In our area of specialisation we meet with a lot of clients who are disengaged from the application process. In many of these instances, it isn’t a result of their not trying; it is a result of their not getting the results they are expecting from their ongoing applications.
In the current job market, applicants may receive a follow up call for around 10% of the applications sent out. Recruiters target calling somewhere from 10 –20 applicants for each advertised role, however they could receive in excess of 200 applications.
For some of our clients, the lack of follow up and interest is a result of their resume. Once identifying that the resume is a problem, (engaging a professional to get this right), there will still not be 100% follow up from applications. We advise our clients that if they receive follow up for more than 20% of their applications; they may be one of the lucky ones.
Here is where the disengagement, frustration, and sometimes depression can set in. Regardless if an individual has been applying for roles for only one week, or for some of our client’s in excess of 6 months, not receiving a response will have an impact on an individual.
Regardless how qualified an individual is for a role, unless they are one of the only few qualified individuals in Australia, in many instances you will just become another applicant to the recruiters.
The important aspect of all of this is to stay above your emotions; and not to let it get to you.
Some ways to achieve this include:
- Do not accept lack of follow up as demonstrating you are not capable of a role. Although you may in your opinion meet the requirements of a role, there are many unwritten requirements that the recruiter will use your resume only to determine your suitability to. You may or may not meet these which could be the reason for not receiving a follow up call.
- Remain upbeat. Continue to apply for positions and ensure you are prepared for all possible scenarios. By remaining active in the job market you will continue to be able to see the ongoing opportunities available to you.
- Have faith in your capabilities. Each individual has key skills and capabilities that will be ideal for an organisation. Continue to have faith and confidence in your own capabilities as this will allow you to remain confident throughout all interviews and continue to be able to articulate your strengths.
- Use the job search to identify professional and personal development opportunities. Once identified, develop a plan that will allow you to start to develop new skills making you more attractive to future opportunities.
- Request feedback and use it. Requesting feedback will allow you to identify improvements that may assist in increasing your success rate from applications. Some recruiters will provide you this information others will not. Take on board the feedback that you do receive and ensure you make any updates to your application documents, or highlight key capabilities that may previously have not been articulated however deemed important to your application.
Overall, it is important to remember that not receiving a call does not deem that you are not capable as a professional. Professional skills and requirements that an organisation may be looking for are hard to determine from a base job advertisement. Realising that your skills will be suitable for a role will help to drive the motivation needed to continue to apply. Remain active, positive and confident throughout the whole process and you will ultimately remain engaged for as long as the process requires.
Ultimately, you are looking for that 1 ideal job and whether this happens immediately, or after a period of frustration that we have all suffered through. This 1 ideal job will appear given the time and patience required to find it.








