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Why 1,000 Applications Means You're Doing It Wrong - Anuj Rastogi (S2E3)
If you're getting 1,000 applications for a single role, the problem isn't that you have too many candidates. The problem is that your hiring process has no filter — and no real signal about what you're actually looking for.
High application volume feels like success. In reality it usually means your job description is vague, your employer brand is attracting everyone including nobody in particular, and your team is about to spend weeks screening resumes for a hire they could have made in days with better targeting.
Anuj Rastogi, Managing Director at BackStretch, works with purpose-driven founders and HR leaders to untangle the hiring decisions that are quietly costing them. In this episode of Looks Good on Paper, he breaks down why high application volume is a symptom not a metric, how companies unknowingly sabotage their own process, and what tighter targeting in hiring actually looks like when you do it right.
What you'll learn:
→ Why high application volume signals a broken process, not a successful one
→ How vague job descriptions create the illusion of a strong talent pool
→ What targeted hiring looks like and how to get there without expensive tools
GUEST
Anuj Rastogi — Managing Director, BackStretch
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anujrastogi13/
YOUR HOSTS
Anita Chauhan — Fractional CMO, co-host
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/
CHAPTER MARKERS:
00:00 Intro
00:16 Guest Introduction
01:47 Biggest Hiring Mistake
05:58 Unknown Hidden Bias
10:38 Hiring Without CVs
14:24 Wild Card: Balancing Quality vs Quantity
17:50 Outro
LISTEN & FOLLOW
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H
Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562
All episodes → https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
https://youtu.be/SNTN4Wc-xi8
POWERED BY WILLO
Hire humans, not resumes → https://www.willo.video/looks-good-on-paper
CONNECT WITH US
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/10170893
If this episode changed how you think about hiring, share it with one person who needs to hear it. And subscribe — we're rewriting the rules of hiring, one episode at a time.
Receiving 1,000 applications for a single role is not a sign of a strong employer brand — it is a sign that the job description lacks specificity. Vague requirements attract unqualified applicants at volume, creating screening work that consumes recruiter time without improving hire quality. Better targeting, not better filtering, is the fix.
Show Resources
- Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
- CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
- Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host
View all episodes
By Anita ChauhanIf you're getting 1,000 applications for a single role, the problem isn't that you have too many candidates. The problem is that your hiring process has no filter — and no real signal about what you're actually looking for.
High application volume feels like success. In reality it usually means your job description is vague, your employer brand is attracting everyone including nobody in particular, and your team is about to spend weeks screening resumes for a hire they could have made in days with better targeting.
Anuj Rastogi, Managing Director at BackStretch, works with purpose-driven founders and HR leaders to untangle the hiring decisions that are quietly costing them. In this episode of Looks Good on Paper, he breaks down why high application volume is a symptom not a metric, how companies unknowingly sabotage their own process, and what tighter targeting in hiring actually looks like when you do it right.
What you'll learn:
→ Why high application volume signals a broken process, not a successful one
→ How vague job descriptions create the illusion of a strong talent pool
→ What targeted hiring looks like and how to get there without expensive tools
GUEST
Anuj Rastogi — Managing Director, BackStretch
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anujrastogi13/
YOUR HOSTS
Anita Chauhan — Fractional CMO, co-host
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/
CHAPTER MARKERS:
00:00 Intro
00:16 Guest Introduction
01:47 Biggest Hiring Mistake
05:58 Unknown Hidden Bias
10:38 Hiring Without CVs
14:24 Wild Card: Balancing Quality vs Quantity
17:50 Outro
LISTEN & FOLLOW
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H
Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562
All episodes → https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
https://youtu.be/SNTN4Wc-xi8
POWERED BY WILLO
Hire humans, not resumes → https://www.willo.video/looks-good-on-paper
CONNECT WITH US
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/10170893
If this episode changed how you think about hiring, share it with one person who needs to hear it. And subscribe — we're rewriting the rules of hiring, one episode at a time.
Receiving 1,000 applications for a single role is not a sign of a strong employer brand — it is a sign that the job description lacks specificity. Vague requirements attract unqualified applicants at volume, creating screening work that consumes recruiter time without improving hire quality. Better targeting, not better filtering, is the fix.
Show Resources
- Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
- CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
- Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host