Should You Apply for That Random Job?

If you’re actively looking for jobs – especially if you’ve been searching for a while or surrounded by panicked friends who have been – you’re going to see a lot more postings for jobs that aren’t a fit than for those that are. That’s pretty obvious, since even in a slow market, a lot of industries hire for a lot of roles at a lot of levels, and you’re only qualified for a select few.

But one thing we’ve seen happen time and again is that job seekers get so frustrated by the lack of openings for what they want to do that they end up applying for random jobs that are not only not of interest to them, but also not a fit! In turn, this builds up a narrative that they’re applying for tons of jobs and getting no calls, which must mean they are unhireable, they don’t have the right experience, their career decisions to this point have all pointed to failure, the system is stacked against them, and all job postings are just AI anyway…and with that level of desperation, they start to apply more and more widely, hoping the wider net will catch more fish, and when it doesn’t, well, the feedback loop goes on and on and only gets worse.

So how do you dig yourself out of this trap? Ask yourself these questions when you see a job posting:

What team is this role on? This is especially important for roles at larger companies or “producer” roles at non-entertainment firms. What’s the team’s objective? Are they more responsible for creative or strategy or operations or marketing or finance or…? How does that align with what you want to do or know how to do? If you want to work in podcast development, don’t apply for a Head of Production role at Audible just because it’s the only opening you’ve seen at Audible in months.

Is the company working on something I’m passionate about? For entertainment companies, consider if the company produces content you’re interested in or have experience with, or if they rep talent that excites you. For creative roles in adjacent industries, think about how your interests or expertise intersect. A creative lead for a sports marketing agency probably should know a thing or two about sports, and if that’s not you, don’t waste time applying! There are plenty of people with deep sports knowledge who are out of work right now. But if you’re the person watching every major sport, tracking fantasy stats, and you’ve done a few commercials for Draft Kings, you should apply and get everyone you can think of in your network to refer you.

What level is the position? Unfortunately, job titles have become less straightforward over the years. But you can tell from a job posting if the role is entry-level, junior, mid-level, or senior, and you should know which category you fall into. If you’re a coordinator, you’re not going to get a creative executive role at a top streamer if the listing calls for 10+ years of experience managing slates. That’s more of a VP/SVP role, even if the title is flat and more of a junior title elsewhere. Similarly, if you’re considering taking a step back, you should know that it can be harder to get roles you’re overqualified for than roles you’re qualified for, and that any company who wants to pay you a low-level salary for your decades-plus of experience is maybe not the best environment for you to thrive. Obviously, money is money, and you might need a job, but unless there’s a compelling and easy-to-explain reason to move backwards, it’s likely going to be a dead end application. Apply for the roles that align with where you are in your career.

Do the listed skills align with my background and what I want to do next? As you go through the posting, ask yourself if you can do the listed skills and if you have the listed qualifications. There will likely be some things you don't have direct experience in, and that's fine, but can you make a compelling argument why you'd be able to do the core work elements the role requires? And more importantly: Do you want to? If the answers are yes and yes, then apply! Having evaluated the posting this way, you'll already be in a position to craft a strong resume and cover letter that makes the case for you. But if the answer is no to either question, don't bother applying! Even if you somehow game the system to get an interview (unlikely), you're probably not going to pass through the necessary vetting. And if you do? You've ended up in a job you either can't succeed in, wouldn't want to, or both! Which just means you'll be back on the market again. If you do decide to throw your hat in the ring just to see what happens, we'd recommend not recruiting your network to vouch for you for this kind role, as that confuses your story and gets messy if you end up not accepting an offer, getting fired, or quitting quickly.

Does this mean you’ll apply for fewer roles? Yes. And how lucky for you to save all that wasted time! When you see these roles that frustrate you because they aren’t what you want, instead of applying, forward them to the person in your network who would be a good fit for them. That’ll serve you a lot more than sending out an application that goes nowhere – plus, it’s the nice thing to do!