As a younger worker, many of us have experienced the manager who overlooks you, acting as if you don’t exist, being tasked with getting coffee for your entire department instead of being invited to join a team meeting or finding out someone with less experience than you is getting paid more…
These frustrations have culminated in a new Gen Z corporate trend that’s taking off on TikTok. It’s called “rage applying” and is all about getting so annoyed at work issues that you channel your anger into job applications, firing off resumes to all and sundry.
Whatever stage of your career you’re at, most workers will experience a toxic boss or workplace at one point or another. And while it’s tempting to down tools and start firing off applications for a new job to try and extract yourself from the situation, rage applying is a surefire way to not get the job you want.
Exit Strategy
Whether you’re an intern or the CEO of a Fortune 500, it’s important to protect your professional reputation. While a hasty application fired off in a fury might feel cathartic at the time, it’s probably not the best reflection of your skills or experience. Leaving a position before you’ve really had a chance to gain anything from it is an even bigger waste of your time and energy.
Instead, formulate your exit strategy by giving yourself deadlines or targets to work towards so your resume is as robust as possible. For example, if you feel like you’d like to develop your skill set in a certain area, focus on this and ask HR or your manager for some guidance on how you can access the resources needed to upskill. This will put you in a much better position when you do start applying for new jobs.
Sweat the Small Stuff
Rage applying might give you instant gratification but it can be hard to spot typos and mistakes through the red mist, so instead of hitting “send”, step away from your screen and calmly review your application at least once to catch any mistakes.
Similarly, as 75% of hiring managers and HR departments now rely on applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen new applications you’ll need to carefully tailor each application you make. Ensure your cover letter, resume and application contain keywords gleaned from the job description, otherwise, your skills and experience won’t match up and you’ll be automatically rejected.
And when you consider it takes between 30 and 50 applications to get hired, and only 10% of job applications result in interview invites, first impressions count.
Taking all of the above into consideration, once you’re ready to calmly start applying for a new job, The Grad Cafe Job Board is the perfect place to start your search. It currently has hundreds of entry level opportunities and internships across the country, like the three below.
Accounting Assistant 4, Northrop Grumman, McLean
At Northrop Grumman, employees get the opportunity to work on revolutionary systems that impact people’s lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Its defense systems division is seeking an experienced and motivated professional for an entry level Accounting Assistant 4 position. In this role you’ll utilize various internal and external resources to pursue payment of billed accounts receivables, analyze payment trends to assist with the development of monthly treasury forecasts and compile data to prepare a variety of reports. Applicants should have a high school diploma or equivalent plus six years’ additional education and related experience in finance or accounting along with strong customer service and communication skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. See more details here.
Intern, Morgan Stanley, Stamford
Morgan Stanley’s goal is to build and maintain a workforce that is diverse in experience and background and as such it is hiring an Intern to work at its Stamford, Connecticut office. This position will allow the successful candidate to gain exposure to wealth management business, products and services, gain industry and organizational knowledge through daily business interactions and job assignments and develop the business, financial and analytic skills needed for a career in global wealth management. To apply you’ll need a high school diploma, be at least 18 years of age and be in pursuit of a college degree. View the full job description here.
2023 Intern – Software Engineer, Adobe, San Jose
Adobe is on a mission to hire the very best and is committed to creating exceptional experiences for its staff. It is currently seeking talented and passionate Software Engineer Interns across all organizations to help plan, design, develop, and test software systems or applications for software enhancements and new products used in local, networked, cloud-based or Internet-related computer programs and products. Applicants should be currently enrolled in full time education, pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering or electrical engineering along with a strong technical background and proficiency in at least one programming language, for example Java, C++, JavaScript or Python. Apply here.
