New report reveals why jobseekers are mass applying to jobs
Communicating promptly during the recruitment process may be the solution employers need as they grapple with applicant overload and mismatch during hiring.
This is according to a new report from Monster, which looked into the recent "spray and pray" trend among jobseekers and what could be influencing them to do it.
"Spray and pray," in recruitment, refers to jobseekers' strategy of applying to a high volume of positions with a generic résumé in hopes of landing a job.
Monster's latest poll among over 1,000 jobseekers in the revealed that nearly half of them are guilty of this tactic, with 48% frequently or regularly applying to many roles quickly rather than focusing on a small number of opportunities that match their skills.
This trend is likely a strong factor contributing to the application overload experienced by recruiters of late, as well as the mismatch they see between candidates and the roles they're applying for.
What's behind mass applying?
But this "spray and pray" tactic in recruitment may not actually be driven by jobseekers' laziness in applying, but the lack of communication that they experience during hiring.
Monster's poll revealed that 51% of jobseekers have changed how they apply because they aren't hearing back from employers. This includes:
- Applying to any job that seems even remotely possible (25%)
- Applying to more jobs than they used to (26%)
"Without updates, interviews, or clear next steps, jobseekers often assume silence means 'no,' which pushes them to submit more applications just to stay in the game," the Monster report read.
The use of applicant tracking systems (ATS) also makes 45% of employees apply broadly, according to the report.
Around one in five respondents just assume their résumés are screened out automatically so they apply to more rules roles (21%), while others just rely on Quick Apply just to save time (22%).
"When candidates believe their résumé might never be seen, they often choose quantity over quality," the report read.
What can employers do?
Improving communication during hiring can shift the "spray and pray" tactic among jobseekers.
Monster's report revealed that 76% of jobseekers would consider applying more selectively if their employers provided feedback during the hiring process.
"This suggests that many people aren't opposed to targeted applications—they just don't feel like they have enough information to be selective," the report read.
"Clearer updates, status messages, or even brief feedback could help jobseekers focus on roles that truly match their skills and reduce the need to apply everywhere."
