Learn the antidote to "doomjobbing"—the demotivating and anxiety-driven cycle of frantically applying for jobs without strategy, leading to constant rejections and a sense of futility, ultimately draining job seekers and derailing careers.gettyFor decades, career success involved climbing the ladder, accepting the promotion, taking on more responsibility and moving upward. But a growing number of workers are rewriting that script by “job dropping"—voluntarily stepping away from promotions, leadership positions and high-pressure roles in favor of jobs that offer greater balance, less stress and improved mental health. This lack of motivation also shows up in a new workplace trend known as doomjobbing.What Is ‘Doomjobbing’?In a previous story for Forbes.com, I described doomjobbing as the career version of doomscrolling. The latter hijacks your attention. The former hijacks your career. Add job dropping to the mix and you have three forms of de-motivation—staying stuck where you are instead of moving forward.Doomjobbing is an endless cycle of job hunting or frantically chasing new ones when you believe the outcome won’t improve. You hit the easy apply button on LinkedIn or other job sites just to get rejection emails or no replies at all. Deep inside there’s a lingering sense of futility: This isn’t going anywhere.Dan Kejsefman, Talent Director at Avature, describes it as misdirected effort fueled by anxiety. “After a layoff, it’s natural to feel urgency,” he acknowledges. "But when that urgency turns into constant activity, it often creates the illusion of progress without actually improving outcomes.”That illusion is the trap, he says, as activity replaces strategy, and motion replaces meaning. If you’ve ever found yourself idly scrolling through jobs and applying for any role that vaguely fits your skillset—you’ve doomjobbed. MORE FOR YOUYou send out dozens of applications with little strategy. You stay in a role you expect to disappear or stagnate. You constantly check job boards without refining your approach. You feel busy—but you’re not moving forward. Doomjobbing (like doomscrolling) is draining and demotivating, as it involves applying to multiple jobs quickly without putting much thought into it. It often leads to rejection emails or no response at all, which results in disappointment and frustration.5 Tips To Avoid ‘Doomjobbing’ Doomjobbing, applying to lots of jobs without much thought, ultimately leads to more disappointment than success, says Peter Duris, Kickresume’s CEO and co-founder. “While it may be tempting to hit ‘easy apply’ on everything that catches your eye on websites like LinkedIn, it’s not the best way to go about job hunting.” To help you avoid falling into doomjobbing, Duris offers five tips if you’re unmotivated in yourr search to get your career back on track:1. Narrow down the search To avoid doomjobbing, create a list of criteria on what you want from a future job. This can include only applying for jobs with relevant job titles, setting a salary range, and filtering by the type of work arrangement you want. You could also create a shortlist of companies you want to work for that align with your values, whether that’s companies known for their sustainable practices or for their flexibility. Having clear filters makes it easier to focus on roles you genuinely want, instead of applying out of habit. Once you’ve found roles that match your criteria, make sure you also meet the requirements in the job description.2. Tailor each application To improve your chances of landing an interview, it’s worth tailoring your application to each role. You don’t need to completely rewrite your resume for every role, but make sure it focuses on the skills and experience most relevant to the job you're applying for. If a cover letter is required, it should be personalized to the role and company. You can also use AI to save time, but always review and edit everything before sending it.3. Make sure your resume is ATS optimized Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are software tools that filter resumes for hiring managers. By scanning for relevant keywords, these scanners are used to narrow down the volume of applicants and select the most relevant ones. To make sure your resume gets into the hands of recruiters, optimizing for ATS is vital. You can do this by embedding keywords into your resume and using a clear and easily-scannable format with simple headings and bullet points. There are online tools available to check if your resume is optimized or not.4. Turn on job alerts On some job boards, you can turn on job alerts to get notified when a relevant role is posted. This way you’re only notified about the jobs you want and can be one of the first applicants to apply. This can help boost your chances while streamlining the process. 5. Don’t feel demotivated by the competition On platforms like LinkedIn, job ads might show how many people have applied for the job — while this figure might look very high, it often includes everyone who clicked “Apply”, not just people who fully completed their application. Many applicants won’t have tailored their resume to fit the role, and may not have the right skills or qualifications, so they won’t necessarily be a meaningful competition. If you’re a job seeker struggling to find a relevant role, there are many people in the same boat right now. The job market is tough, and more and more people are relying on AI to help them land a role. In Kickresume’s recent research, they found that 1.2 million people used AI-powered features last year. A Final Wrap On ‘Doomjobbing’“It’s best to be intentional with your job search. Take your time applying to relevant roles and check multiple job boards," Duris advises. “Don’t fall into the trap of clicking ‘apply’ to every job you come across where you vaguely meet the criteria—as this can become discouraging.”Kejsefman concludes that “Doomjobbing” isn’t about a lack of ambition. It’s about effort applied without direction in a high-pressure environment. In a job market shaped by uncertainty, automation and rapid change, he admits it’s easy to confuse motion with progress. But workers who move forward aren’t the ones doing the most—they’re the ones doing the most intentionally. The shift from reactive to strategic is subtle but powerful.