into your job applications, the likelihood is you won't get results.

You might feel like you're saving time by using AI tools to send off lots of applications quickly, but in reality, those applications won't improve your chances if their quality is not up to scratch. Instead, you can improve your chances by sending fewer applications but making sure each one is as strong as possible before submitting.

Just imagine a hiring manager clicking through hundreds of identical responses generated by ChatGPT. There's no point in adding another one to the pile if it's no different to the rest!

At Bright Network, we've received a fair few job applications that clearly copied and pasted responses directly from ChatGPT – and from what our employer partners have told us, they've seen the same thing.

The biggest giveaway? Including the AI's initial response to the prompt. For example, this kind of opening is a surefire sign that someone has not written their application themself:

"Certainly! When answering 'Why do you want to work at Bright Network?', you can emphasize alignment with the company's mission. When answering 'Why do you want to work at Bright Network?', you can emphasize alignment with the company's mission..."

This kind of application immediately rules itself out by showing that the candidate has been careless with their application. What's more, whatever time the candidate might have saved by using AI will have backfired by ruining their chances of reaching the next stage.

Here's how to apply to a job in a way that maximises your chances, so you can focus on the quality rather than the quantity of your applications.

Before you even begin work on your application, you should question whether it's definitely a role that you should apply for. You'd be surprised at how much time you can save simply by being more selective about which jobs you apply for.

When starting an application, ask yourself:

• Do I meet enough of the role requirements to warrant applying?
• Does the job meet my practical requirements, ie location, working model, salary?
• Would working in this role take my career in the direction I want it to go?
• Would I be engaged and challenged by this role in a way that supports my career development?
• Would I be content completing the activities listed on the job description day-to-day?
• Does the company align with my values?
• If I'm offered the job, would I accept?

Thinking through these questions will give you a better idea of whether you're ready to send your application.

We'll start with a caveat here that the right approach for your job hunt depends on your specific circumstances. This advice won't be for everyone – but it could help you on your way if you've been applying widely and not getting any responses.

If you've sent tens of applications and not heard anything back yet, it could be that you're focusing too much on quantity rather than quality. Our advice to anyone in this position is to apply less to apply better.

We know it sounds a little bold (and maybe even scary) to say that you should be sending fewer applications. The more applications you send, the higher your chances of someone responding, right? Not quite.

You should still send multiple applications; don't pin all your hopes on just one job. However, you should be spending a decent chunk of time tailoring each application you send. You should aim to show that you've read and absorbed the job description, you're knowledgeable and interested in the company, and that you understand how your skills fit the role requirements.

While we encourage you to focus on quality over quantity, we also recognise that you will still need to apply to a few different roles to maximise your chances, particularly when there are fewer jobs on the market.

Our Senior Talent Partner, Shanice, explains it this way:

"When the job market is tough due to economic factors, it can lead to fewer jobs available and therefore more competition. In this case, we'd recommend dedicating more time to your job search so you can continue to produce high-quality, tailored applications for each role, but for slightly more opportunities to ensure you have the best chance of securing a new role."

It all comes down to balance. You don't want to send dozens and dozens of poor-quality applications, but you also shouldn't pin all your hopes on a tiny handful of applications that you've spent weeks perfecting.

The best approach is the one that allows you to put decent effort into each submission while still being able to complete multiple applications. The exact amount might be a little different for everyone, so a bit of trial and error might be needed before you find the right application rhythm for you.

Your applications should reflect who you are as an employee. If your application shows that you've taken the time to research the role and company and outline which of your skills match different aspects of the job, employers will think: "This person has done a diligent job of their application – that shows they're a diligent worker."

It may sound obvious, but it's worth remembering that employers assess you based on your application. If you rush your work, leave it to the last minute or make sloppy mistakes, this gives employers a poor first impression. Cutting corners on the application could give employers the idea that you'd also cut corners on the job.

Whenever you apply for a job, make a note of the date you applied, what documents you submitted, and how much time you spent working on the application.

As you go through your job search, update each opportunity with notes on how far through the process you made it and what you can learn from the experience.

That way, you'll be able to see the relationship between the effort you put in and the results you get out – and you might even be able to spot which parts of the process you need to improve on.

One question we hear a lot at Bright Network is "How many graduate jobs should I apply for a day?"

Again – to use our favourite phrase – it depends. When you’re balancing your studies, part-time jobs and job applications all at the same time, you might not even have the time to be job hunting every day. We know you’re looking for a bit more detail than that, though, so here's our advice.

Whether you're studying or working while searching for roles, it's important that your job hunt doesn't affect your performance wherever you currently are. With that in mind, try to spend a few hours a week on your job search and take those hours from your spare time.

A sensible amount of applications to start with would be around 1-3 per week. The effort needed for each application depends completely on the role and company, but we'd say that a strong submission should take at least an hour for you to complete.

Remember, too, that when you move into the later application stages, you'll need to focus your time more on preparing for interviews and assessments. This might mean you slow down or stop sending new applications while you prioritise the progress you've already made.

Job-hunting full-time can be scary. You might feel like you need to send off as many applications as possible, as fast as you can, to get yourself into employment as soon as possible.

You're in the position of having more time, however, which means you can spend longer on each application – and we'd encourage you to do just that. You can aim for between 3-5 job applications per week, depending on the types of jobs you're applying for.

Use your time to research companies thoroughly before sending applications, as it makes all the difference. You'll also need to prioritise your efforts on the opportunities that you think you have the best chances with. If you make it to the interview stage, make sure to focus on preparation rather than sending new applications.

Best of luck with your job search!

This article was published on 28th November, 2024.