dear jobsblog Dear JobsBlog: Can a applicant get a bad mark for applying for too many jobs? Does that make it look like I'm really interested in the company or does it look like I don't know what I want?

 

 

Janelle

Answer: Applying for too many jobs is a tricky one.  I think that it can hurt you if you are just randomly applying for every job in the system.

That said, I would apply for any job you think you are qualified for. If you are applying at a large company like Microsoft and there are 30 different marketing jobs listed and you think you would be a fit for all 30, then go for it.

But make sure to ask yourself: Would I really be a good fit for all of these? Probably not once you really think about each one, so I would then narrow it down to the top 5 or 10.  Applying for too many jobs is not something that would take you out of consideration for a position, but it may make a recruiter look you up in a system and think, "Are they serious? Is this person really interested in 30 jobs?"  It may lead to questions about your motivation, career goals, and self-evaluation skills.

Of course, this is just one recruiter’s opinion; every recruiter at every company may have a different perspective.

- Janelle