Inspired by Episode 12, Doing It for Retention Podcast.
The hiring market is broken. Ask any candidate and they’ll tell you about the hundreds of applications sent into the void. Ask any hiring manager and they’ll describe the avalanche of unqualified CVs flooding their inbox. Both sides are exhausted, frustrated, and convinced the other simply doesn’t understand how hard this is.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: both sides are contributing to the problem.
The Application Tsunami
When a customer success role gets posted, hiring managers aren’t dealing with dozens of applications. They’re drowning in hundreds. Recent hiring rounds have seen 300+ applications for a single CS position, and here’s the kicker: 60% of those applicants don’t even meet the most basic requirements clearly stated in the job description.
Not close to meeting them. Not debatably qualified. Simply, fundamentally wrong. Wrong location. Wrong experience level. Wrong background entirely.
This isn’t a small margin of error. It’s a systemic failure of attention and intention.
The False Promise of Volume
Somewhere along the line, job seekers were sold a lie: that applying to more roles automatically increases your chances of landing interviews. It’s simple maths, right? If you send 50 applications instead of five, you’re ten times more likely to get a response.
Except that’s not how it works.
When you spray your CV across every vaguely relevant job posting without reading the requirements, without researching the company, without tailoring your application, you’re not increasing your chances. You’re decreasing them. You’re training hiring managers to ignore applications that look exactly like yours.
The irony is devastating. In trying to maximise their opportunities, candidates are actively destroying them.
What Hiring Managers Actually See
Let’s paint the picture from the other side. A hiring manager posts a crystal-clear job description. They specify the location: US only. They state the experience required: one to two years in customer success. They even explain how to apply: via email, not LinkedIn DMs.
Then the applications start rolling in. Someone from India. Someone with ten years of sales experience but zero CS background. A resignation letter (yes, an actual resignation letter). Applications addressed to the wrong person. Applications addressed to the wrong company. CVs for entirely different roles.
And amongst all this noise, buried somewhere, are the candidates who actually read the posting and took it seriously. The ones who might be perfect for the role. But finding them requires sifting through hundreds of irrelevant applications, each one representing someone who thought “why not?” was a sufficient application strategy.
The Five-Minute Fix
Here’s what’s maddening about this entire situation: the fix takes five minutes.
Five minutes to read the job description properly. Five minutes to check if you actually meet the requirements. Five minutes to research the company and understand what they do. Five minutes to personalise your covering letter with something – anything – that shows you’re a human being who genuinely cares about this specific opportunity.
That’s it. Five minutes of intentional effort will do more for your career than sending 50 generic applications ever could.
Because here’s the secret hiring managers won’t always admit: they’re desperate to find the right person. They want you to be great. They’re rooting for candidates who demonstrate they’ve done even the bare minimum of research. The bar is not high, but it does exist.
Why This Matters for CS Professionals
This issue hits customer success professionals particularly hard, and the irony is almost painful. The core of CS work is understanding customer needs, building relationships, and demonstrating value. It requires attention to detail, empathy, and the ability to personalise interactions.
Yet many CS professionals are applying for jobs by doing the exact opposite. They’re ignoring stated needs, sending generic templates, and hoping volume overcomes lack of relevance.
If you can’t demonstrate these skills in your job application, why should a hiring manager believe you’ll demonstrate them with customers?
The Desperation Trap
The counter-argument is understandable: people are desperate. The market is tough. Layoffs are constant. Candidates feel they need to cast the widest possible net just to survive.
But desperation doesn’t actually justify ineffectiveness. If you’re sending your CV to 20 companies and getting zero responses, versus sending it to five carefully selected companies and getting two interviews, which approach is actually helping you?
The spray-and-pray method doesn’t just waste your time. It actively damages your prospects by training you to be less intentional, less thoughtful, and less effective in your applications.
What Needs to Change
The solution isn’t complicated. It just requires discipline. Stop following advice that tells you to apply for everything remotely relevant. That influencer who’s encouraging you to ignore job requirements and “just get your foot in the door”? They’re hurting your career, not helping it.
Start with intention. Research companies that genuinely align with your experience and interests. Read job descriptions thoroughly. Tailor each application. Ask yourself: “Do I actually meet the stated requirements? Do I genuinely want this job? Can I articulate why?”
If the answer to any of those questions is no, don’t apply. Move on to opportunities where you can answer yes to all three.
The Investment Mindset
Think of job applications like customer relationships. In CS, you know that high-touch, personalised engagement with qualified accounts delivers better results than mass outreach to anyone with a pulse.
Apply the same principle to your job search. Five carefully researched, thoughtfully crafted applications will outperform fifty generic ones every single time.
This isn’t just theory. It’s what actually works. The candidates who get interviews aren’t the ones sending out the most applications. They’re the ones sending out the right applications.
The Reality Check
The hiring process is broken on both sides. Candidates are frustrated. Hiring managers are overwhelmed. Everyone’s exhausted.
But the fix, at least on the candidate side, is remarkably simple. Five minutes of intentional effort per application. That’s it. Read the requirements. Research the company. Personalise your approach. Follow the stated application process.
It won’t guarantee you success. The market is still competitive. Jobs are still hard to come by. But it will dramatically improve your odds compared to the spray-and-pray alternative.
The question is whether you’re willing to invest those five minutes. Because if you’re not, you’re not just wasting your own time. You’re actively contributing to a broken system that makes life harder for everyone involved.
Quality over quantity isn’t just good advice. It’s the actual path forward.
About ABR Talent
ABR Talent specialises in connecting exceptional professionals with leading SaaS companies. Whether you’re making your first move into tech or seeking your next leadership role in customer success or sales, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities in the market.
Get in touch to discuss your career journey or hiring needs.
