3 Reasons Recruiters Don't Write You Back and What to Do About It

1. Responding to you doesn't generate revenue.
2. Recruiter KPIs prioritize speed to fill.
3. They are understaffed.

If unanswered job applications are leaving you demoralized, you’re not alone. Radio silence from recruiters and hiring managers is one of the most frustrating parts of the job search.

Understanding the underlying reasons behind this can empower you to get noticed and boost your chances of landing an interview. Here are 3 of the most common explanations why recruiters don’t write back, along with proactive strategies you can implement.

They’re Focused on Generating Revenue, Not Building Relationships

Many recruiters, especially those not adequately trained, forget to focus on relationship building. So, if engaging with you in back-and-forth conversation doesn’t directly fill the role, it often falls by the wayside amidst the pressure to meet tight hiring deadlines. Does that make it acceptable? No. But, grasping this perspective can prevent you from wasting energy and feeling offended.

The good news is there are things you can do to demonstrate you’re a revenue driver worth responding to:

• Spotlight transferable skills and real-world examples of how you drove business impact in previous positions. Quantifying your contributions makes your value obvious.

• Thoroughly research the company beforehand to explain precisely how your background aligns with their business objectives and fills their needs.

• Follow up your application by contacting the hiring manager directly to introduce yourself and reinforce interest.

Making it clear upfront why you’re uniquely qualified to impact revenue can compel overburdened teams to hit reply.

Recruitment Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Depend Heavily on Speed

Aside from boosting revenue, many recruiters have KPIs and bonuses tied to quickly filling vacant roles. When compensation depends on rapidly sourcing and securing candidates, efficiently screening incoming applications becomes critical.

While moving fast keeps the talent pipeline flowing, it also means outstanding applicants often get overlooked in the high-volume hiring funnel. And when faced with hundreds of submissions, recruiters typically focus on the most apparent matches.

So, even if you don’t hear back, it doesn’t necessarily reflect your capabilities. Recruiters may lack the bandwidth to review every applicant thoroughly.

To avoid getting lost in the shuffle, implement these tips:

• Follow up with the recruiter within a day of applying to check the application status. If you wait a week, they may already be in 2nd round interviews with other candidates and could decide to hire someone farther along in the interview process.

• Network with employees on the team through LinkedIn to get internal referrals. Nothing grabs a recruiter’s attention like a personal recommendation.

• Ensure your skills and experience directly correlate with the job description so you stand out as an instant match.

Getting referred and showcasing alignment takes a little effort but can vastly improve your visibility.

Many Recruiting Teams are Understaffed and Overwhelmed

Many recruiters juggle 20 or more open roles simultaneously. Faced with mountains of applications and needing more hours in the day, recruiters often reserve responses only for top-tier candidates who will definitely move forward. If you weren’t a precise match, an overburdened team lacks the bandwidth to nurture potential talent.

The good news is that you can rise above the noise, even if the hiring team is constantly in the weeds. Consider these three tips:

• Connect with various team members on LinkedIn, not just recruiters. Getting multiple colleagues excited about your experience goes a long way.

• Attend industry events and conferences to network in person with key players at the company. Making authentic connections builds visibility and relationships.

• Check whether the organization lists open roles on niche job boards with less competition. Specialized sites equal fewer applicants to sort through.

Casting a wide net through multifaceted outreach channels prevents you from getting siloed as another faceless resume.

Who To Follow Up With After You Apply

Follow up with the hiring manager! In a high-volume market, recruiters are often your barrier to entry. Recruiters are the gatekeepers that make sure a hiring manager's time is used well. But in times of high layoffs, recruitment teams often stay the same size or shrink smaller, while application volume can increase by more than 4x. In most cases, it's not that they don't have the professional courtesy to get back to you. Most recruiters care a lot about candidate experience. After all, we've all been job seekers who have had a miserable experience at one time or another. It's that recruitment teams are overwhelmed and understaffed and literally don't have enough hours in the day, week, or month to manually review and respond to 250-1000 applicants per role.

For example, if you found a Director of Diversity and Inclusion role on Indeed, you could go to LinkedIn and guess that the hiring manager's title is Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion; Vice President, HR; or Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Then you would type that job title into the LinkedIn search bar, filter by company, and voila! You have likely found the hiring manager or the manager's manager. Either way, now you have someone to reach out to other than the recruiter.

Final Thoughts

While undoubtedly frustrating, the real reasons recruiters fail to respond usually have little to do with how qualified, driven, or deserving you are as a candidate. Business priorities, quotas, and bandwidth constraints often prevent hiring teams from nurturing top talent discovered through applications alone.

But just because stellar applicants get overlooked doesn’t make it acceptable, especially considering the time investments job seekers make. So, evolving outdated hiring processes that lead to unanswered applicants should be a priority for recruiters.

In the meantime, refusing to take ghosting personally and implementing targeted outreach strategies gives you greater control in a tough job market. Avoid internalizing the silence, and get your message in front of decision-makers through networking, referrals, and tenacious follow-ups. With a little extra effort, you can compel overburdened teams to hit reply on that application and accelerate your search!