Source : Perth Now news
Australian job hunters have been warned about engaging in a surging trend that is derailing their chances of landing a role.
“Doomjobbing” involves endlessly scrolling employment platforms and mass-applying to jobs with minimal thought, customisation or strategy, and regardless of whether applicants think they would be a good match.
“Rather than carefully selecting roles that fit their skills and experience, candidates may adopt an ‘apply to everything and see what sticks’ approach,” Robert Half senior practice director Lauren Haxby told 7NEWS.com.au.
“Technology and one-click applications have also made it possible to submit many applications in a very short period of time.”
Doomjobbing, which sits alongside other modern workplace slang including “quiet quitting”, has been described as a “coping mechanism” for anxious job seekers wanting to feel a sense of control over their employment prospects.
Doomjobbing can ‘harm’ chances of landing a job
Haxby said applicants may believe that shifting from a targeted search to a volume-based strategy will improve their odds but the reality is that “quantity doesn’t necessarily translate into better outcomes”.
Importantly, experienced recruiters and hiring managers can usually recognise a CV or application that has not been tailored to the role.
“It certainly can harm an applicant’s chance of landing a job,” Haxby said.
“In the current market, employers are not simply looking for someone who could do the job.
“They want to understand why that candidate wants this particular role and why their experience is relevant.
“When somebody applies indiscriminately, their CV can appear generic, their motivations can be unclear, and they may struggle to explain convincingly why they want the position.”
Seek’s Employment Report for June revealed the number of Australians applying for each job was at a record high.
And a survey from Robert Half showed 82 per cent of hiring managers had seen a rise in overqualified applicants — which points to a growing “apply-to-everything” approach — while 37 per of employers say the volume of candidates was making it difficult to thoroughly assess them.
“Doomjobbing is certainly one factor contributing to the volume of applications employers are receiving,” Haxby said.
“While some professionals may be applying for roles as a precaution due to economic uncertainty, employers are also seeing increased application volumes driven by broader factors such as a competitive job market, easier online application processes, and candidates applying for multiple opportunities simultaneously.”
Career coach Kate Richardson said that for many the job hunt process “feels broken”.
“Employers are overwhelmed with a huge volume of applications — many of which are irrelevant — and job hunters feel like they’re sending applications into the ‘digital dustbin’, never to be heard of again,” Richardson told 7NEWS.com.au.
“It’s a lose-lose situation.”
Richardson said plenty of frustration comes from the feeling that companies are advertising “ghost jobs” or non-existent roles.
“In reality it might be that a jobs board has syndicated a role across sites making an old role appear new,” she said.
“Where job seekers have a right to be angry is when they are ghosted in an interview process.
“When 200 people apply for a job, an employer can’t reasonably provide individual feedback to every unsuccessful applicant.
“However, there is no excuse for not providing feedback after an interview.
“Unfortunately, it happens more often than it should.”
Tips for job hunters
Richardson said there are better ways to spend your time than doomjobbing, including leaning into your network for advice, connecting with others who can share perspective, and considering ways to upskill.
“In a way, job searching in 2026 is about going back to basics — applying early, preparing a quality application for a well-targeted job opportunity, and customising it to make it obvious why your experience makes you a strong candidate,” Richardson said.
Experts say AI should only be used minimally to improve structure and check grammar.
“The issue arises when candidates allow AI to do all the thinking for them,” Haxby said.
“We are increasingly seeing CVs that sound polished but generic, use very similar wording, or contain claims that candidates then struggle to substantiate in an interview.
“The best approach is to use AI as an editor, not an author. The experience, achievements and examples still need to be genuinely yours.”
