As Layoffs And Moonlighting Woes Grow, Gen Z Finds Peace In ‘Rage-Applying’ – All You Need To Know

The speed at which TikTok trends go viral and get absorbed in the corporate world is no longer just a 2022 thing; it is here to stay. Since ‘quiet quitting’ may be passé for Gen Z, they have now gone ahead, conscious of their careers, and invented a new viral slang called ‘rage-applying.’
 
So maybe it’s not just the year of ‘moonlighting’ and ‘mass layoffs,’ perhaps it’s time for ‘rage-applying’ to carve its space.

What Is Rage-Applying?

As per the understanding doing rounds, rage-applying means applying to multiple jobs at a time when one is extremely unhappy/dissatisfied with their current employer. One way to look at it is also to channelize your anger (for current employer) towards aggressively applying for many other jobs, in the hope of a better one, especially in terms of pay. 

Since rage-applying is primarily being associated with TikTok and Gen Z, it must also be noted that the usage of the word is not anymore restricted to the mentioned group. Gen Z became important in this context, first, due to the origins of the term and second, as even in 2022, when quiet quitting took the stage; it was primarily attributed to the group. 

Decoding Origins And Meaning Of ‘Rage-Applying’

According to a report in Fortune, a TikTok user, Redweez reportedly first went viral with the usage of the word. In the video, the user said that she got a raise of $25,000 through ‘rage-applying’ and the new place is ‘a great place to work’. 

While the video ended at the user saying, ‘Keep rage-applying. It’ll happen,’ many got hooked on to it and resorted to doing the same. According to media reports, since the mentioned viral video surfaced, many TikTok users have shared their stories claiming that they rage-applied and got better jobs. 

Why The Sudden Rage?

At a time like this, when rage-applying is on its way to become a corporate jargon, many are also refuting it as ‘new’ and calling it an 'old practice.' A Twitter user wrote, “We used to call this, ‘applying for new jobs.” Another wrote, “Guess we didn’t have enough rage when we did it? 🤷♂️”

On speaking to some experts, we too, got another perspective. The way many experts see rage-applying is nothing new as it is still the same act of applying for multiple jobs in the hope of a better one, while you have an existing one. However, a different angle to this could be the mood or feeling as rage-applying certainly resonates with someone who is applying for multiple jobs in frustration and haste. 

Some reasons for this rage-applying, as per some experts, could be the recent trend of mass layoffs induced by economic downturn, inflation and even moonlighting. In trying times like these, it is being understood that people, especially Gen Z are keen at looking for better opportunities, forcing them to rage-apply. At the time of writing this story, as per Layoffs.fyi, in 2023, a total of 101 tech companies have laid off 25,436 employees.