Simply applying to job postings online won’t lead to a job.

The British writer Aldous Huxley once said that “technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.” This statement is renewed tenfold when it comes to job-hunting online. 

You’d think that with the invention of the internet, finding a job would be simple. After all, you can open any browser, go to Indeed.com, and apply to scores of job postings with minimal effort. But, as anyone who has spent hours firing off those applications will tell you, you could apply to a hundred vacancies and not hear back from a single one. 

Why? Well, companies are often swamped by all kinds of applicants – including unsuitable ones who are desperate for any work. They may or may not even see your application, and definitely don’t have time to respond to each one.

The key message here is: Simply applying to job postings online won’t lead to a job.

The internet was supposed to liberate us, wasn’t it? It was the great information superhighway that would lead us toward greater convenience. In the case of finding work, it has only complicated things.

In the past, if you wanted a job, you looked for vacancies in the local newspaper or at a job fair. Your other option was to go from employer to employer, handing out resumés. Applying for a vacancy meant taking the time to print out your resume and delivering it in person or by mail. The effort required meant that businesses received far fewer applicants. And those applicants often did their research on the employer and thus knew that they were suited to the jobs for which they were applying.

Now that anyone with access to the internet can simply apply, many businesses list openings online as a formality. It’s too much effort to sift through thousands of applications. More often than not, the job will go to someone already working for the company.

So why do we continue to apply online in this unfocused way? Well, when you’re unemployed, applying for work – any work – can make you feel like you’ve achieved something. You can say to yourself, At least the day wasn’t wasted! It’s also a way of saving face, since being unemployed can make us feel ashamed in front of family and friends.

Sadly, for most people applying for jobs online, the wait will go on. But fear not: In these blinks, we’ll look at what you can do to land your next role in a more measured way.