The reasons why you don’t hear back when you apply for a job

At some point, most people will have applied for a job online and never heard anything back. As common as this is, it is still disappointing and frustrating. Unfortunately, the problem is that recruiters are bombarded with hundreds of CVs every day which means that not only is the competition high, but great candidates are frequently missed.

Below are some of the top reasons why recruiters often don’t contact candidates and how to make sure that you don’t fall into this category.

Qualifications

Regardless of whether you are dealing with an agency that specialises in HR, Marketing, IT or Finance Recruitment, they are always going to look for candidates that are suitably qualified for the role they are advertising. There is no point applying for a job if you don’t have the right qualifications or experience because it is highly unlikely they will consider you.

Keywords

The vast majority of recruitment consultants use job boards to find candidates. It would be impossible to go through every CV available to them so instead they search by keywords. If your CV doesn’t contain the keywords that are relevant to your job and industry, chances are that you won’t even be found.

To maximise your chances of being spotted by recruiters, include current and past job titles, skills, languages and attributes that are relevant to the role you are applying for.

Stand Out

Times are tough and there are lots of people looking for work which means that you have to stand out from everyone else. If a recruitment consultant has hundreds of CVs in their inbox, even if you are the perfect candidate for the job, it is possible for you to go unnoticed. Follow up your application with a phone call because this not only shows the recruiter that you are keen, but it could also be the difference between them looking and your CV or not.

Sell Yourself

Don’t rush your CV and if possible, try to get help writing it. Remember, if you are going through an agency they need to convince their client to see you so you need to give them a reason to want to do this.  Clearly detailing your skills, experience and achievements are the best ways to get someone’s interest so don’t be shy when it comes to selling yourself.

Social Media

Many companies who specialise in finance recruitment have jumped on the social media bandwagon. Following or connecting with them through the likes of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn means that you will always hear about their latest jobs. Additionally to this, they are likely to post their company news which means that you can impress them with any knowledge you have of them when you speak to them.