It is normal to question how you look in the eyes of a hiring manager, recruiter, or potential employer. Whether it may be in a relationship, or when applying for a credit card, or in a job interview, we often worry about coming across as desperate.
Being desperate means you are showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with or that you are in a place where all else has failed and have little hope for success. Unfortunately, if you hate your job or have been unemployed for a while, you may be feeling a little desperate. But you can control whether you let that feeling show during your job search.
Applying for Multiple Jobs at One Company
Yes, this action makes you seem desperate. Yes, this can turn employers off when evaluating your application. Maybe in your mind you love the company and would to work in any position for them which is why you want to apply to all their postings.
But in the eyes of an employer, this behavior comes across as you wanting a job so badly, you are willing to settle and take whatever job you're offered. You’d do anything to work for the incredibly cool, successful company you love, but applying to many jobs at that company will not increase your chances of getting hired there.
Quality Over Quantity
Your job application and the interview process provide potential employers insight into how you would perform in the position. Applying for a position you are qualified for, have experience in, and are passionate about signifies that you will put in hard work, dedicate yourself to what you will being doing in that role, and will be an asset to the company. Applying for many positions may signify that you aren't you are not dedicated to doing a certain job that you are unfocused.
Think of this in terms of dating
When you are looking for a significant other, someone who is willing to date anyone is way less appealing than someone who makes you feel special, like you're the one, you are exactly what they have been looking for. Use the passion you have for that company to show you are a great fit for a particular job.
Avoid talking about (or showing), how badly you need a job, don't beg for it. You never want to be hired out of sympathy.
Not only could this hurt your chances of being hired but even worse, it could be used by other employers to hire you for the wrong reasons. You don't want your eagerness to be taken as vulnerability leading to being take advantage of in roles where you are underpaid, overqualified, and not passionate about.
Show Your Interest in Various Aspects of the Company
You can show you are interested in multiple aspects within the company without seeming desperate. There are ways to express your eagerness in a positive manner. You can mention during a job interview that you’re open to other roles at the company or that you are applying for this job because it sounds like an exciting opportunity and you think you’d be a great fit, but you're open to other open positions as they see fit.
Being confident in your skills and abilities to exceed in your work and showing that you are the best fit for a specific role not only boosts your odds of getting noticed, it helps hiring managers in making their decision for the position. One strong application that shows you are a perfect fit for a certain position is more effective than many applications that show you are an okay fit for various positions.
