Everyone has that bad day at work—that day when everything seems to go wrong. Maybe you were chastised by your boss for a mistake that wasn’t even yours, passed on for that promotion in favor of your new coworker, or simply overwhelmed by the unending demands of your job. Whatever the case may be, you may find yourself polishing your resume and perusing job sites, wondering if your talent will be better used and appreciated elsewhere. This impulse has led 67% of U.S. professionals to experience “rage applying.”
As the term suggests, “rage applying” is when an employee applies to a large number of jobs—not because they’re genuinely interested in a career change, but because they’re disgruntled by something at work. Whether that “something” is a toxic work environment, financial distress, or burnout, rage applying can serve as a cathartic outlet for those who feel powerless at their current job. That was the case for TikTok user @redweez, who coined the term “rage applying” in a December 2022 video, saying that after getting angry at work, she impulsively applied to 15 jobs and landed an offer with a $25,000 pay bump. She encouraged others to start rage applying as well, and this success story sparked the popularity of the term on TikTok, with hundreds of users posting their own experiences and being able to put into words what has been a common job-searching technique for ages.
While rage applying may seem like a no-risk approach to job hunting, not everyone finds the same success as @redweez. In fact, since these applications are often impulsive and scattershot, they rarely lead to desirable results. For example, due to your high emotional state, you may overlook details in your application that you wouldn’t normally miss, including obvious typos, additional application materials, or essential requirements. With the ease of applying to jobs online, as well, this method just adds to the onslaught of applications employers have to weed through, leading many of them to rely on an applicant tracking system to filter candidates and making securing a job that much harder. Perhaps the biggest pitfall of rage applying, however, is being considered for jobs that don’t align with your interests or career goals, bringing you right back to square one.
While rage applying may seem like you’re gaining more opportunities, the underlying frustration behind your application can hinder you from presenting yourself in the best light and effectively standing out as a candidate. Instead of rage applying, it may be more productive to see if there are other ways to better your current work situation. Whether it’s taking time off to focus on yourself, addressing concerns with your boss and coworkers, or seeking out new projects to cure your burnout, there are other outlets to express your discontent without making a rash decision to leave. In situations where you’re genuinely stuck in a toxic environment or an unfulfilling position, however, the best option may be to leave and search for another job. In that case, taking some time and assessing what you really want for your next position may help you successfully find work and, more importantly, a job that makes you happy.
Resources
If you’re interested in this topic and want to learn more about rage applying, here are some additional resources: