We examine whether a reduction in the cost of applying for jobs that leads to an increase in the number of candidates applying for jobs at a firm, may make the firm worse off. We build a model where there is worker heterogeneity and firms can choose to screen workers at a cost. In equilibrium, a reduction in application costs can lower a firm's payoff by raising the number of applications from workers who, on average, are of lower quality than those who apply when application costs are high. An additional candidate can impose a negative externality on the firm by adversely affecting the statistical quality of its candidate pool. We discuss applications to the phenomenon of attention congestion through advances in digital technology.