By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
EP 3109 This show exposes the single, biggest mistake nearly every job seeker makes that guarantees their resume lands at the bottom of the pile.
Alright, let’s talk about something we’ve probably all gone through. You’re applying for a job online, right? You find the perfect one. You spend ages tweaking your resume.
You pour your heart into that cover letter. You finally hit submit. And then? Crickets.
Just nothing. It has to be one of the most frustrating things about looking for a job today. You know that feeling, right? It’s like your resume just gets sucked into this giant black hole.
You keep sending them out, one after another, and you can’t help but wonder, did a real human being even lay eyes on this? All that work, all that effort, and it just vanishes. Well, it turns out this is a real thing. People actually call it the application black hole.
It’s that digital abyss where all our hard work seems to disappear completely unseen. And think about it. We spend hours on this stuff.
It’s not just a quick click. We’re crafting the application, trying to show exactly what we can do. And when you get total silence back, not even a thanks but no thanks email, man, that is just so demoralizing.
In this chart, this pretty much sums up the brutal reality for so many of us. Look at this gap. We call it the effort versus reward gap.
The bar for application sent is sky high. But the one for responses received, it’s tiny. It really does feel like you’re just shouting into the wind.
But what if I told you there’s a way to completely flip that script? So the good news is there actually is a solution. And it’s not what you think. It’s not about sending out even more applications or rewriting your resume for the 100th time.
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Nope. It’s about a really simple but super powerful little trick. A filter that can honestly change the entire game for you.
And believe it or not, it all comes down to this one number. 24. Seriously.
This number, this is the key. It’s the key to escaping that black hole and finally, finally getting your resume in front of an actual person. So what is it? It’s called the 24-hour filter.
And the strategy couldn’t be simpler. You only, and I mean only, apply to jobs that have been posted in the last 24 hours. Now I know what you might be thinking.
Wait, why would I limit my options like that? It sounds kind of backwards, right? But stick with me because there’s a brilliant reason why this works so well. Okay, so here’s the why. It’s all about something called the early applicant advantage.
It really is all about timing. You know the saying, the early bird gets the worm. Well, in the world of online job hunting, that is a massive, massive understatement.
Just imagine it like this. Think of it like going to a party. The person who applies on day seven, they’re showing up super late.
The party is already packed, right? The host, that’s our recruiter, is totally swamped, juggling a million things. It’s almost impossible to stand out. But you, the applicant on day one, you’re one of the first people through the door.
The recruiter is fresh, they’re engaged, they actually have the time and energy to pay attention to you. Suddenly, you’re not competing with 200 people. You’re competing with maybe 20.
And really, that’s the whole idea right there. This isn’t some magic trick that guarantees you the job. Let’s be real.
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What it does do is something maybe even more important. It all but guarantees that your resume will at least get read. You get your foot in the door.
Okay, that all sounds great in theory, right? But how do you actually do it? Let’s get super practical for a second. I’m going to walk you through exactly how you can put this to work, like right now. And you’ll be happy to hear it is incredibly easy on pretty much any job site.
Let’s take LinkedIn, for example. Step one, you do your normal search, project manager or whatever. Step two, you find the date posted filter.
And step three, you just select past 24 hours. That’s it. A couple of clicks and boom, you’re ahead of the game.
And honestly, that’s the beauty of this whole thing. This isn’t some massive, complicated strategy. You don’t have to completely change everything you’re doing.
It’s just a tiny little tweak to your daily routine that can make a huge, huge difference in your results. So what’s the big takeaway here? It’s really about shifting your entire mindset. It means moving away from that spray and pray method of just sending your resume everywhere.
Instead, you’re going to be targeted. You’re going to be strategic. So here’s the new playbook.
First, we’re going to stop playing the numbers game. No more sending out hundreds of applications, hoping one sticks. Instead, we’re going to focus on freshness.
Our number one priority is just getting our application seen. And the way we do that by being first in line every single time. Look, it really all boils down to this one question.
The old way has you fighting for a tiny bit of attention in a huge, noisy crowd. But this way, this gives you a VIP pass right to the front. So the next time you fire up that job search, just ask yourself this.
Why would I ever compete with the crowd when I can be first in line?
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those things can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, carer transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
He is the producer and former host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3100 episodes. 
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You will find great info to help with your job search at my new site, JobSearch.Community Besides the video courses, books and guides, I answer questions from members daily about their job search. Leave job search questions and I will respond daily. Become an Insider+ member and you get everything you’d get as an Insider PLUS you can get me on Zoom calls to get questions answered. Become an Insider Premium member and we do individual and group coaching.
Why So Many Interviews?
Schedule a discovery call to speak with me about coaching you during your job search at www.TheBigGameHunter.us to discuss one-on-one or group coaching with me
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