July 9, 2025

The early bird gets the worm - Apply early to get the job

Analysing when our candidates apply and who gets the job, we noticed that 15% of them applied the day when the job was posted. Click here to read more insights.

While job hunting we think that having all or most of the requirements and being persuasive during the interview process are the most important drivers of our success with that job.Despite these aspects being really important, there is a third factor that we often undervalue: the timing of the application. Even if your profile is perfect for a position, having other candidates who applied before in more advanced stages can really reduce your chances of getting the job. We had a look at our data and the result is impressive. Applying the first week gives you 8 times more chances of getting the job.Analysing when our candidates apply and who gets the job, we noticed that 15% of them applied the day when the job was posted. Even more impressive is that half of them applied within the first week (53%) and 70% in the first two weeks.Looking at freelance jobs, we saw that being among the first candidates to apply is even more critical: 35% of successful candidates apply the day when the job is posted and 82% within one week.These numbers show that having all the requirements for a position and doing great during interviews are not the only relevant factors in getting a job. Make sure to always be one of the first appliers for a job you like, in particular for the most popular ones.Based on the above, receiving a notification as soon as a job is posted can be key for getting that job. That’s the reason why we suggest you turn your job alerts on and update your preferences to see all the jobs that match your skills and interests.Click here to see if your job alerts are on, and to update your preferences

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