Rage applying: Workers and hiring managers should carefully consider decisions made based on 'short-term emotions,' experts say

• Rage-applying is the newest workplace term to hit the internet.
• Professionals are sharing their stories and encouraging each other to know their worth and never settle.

Rage-appliers are holding accountable employers who don't recognize their worth by seeking out new opportunities when they're fed up, but an expert said employers should be wary of applicants who reach out in moments of passion.

Corporate consultant and office culture expert Jenn Lim spoke with Insider about the pros and cons of hiring a possible rage-applicant.

There are ways to tell if an applicant is just trying to get away from their current job, she said.

"It's about asking the right questions in an open way and seeing how the applicant reacts," said Lim, who is a consultant for companies on office culture and keeping employees happy in the workplace. "That's a really good indicator of if it's just a rage-applicant looking for more money or if there's more there that aligns with the company."

Lim encourages employers to push past the "typical questions" during an interview and dig deeper into the "why." Based on the responses to those deeper questions, she said, a recruiter should be able to tell if someone is applying for the right reasons.

Frustrated professionals have taken to TikTok to share their struggles using the newly coined workplace phrase.

"They think they're rejecting me but joke's on them (because) I don't even remember I applied," one commenter wrote under the video.

However, rage-applying isn't always a red flag. Sometimes, employees just want to be paid and respected adequately when they work hard for their employer. In January, music manager Jordan Smith told Insider about passionately applying to new jobs after being passed over for a promotion.

"My supervisor and I had shared a lot of responsibilities. When he was too busy to do something, I was the person who handled it," Smith said. "Naturally, I thought I would be up next for the promotion if he left, but that wasn't the case."

The move landed Smith a higher paying leadership position in less than a week within the music industry, which she said can be tough to navigate.

An April survey from software development company Lattice found that 52% of new hires already were searching for another job after three months or less with an employer. That figure jumped to 59% for those who'd been at a company for three to six months, Fortune reported.

Lim compared instances of rage-applying to a state of "fight-or-flight" for some employees who feel wronged in their current workplaces.

"When you're doing anything out of rage, you're not necessarily thinking long-term. It's more about short-term emotions," Lim told Insider.

"I think it's healthy to have those emotions, but I also think it's important to take a step back and think about where those emotions are coming from."