Hey everyone,
I recently had one of those “this can’t be real” moments. We posted a role that normally brings in a pretty manageable number of applicants, and this time the resumes just kept coming. And coming. And coming. At first I was optimistic, then overwhelmed, and then honestly just tired.
I tried to read everything properly, because that’s what feels fair, but after a while it stopped being realistic. A lot of people clearly hadn’t read the posting at all, some were missing required certifications, others were just clicking apply on anything that popped up. Somewhere in that pile were probably a few really good candidates, and that’s the part that stressed me out the most.
It felt less like recruiting and more like damage control. The process slowed down, decisions took longer, and I kept second-guessing whether I was doing a good job or just surviving the volume.
So I’m wondering how others deal with this when the resume pile suddenly explodes. Do you change how you screen? Do you stop after a certain point? Or do you just accept that you can’t give every application the same level of attention anymore?
Would love to hear how people handle this in real life, because I’m still trying to figure out what “the right way” even looks like here.
This is exactly why we shifted toward more strategic screening processes - volume without quality indicators just burns out your team and creates missed opportunities. I've found that implementing structured pre-screening criteria upfront, rather than trying to retrofit after you're drowning, helps maintain both candidate experience and team sanity. The reality is that giving every application identical attention isn't sustainable at scale, but you can still be fair by being transparent about your process and timeline expectations. What matters most is designing a system that consistently identifies strong fits while respecting everyone's time - including your own team's capacity to do their best work.
Oh wow, this hits close to home! We had something similar happen a few months back when we posted for a customer service role - went from our usual 30-40 applications to over 200 in two days. I totally get that feeling of wanting to be fair to everyone while also not burning yourself out trying to read every single resume thoroughly.
What's been helping me lately is setting up some basic filters upfront and being more realistic about what "thorough review" actually means at different volume levels - sometimes a good scan for key qualifications is actually more effective than trying to deep-dive when you're overwhelmed and your attention is scattered anyway.
Ugh, I feel this so much! We had a similar explosion when we posted for an entry-level analyst position - went from maybe 50 applications to over 300. I was drowning and honestly started making mistakes because I was trying to give everyone equal attention when that just wasn't sustainable anymore. What's been helping me lately is doing a quick initial pass for the absolute must-haves first - like if the job requires specific software experience or certifications, I filter those out right away. I've also started being more honest with myself about what I can realistically assess in the time I have. It still feels a bit uncomfortable not giving every resume the same deep read, but I'm learning that being strategic about screening actually helps me find better candidates faster than when I'm exhausted and unfocused from trying to do everything perfectly.