by Rachel Smith
03 September 2014
Hi there. Just a general question that you might like to address in your blog. At what point did publishing companies (or possibly all companies – but they are the only ones I apply for jobs with) decide it was acceptable to not acknowledge a job application, even with a standard formatted reply? It would take a nanosecond to hit ‘reply’ and send a short email to say the application has been received, or the position has been filled. As a long-time freelancer (who is lucky enough to have a regular gig in a regional newspaper) I would have to say that the failure of companies to respond to an application is probably the most demoralising thing I have experienced. Maggie
Thanks for your question, Maggie – you’re not the first to ask it and we know you won’t be the last. It IS infuriating and demoralising but sadly nothing new. I remember when I lived in the UK and was applying for heaps of jobs through the Guardian Media section (which was THE way to get media work back in the late 90s, before Gorkana kind of took over). Sometimes I got interviews but I was amazed at how slow the wheels turned at these companies. In some cases I would be called for an interview THREE months after applying. Sometimes, I’d wait even longer to hear that my application hadn’t been successful. More often than not, I never got one. (As it turned out I ended up getting a job through a friend who worked at IPC. Figures that it’s often who you know, no?)
On Rachel’s List, we have mentioned it to job-posters who advertise with us – but unfortunately, getting them to respond to all who apply for our jobs and Pitch To Me Call-Outs isn’t something we can enforce. HR departments and recruiting editors work in mysterious ways – and, I suspect, are so slammed by responses in this challenging marketplace that it’s easier just to make a shortlist. Automated replies are a great idea, but if those systems aren’t in place, they probably never will be.
Of course, there are people out there getting interviews … and why? It may seem like random luck, or it could be down to other things. I’m not saying you do any of the following on your applications but these are some reasons why some applicants will score an interview and others won’t even merit a reply. Top of the pops, of course, is typos or grammatical errors (for an editor or HR in a media company that would be a no-brainer to instantly bin an application). A super-long or long-winded application may also be put in the too-hard basket (a 1-2 page resume is fine).
Including an ‘Objective’ in your resume that doesn’t quite fit the job ad brief, not following the job ad’s instructions (ie, attaching a cover letter when it’s stated that they don’t want one) or not tailoring your application (if they DO want a cover letter, it should be specifically tailored to the job ad and not cut and pasted from a previous letter) are also red flags. Others may include a CV that has noticeable holes (like periods where you haven’t worked due to retraining or raising kids – not fair, but that’s sometimes how the cookie crumbles). Or, you may be over or under-qualified and they don’t have time to delve further into your experience to see if you could still be a good fit.
I’ve found that a huge frustration in those times recently when I’ve been perusing the job market and find it hard to fathom. Sure, employers advertising a position – particularly a very covetable one – will get a deluge of responses, but if each one has to be read and assessed, then surely a stock answer isn’t too hard, even when letting someone down. In the good ole days when replies to applicants had to take the form of a phone call or a letter you can see why the cost and effort would be unattractive, but how costly or difficult is it to send an email, and put some poor bugger out of their misery so they can call that one a ‘no’ and move on?
Hi pineapplemac,
What really gets my goat is not hearing about jobs that have a criteria for applying. Therefore the job poster knows that it’s going to take hours if not a day to flesh out the application and still no feedback.
Although I was even more frustrated, and taken aback, after a corporation ASKED me to apply for three of their managerial roles and after jumping through all their time consuming hoops I received the stock standard thanks but no explanation thanks response and wondered what the hell went on only to discover I had been caught up in legal process and the positions had been given to existing staff!
Talk about frustration. The big lesson I learnt there was that I didn’t want to work for them.
I’m really glad that Maggie asked this question, as I have been wondering the exact same thing. In this day and age of technology, an automated response is an important acknowledgement.
At least it recognises the applicants time and effort in putting themselves forward. I understand that errors, long resumes can let people down – but a simple ‘sorry you were unsuccessful’ can go a long way. Irrespective of how busy departments are. I always think the innovation of technology is designed to iron out those points of friction.