I tried the 5:50:5 job-search hack so you don’t have to

After months of late-night applications and quiet rejections, a recent English Literature graduate tries the 5:50:5 job-search method having a viral moment. It doesn’t unlock a job — but it does offer a more human way to stay engaged with a process that’s increasingly automated and exhausting.

I’m on the bus home from work at 11pm, trying to draft a cover letter in my Notes app. My phone is on 10%, the crowd on the bus is so loud I can barely hear myself think, and everything I write feels completely useless. Half an hour later, I just about manage to get it done. It’s not perfect, but it’ll work. I add it to my CV and open the job listing.

‘We’re no longer accepting applications.’

My phone screen turns black as it runs out of battery, leaving me staring into my own reflection. Fantastic.

It’s not a great time to be a creative graduate looking for work. According to Indeed, AI has reduced the number of roles for recent graduates by 33% compared with last year, with listings at their lowest level in seven years. So when I stumbled across the 5:50:5 on TikTok — the latest buzzy job-search ‘hack’ – I knew I had to give it a go.

Gabriel trying the 5:50:5 method

Why I needed a reset

I graduated from UEA with a degree in English Literature with Creative Writing in 2024 and, like most graduates, I’ve been struggling to find a job I actually like. My current role in a supermarket doesn’t give me much scope for creative writing and is a far cry from my dream of working in editing or publishing. I’ve found the application process particularly demoralising, especially because I rarely receive any kind of response. So last week, in an attempt to rejuvenate both my job search and myself, I started 5:50:5.

To answer the big question upfront – did it get me a job? No. It didn’t. But some of its suggestions were genuinely useful, and I think they could help me find a job in future.

So, what is 5:50:5?

The idea stems from a LinkedIn post by Austin Belcak, CEO of Cultivated Culture, a company that claims to teach people how to land jobs they love without “traditional” experience and without applying online (no one mentions the obvious contradiction between his advice and his business model). The method involves completing five tasks for 50 minutes each day:

What actually helped

Some elements worked really well for me. Having a target number of applications per day is a good idea, although two is more realistic in my case. Because the roles I’m applying for are writing-focused, I spend a lot more time crafting applications and cover letters. Many of the companies I applied to – including Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins – also required written questions as part of the process.

So while I technically met the three-job requirement, some applications inevitably took priority over others. The rule requiring jobs to have been posted in the last four hours felt too limiting, though it did encourage me to look beyond roles I might usually search for.

One unexpected revelation was ResyMatch, a tool mentioned in the original post that analyses your CV against a job description. I’m not generally a big fan of AI, but this was genuinely helpful. It highlighted small but effective tweaks, like adding my LinkedIn, using more specific language tied to the role, and including clearer statistics.

ResyMatch CV scanner

The awkward part

The networking elements were more challenging. Reaching out to new connections felt intimidating at first, and it took a few days to stop overthinking and actually press send. Finding the right people to contact was difficult too, as I have limited experience in the industries I want to work in. By the end of the week, I’d sent a few emails, but I haven’t heard back yet. That said, I now know far more about the places I’d like to work than I did before, which feels like progress in itself.

Reaching out to existing connections was also tricky, largely because I don’t have many. I quickly exhausted my list and ended up emailing people I barely knew or hadn’t spoken to in years. It felt awkward — borderline cringe — and balancing catching up with subtly asking about work was harder than expected. Some replies were polite but frosty, neatly shutting down any further conversation with a swift ‘best wishes’. Still, it was nice to reconnect with people from university and see what they’re up to. While this didn’t lead to job opportunities, it did slightly expand my network.

The most unexpected takeaway from 5:50:5 was how useful commenting on LinkedIn posts turned out to be. It helped me discover new companies and made me feel more involved in the platform. Often, the job search feels isolating – especially when applications disappear into automated systems with no response.

Commenting gave me a small sense of participation and community. I also accidentally commented on a post offering one lucky reply the chance to win a chair. So even if I don’t get a job soon, I might at least have somewhere to sit while I keep applying.

About those 50 minutes

There is, however, one glaring flaw in 5:50:5: it does not take 50 minutes. From day one, it was clear that this wasn’t realistic. Most days, the process took between two and four hours. It might have been quicker with AI, but with so much automated screening already in place, that doesn’t feel like a practical alternative. Spending more time isn’t necessarily a bad thing — as long as you know your limits and don’t burn out.

So, my key takeaway: I’ll keep a routine, but adapt it. More like 4:80:5 – fewer applications, more time spent on each and networking emails sent a few days a week rather than daily. Finding a job you actually want is fundamentally hard work. And while a TikTok trend didn’t magically fix that, I do feel a bit more optimistic. If all else fails, I’m still holding out hope for the chair.