Have You Been Rage Applying?

Have you been applying for new roles out of frustration due to various reasons on the job? Does your compensation, management, assigned role, or officemate frustrate you to a point where you feel the need to apply to a number of open positions?

If so, you could fall under the umbrella of rage applying that has been discussed more and more in the career trends space. In episode 30 of the HigherEdJobs Podcast, Kelly and Andy discuss rage applying, the good, the bad, and the strategic repercussions of this emotional process.

Rage applying all starts with a dissatisfaction in the workplace.

Kelly reflects, “How could this be good when an employee is dissatisfied in the workplace? There’s typically four different ways that [an employee] can respond. One person might take the approach that’s very different than the other person, so one person might just put up with it and be loyal and just keep going, keep plugging away. Another person might be destructive in terms of not doing work, coming in late, kind of the more the quiet-quitting concept that we’ve talked about. Some people might actually do something in terms of being active and speaking up, talking to their leadership team, addressing coworkers that might be causing this dissatisfaction, talking about higher compensation. And then there’s some people that take an active approach in dealing with this rage and they leave. They go and look for another job.”

If you can separate the emotional response you are experiencing from the realities of your situation, this can lead to real positive change in your career.

Andy advises, “Separate the emotion from the tactical part of a career path and a job search. That doesn’t mean they can’t be in close proximity but separate the two from what you’re doing. Channel the emotion into a strategic, cohesive plan on what you’re trying to accomplish, what you’re looking for, what your ideals are, and then spend your energy doing that.”

“So, I think this is kind of the advice to our job seekers, the people that might be considering this rage applying. Is it the best move? Is it strategic? So, kind of dig deep and try to discover what is the root of this dissatisfaction. Then strategically decide what to do. Maybe it is actually finding a new position” Kelly shares.

And Andy reminds us, “…don’t ever feel guilt about having that emotion. The emotion is real, but what you’re going to do with the emotion is up to you. Don’t let the emotion drive the process. Let the emotion start the process and then let strategy drive the process.”
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Listen to the full episode and let us know how you feel about rage applying via email at podcast@higheredjobs.com.