How many jobs should I apply to a day? A job search plan and 25 goals

How many jobs should I apply to a day?

If looking for work is your full-time job right now, pick a small daily number you can do well, and count it every weekday.

• Send 3 tailored applications each weekday: 15 a week, 60 in 4 weeks.
• Send 5 applications a day for 20 weekdays: 100 in about a month.
• Send 2 applications a day, and spend the time you save making them better.
• Spend the first 2 hours of each weekday on applications, then stop for the day.
• Find 5 roles that fit each morning, then apply to the best 2.

How many jobs should I apply to a week?

If you work or study now, a weekly number fits better than a daily one. Choose the evenings first, then the count.

• Send 5 tailored applications a week for 8 weeks: 40 in all.
• Send 10 applications a week for 12 weeks: 120 in all.
• Block 2 evenings a week, 1 hour each, for applications.
• Pick the week's 5 roles on Sunday, then apply on weeknights.
• Keep one day a week with no job search at all.

Applied to 100 jobs and no response? Goals for better applications

When nothing comes back, sending more of the same is rarely the fix. Count the work that makes each application better.

• Rewrite the top third of your resume for each role you apply to.
• Add a short note to each application that names the job and one thing you did that fits it.
• Ask 2 people to read your resume this month, and make one change from each.
• Apply within 3 days of finding a role that fits.
• After every 20 applications, stop and look at your replies before you send more.

Job search goals beyond applications

Applications are one input. Messages, follow-ups and practice count too, and they are just as much in your hands.

• Send 3 messages a week to people who work where you want to work.
• Have 1 short call a week with someone in your field.
• Follow up once, 7 days after an application, when a contact is listed.
• Practice 5 common interview questions out loud each week.
• Send a thank you note to every interviewer within 1 day.

A 30 day job search plan

A month is long enough to see your own numbers, and short enough to start today. For more month-long ideas, see these 30 day challenge ideas.

• Week 1: update your resume and list 20 roles you would really take.
• Weeks 2 to 4: send 15 tailored applications a week, 45 in all.
• Send 12 messages to people in your field over the 30 days, 3 a week.
• Do 1 hour of job search on 20 weekdays this month.
• On day 30, count your applications, replies and interviews, and set next month's number from them.

How many applications does it take to get a job?

Nobody can give you one true number. It depends on your field, your city, the level of the job and the time of year, and the numbers you see online come from different people counted in different ways. What you can know is your own rate. Count three things: applications sent, replies, and interviews. After 20 or 30 applications, you can see how many it takes you to get one interview, and whether better applications change that.

Then set your number before the week starts. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. "Apply to more jobs" is a do your best goal. "15 tailored applications a week for 4 weeks" is specific. If the total feels big, break the goal into weeks. For goals once you are in the job, see these career goals.

If you get unemployment benefits

Some benefit programs ask you to show a set number of job search activities each week or month. Those rules differ from place to place, and they change. Check the rule with your own benefit office, and keep your own plan on top of it, not in place of it.

How to stay motivated during a long job search

Replies are not in your hands. What you do each day is. Count the inputs you control, so a quiet week still shows the work you did.

Plan for the slow days ahead of time. "If it is 9 am on a weekday, I send 3 applications before anything else" is an if-then plan, and a review of 94 tests found that plans like this had a medium to large effect on reaching goals.

A long search can be hard on how you feel. Keep time for sleep, moving your body and seeing people, and keep one day a week free of it.

How to track your job applications

Many people keep a list of where they applied, with the date and any reply. A list holds the details. A total shows the work adding up. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and the effect was larger when the progress was written down.

A picture that fills with every application makes a slow week easier to see through. In Chaltra, make a challenge, type Applications as the unit, set a target like 60, and log each day's count. A challenge of up to 30 days is free. A longer one needs Premium.

Frequently asked questions

How many jobs should I apply to a day?

There is no one right number. A small number you can do well is easier to keep than a big one you rush. 3 tailored applications each weekday is 15 a week, or 60 in 4 weeks.

How many jobs should I apply to a week?

Pick a number that fits your time. If you work now, 5 tailored applications a week for 8 weeks is 40. If you search full time, 15 a week for 4 weeks is 60.

How many applications does it take to get a job?

No one number holds for everyone. It depends on your field, city and level. Count your applications, replies and interviews, and after 20 or 30 you can see your own rate.

I applied to 100 jobs and got no response. What should I do?

Stop and look before you send more. Check that the roles fit you, ask 2 people to read your resume, and tailor the top of it to each job.

How many job applications a week do I need for unemployment?

That depends on your benefit program, and the rules differ from place to place. Ask your own benefit office for its current rule.

Should I track my job applications?

Yes. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often. Write down each application and keep a total.