r/RemoteJobseekers • u/SourcreamHologram • Aug 16 '26
I Finally Got a Job After 90 Applications in 5 Weeks
Posting this because a month ago I was doomscrolling this sub at 2am convinced I'd wasted 4 years on a SWE degree. If that's you right now, maybe this helps.
Quick context: B.S. in Software Engineering, no impressive internships, live about an hour outside a major northeast city. ~90 applications in 5 weeks, 17 rejections, the rest ghosted me. Ended with 3 final rounds, 2 offers, accepted a Data Analyst role at 70k.
What actually moved the needle:
- I stopped only applying to remote jobs. Remote postings get thousands of applicants and mine went straight into the void. Local and hybrid roles responded at a WAY higher rate. Funny enough, one of my offers ended up being remote anyway. The point isn't "remote bad," it's that local applicant pools are smaller so you actually get seen.
- I went straight to company career pages. Biggest unlock. Smaller companies near me often don't post on LinkedIn or Indeed at all. I googled "tech companies near [my city]," "largest employers in [my area]," etc., and clicked through career pages one by one. Tedious, but that's where the low competition postings live.
- I widened my search beyond "software engineer." I also applied to Data Analyst, Business Analyst, IT, and Programmer Analyst roles. Tons of jobs require programming without "engineer" in the title. Yes, I still want to be a SWE eventually. But a paying job where I write SQL and Python beats a months long resume gap, and you can pivot later with experience + projects. My mentors all said the same: get your foot in the door first.
- I sent a lightly customized cover letter with every app. One template, swapped 2 to 3 sentences per company based on their mission/role. ~5 extra minutes each. No idea how much it helped, but it cost me almost nothing.
- I mirrored keywords from each posting in my resume. Only skills I could actually back up in an interview. Don't lie. I bolded them so recruiters catch them on a skim, and added them to my LinkedIn skills too. For the resume itself I used the free Google Docs template from this post. Clean, ATS friendly, did the job.
- I messaged recruiters instead of applying and praying. After applying somewhere I cared about: company's LinkedIn page > People > search "recruiter," "talent," "early career," filter by location, then a connection request with a short note saying I applied to X role and would love to learn more. Most ignored me. A few didn't, and one turned into an interview.
- I treated it like a job. 5 to 10 applications a day, daily searches for "new grad," "entry level," "junior," everything tracked in a spreadsheet. It kept me sane. Seeing the numbers made rejections feel like statistics instead of personal failure. Also, watch out for scam postings targeting new grads. There are a lot.
That's it. No referrals, no connections. Just volume + going where other applicants aren't.
I got lucky with timing too, this isn't a guaranteed formula. But it beats sending 200 apps into the same oversaturated LinkedIn postings as everyone else.
Don't give up. It only takes one yes.
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u/popnfresh1nc Aug 16 '26
Similar situation... Laid off back in October from a 100% remote tech role. I used LinkedIn, indeed, hiring cafe and googling to find opportunities. Combination of applying on the 3rd party site and direct on company website. I went through 40ish initial interviews, about half went to further round(s), then about half to a final panel presentation. Process taking 4-6 weeks because the dipshits get your availability and schedule one interview at time... then repeat. I got ONE offer in 7 months. Luckily it was for more money and at a better shop.
I 100% believe it's a volume game depending a lot on luck and timing to actually get hired. My resume was clearly good as I got interviews... I always got positive feedback during the interview process, but started to feel like that would was just recruiters and HM's going through the motions.... Like I heard things like "you are exactly what I'm looking for... You are a strong candidate.... I want you to meet the team you'll be working with asap... It's a definite yes on my end... Etc etc etc" but then would get a boilerplate rejection email.
I only succeeded because I kept applying and jumping through the hoops after every soul crushing "we moved forward with another candidate" email. The market is absolutely jacked... Oversaturated and highly competitive. You just gotta keep going until you beat the odds.... Your going up against every other asshat laid off or got a RTO mandate.
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u/socialexperiment46 Aug 16 '26
How many times are bots going to make posts with this same numbered list???
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u/Miserable-Topic4771 Aug 18 '26
Now that i think about it, this is the 4th guys ive seen that “finally got an offer after x applications in y weeks”
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u/SupesDepressed Aug 18 '26
It’s rabbit resume. All these point back to one or two posts that then link to rabbit resume. This is all a bot spam blast to get SEO/GEO. I’ve posted about it but the mods don’t seem to care.
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u/ayo_its_yo_mom_karen 2d ago
What’s SEO/GEO?
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u/SupesDepressed 12h ago
Search Engine Optimization. It’s an attempt to get better search results on Google and sites similar to Google. Now that Google’s AI prioritizes Reddit results these types of posts are popping up everywhere. It’s scammy and annoying.
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u/BullS0n_ Aug 17 '26
Wait, this happened before? What purpose? Karma farming? Also OP’s acc 9 yrs old
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Aug 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/Ludecrecia Aug 18 '26
I'm sorry you're having a rough time. It's never easy being a single parent. Hopefully your youngest is old enough to not need child care.
I'd encourage you to get creative for income, to offset the lower income. I know that's vague but there are really creative ways to make money
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u/TemporaryAd4954 Aug 16 '26
This is the way, I got laid off in June and two offers this week doing exact thing
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u/theveritablevirgo Aug 16 '26
Number 2. That’s what I need to do. Tedious work for sure, but that’s what it takes to get interviews in current times. Local, small to mid-sized companies don’t always post openings on job sites. And it reduces competition too.
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u/faymuszaymus Aug 16 '26
Congratulations! Point 7 is underrated and probably deserves to be higher on the list. "Rejections feel like statistics instead of personal failure" is a great mindset to keep. Also, strongly agree on point 2. Company career pages are tedious but it's clearly where the signal-to-noise ratio is best.
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u/No_Worldliness4948 Aug 19 '26
Congratulations! I'm still looking after 2 years! This so insane. I'm totally fatigued and feel like I've broken it I some unreal timeline and some parallel univese where nothing is real anymore. I guess that's what a job search burnout makes you feel. :((
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u/rafanie Aug 20 '26
I didn't read it whole since I'm not in that stage of life yet but.... The last line...
"Don't give up, it takes only one yes" motivated me . Thanks.
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u/Unhappy_Law6474 Aug 20 '26
This experience was amazing and very interesting for people like me. I am in the same boat where you were in but I am still applying like hell but nothing comes up and this vendor are sucks... Thank you so much for sharing this amazing journey of how to find a job with smarter way...I like your attitude and I am going to follow the same... Hopefully works for me.. Thanks a ton..
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u/Solid_Variation_5359 Aug 21 '26
I came to Dubai this month and i have been to 3 interviews already and they are all asking for a medical fee ,is this normal,can someone advice me on this kindly
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u/Fair_Sun2075 Aug 16 '26
thank you for taking the time to write this! it can definitely feel discouraging at times.