And it gets noisy quick. When I was job searching, I remember seeing an email and thinking, “Oh, I need to remember to apply to that!” Cut to eight different alert emails from job boards later, and I’d completely forgotten that first role I was looking at. And because time is of the essence with so many of these jobs, I killed my chances by forgetting to apply right then and there.

That job that you knew you were perfect for? Nothing. That gazillion-dollar job you applied to as a joke during a period of frustration, just to see what would happen? Also no response. That job that you spent 4 hours perfectly tailoring your resume and cover letter to match every single keyword? Nada. While this experience is becoming more normal in this ever frustrating job application landscape, one question is starting to make the rounds for job seekers everywhere. What