I pored over 700+ job applications. Here are 6 takeaways.

Remember: Don't take rejection personally, because it truly is not. The odds — and system — are stacked against you.

The job market is in shambles, and it has been for quite some time. Everyone knows this, it’s nothing new, and we’re all suffering for it. Whether you’re looking for full-time work or want to add more clients to your freelance roster, no one is escaping the pain of looking for work right now, even those lucky enough to have a job. There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Things suck.

But! This isn’t a downer, we’re-all-doomed newsletter! (Well, not totally, anyway.) Last fall I listed a job with FWT that, within two days, pulled in more than 700 applications. I thoroughly read every single one, and I noticed a few commonalities among the best ones — and the less great ones.

So today, I’m sharing six takeaways from my weeks spent reading through those hundreds of résumés. Things to do, things to avoid, and just things to be aware of. And, if you’ve been lucky enough to land work, either FT or freelance, leave a comment below and share with us what worked for you. We’re in this together, y’all!

It’s not you, it’s them

Really, truly, I am being so serious about this. There were dozens of unbelievably qualified candidates I would have been thrilled to hire, but through no fault of their own, they didn’t make the cut, even though I am 100% confident they could have done the job and excelled at it!

The truth is, every open position right now will have hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants, and many, many of those applicants will be deeply qualified. I know we all generally know this, but seeing it firsthand was gobsmacking. It’s a tough pill to swallow for us all, because it’s frustrating going through a full application process for a job we know we’re qualified for and could do, nailing every part of the process, only to get an unexplained rejection — or, even worse, to get ghosted. “Where did I go wrong? What did I screw up? Am I not actually as good as I think I am?” we ask ourselves.