Moriah John understands these struggles firsthand. From January to June of this year, she was unemployed. During this time, John estimates she submitted between 250 and 300 job applications, and though she did manage to get several interviews, she did not receive many follow ups. “I still had my savings and I was in school for my Master's degree, so I didn't worry right away,” John told Refinery29. “It wasn't until the end of April when I'd run out of my savings that I began to panic.” John developed a system, tweaking her resume and cover letter templates depending on the industry and position type she was applying for. But, looking back, she believes her negative mindset was a big reason for her lack of success in the the first several months of her search.