When You're Not Hearing Back On Job Applications
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In this episode:
What to do when you’re not hearing back on job applications... This is a question I’ve seen posed a lot on LinkedIn and in articles during the Covid pandemic. When the effects of the virus reached the economy, many people lost their jobs and many companies put their hiring plans on hold.
However, while the circumstances of the pandemic economy are unique, the experience of applying to jobs and not hearing back is a problem that people have experienced, and will continue to experience, despite there being a pandemic.
I personally know how deflating it can be to experience this on the job market. So I am happy to be able to share some insight and tactics for overcoming this scenario from a career strategy and foresight perspective.
In this episode I share:
What factors may be at play that are contributing to the “silence” you’re experiencing on the job market
How you can adapt your job search strategy to increase your odds of hearing back from employers and landing an interview
How to use your time in between employment to increase your career opportunities
When You're Not Hearing Back On Job Applications
What factors may be at play that are contributing to the “silence” you’re experiencing on the job market
I decided to tackle this topic after receiving this question from Stephanie. She says:
My job search has been frustrating because I haven't heard back from any of the companies I have applied to. It feels so quiet on the employers end! I think I am coming to terms with the fact my next role just may not be the role I am looking for. I guess my question is how to balance settling and being realistic. I don't want to be stuck in a miserable job but I also really need to be working. So how do I determine where to go next if what I'm looking for is not an option?
The first thing that is important to address is the factors that may be at play that are contributing to the silence people experience on the job market.
Silence on the job market feels like torture!
The most common feeling job searchers experience when they don’t hear back from applications is that there was something wrong with them. This is deflating and can really damage your confidence while seeking a job.
So it’s important that you have some sort of framework for what could be going on behind the scenes to help you navigate the wait without getting too down on yourself.
Here are some examples of what could be going on at the company that is contributing to the silence you’re experiencing.
Your resume isn’t being seen at all
I see this a lot with my clients. Here’s what I mean: when people try to use the formatting and design of their resume to stand out to employers, it often backfires on them.
Even though tools like Canva and InDesign have great-looking resume templates, they typically aren’t formatted for applicant tracking systems to actually read them. It turns out that in most cases, an eye-catching resume will actually hurt your prospects rather than help them.
I specialize in coaching creative professionals, so this is a hard pill for a lot of my clients to swallow. But the reality is, applicant tracking systems are looking for specific content and the structure of that content. If your layout isn’t able to be read, or interpreted by an ATS, you will likely not be hearing back about the job.
The company is on a hiring freeze
This happened a lot during the first few months of the Covid pandemic. Companies that already had job postings published put their hiring plans on hold. As a job seeker, it’s often hard to know if this has happened or not. Few companies openly share with applicants when they've taken this measure, unfortunately.
If you apply for a job and don’t hear anything back for a couple of weeks, it is totally fair to reach out to the company to ask about the status of the role and your application. Additionally, if you see a job posting that has been active for more than 30 days, it may be worth reaching out to see if they are actively hiring for the position or not.
More-qualified people applied to the position
First things first here--some job descriptions are crazy. They might ask for a number of years of experience that hardly make sense for the position or skills they are requesting. Or, they might list a qualification that could easily be trained. With that in mind, I first want to say that as a rule of thumb I encourage people to apply for jobs even if they don’t meet all of the criteria on the job posting.
However, the reality is that you never know who else is applying for a position. And if you don’t know that, you have no idea how you compare to other candidates and their applications. Which means that not hearing back is less about you not being a good fit, and more likely that someone else happened to be a great fit.
The company may have had to post the job for legal reasons
Sometimes companies already have a plan in place to hire from within the company, but for legal reasons they have to post the job. You probably won’t know when this is happening behind the scenes, but it is good to keep in mind that it happens.
How you can adapt your job search strategy to increase your odds of hearing back from employers and landing an interview
If you’ve applied to 74 jobs and haven’t heard back favorably yet--it’s time to change something about your strategy. I didn’t just come up with that number randomly. That’s how many job applications I submitted before getting my first interview right out of college.
What changed with lucky application #75? Quite a few things, actually:
I learned to put myself in the shoes of the company to inform how I wrote my resume and cover letter
I clarified the connections between my past experiences and what the job posting asked for, rather than assuming the hiring manager would draw the parallels themselves
I quantified my achievements
I made sure my LinkedIn presence aligned with my resume
At some point in the job search process, people tend to go from strategically applying to jobs they really want, to frantically applying for any job they come across that slightly matches their skillset.
The problem with this approach is that it is anxiety-ridden. There is no focus. And, I can almost 100% promise you that it will be impacting the quality of your application. It also means that the negative things you are experiencing (like not hearing back from employers) will be intensified unnecessarily.
The more you dilute your career search, the harder you make it for jobs that would be a great fit for you to reach you.
For example, your networking efforts will become more scattered. The less clearly you are able to articulate what you are looking for, the less able your network is able to connect you to those opportunities. The clarity you have about what you bring to the table and what career opportunities you’re interested in are major components of your personal brand.
Here are some ideas for how you may be able to adapt your strategy for a more focused job search:
Research companies before job postings
This is great for people who know what type of work they want to be doing, or what type of industry they want to be in. Rather than searching for jobs by the titles of positions you’re interested in, search for companies that are doing exciting work in your field.
Follow the companies on social media so you can be alerted when they post a new job openings.
Ask for informational interviews
Whether you are looking at a specific company or a type of role, find people who are currently working there and reach out for an informational interview. The point of an informational interview is to learn more about the person’s work--not for you to pitch yourself.
You can use the information you learn from the interview to help you assess how good of a fit the role is for you and how well your application demonstrates that fit.
Tailor your resume
I mentioned applicant tracking systems earlier but I have to bring them up again. If you don’t know how to tailor a resume and format it so that it can get through applicant tracking systems--reach out to a professional resume writer! I promise you it is worth the investment.
I write resumes for my clients and the improvements they tend to see in their interview request rate is substantial and it happens quickly! If you’re interested in learning more about my resume and coaching services, feel free to reach out. You can do so by going to www.jenniferspoelma.com/contact
How to use your time in between employment to increase your career opportunities
Now, I want to address Stephanie’s question of, what direction should I pursue if the jobs I want aren’t an option right now? This is taking a bit of a turn from the point I just made about needing clarity in your job search.
So to frame the difference, I want to highlight that your overall personal brand should not be changing even if you take a bit of a detour in your career out of necessity.
Identify your bigger goals and gaps of knowledge
Part of Stephanie’s question addressed the frustration of not being able to find jobs that she wanted and the pressure to settle.
I’ll start by saying: There is a difference between settling for a job and accepting an offer that isn’t what you had originally envisioned but that still helps you accomplish certain goals.
Often these are called “bridge” jobs. Jobs that bridge the gap between where you are currently and the place you really want to be in your career. Taking a bridge job would look like accepting a position that isn’t your ideal, but that still provides value to your life and progress on your goals.
For example, providing income would be a value to your life, and maybe the opportunity to learn a new skill such as managing a small team would benefit your career goals.
It will never feel good to apply to, or accept a job that you see primarily through the lens of “settling.” So it’s important to identify specific learning objectives that a job can provide you that could pay off in your next career move. Doing so will lead to you feeling more satisfaction as well as provide greater confidence when you’re going for the next job you really want!
Consider Volunteer or Freelance Opportunities
Similar to bridge jobs, you might find opportunities to build skills and contribute in a meaningful way through volunteer or freelance work. While volunteering doesn’t provide the income benefit, it can provide other opportunities like networking and the chance to build in-demand skills.
Many people are finding success through freelance work right now. As many companies have moved remote, hiring freelancers to fulfill certain roles or tasks feels more comfortable to employers than it may have before. If you have a skill or offering that can easily be pitched as freelance work, there may have never been a better time to try out that route!
Consider professional help and guidance
If you aren’t hearing back from the jobs you want, or you aren’t even seeing the types of jobs you want posted, a professional career coach might be worth investing in. A big aspect of career coaching is helping clients to get clarity around what they want in their lives and work, and helping them craft plans to make it a reality.
If you’re listening to this and thinking that may be the right route for you, I’d love to speak with you and see how I can help! You can schedule a free consultation call with me here.
Listener Question
This week’s listener question is from Maggie. She asked:
How do people get jobs when they have no experience in that field or type of role?
This is a question I’ve heard pretty frequently from people struggling on the job market. It seems that they look around at their friends and colleagues and see them getting opportunities they aren’t getting themselves. So they wonder, how are they doing it?!
The best way I can answer this in a broad sense is that “no” experience and “no direct” experience are two different things. People break into new fields and new roles all the time because they are able to demonstrate their related knowledge or experience, as well as their ability to learn.
If you are stuck on this question of “how do I break in with no experience,” I challenge you to do some more reflection work. Identify the overlaps between your skills and knowledge and what is required in the job or field you are interested in breaking into. Then make sure you're using the same language as the job posting and company use to describe the work. I hope that helps, Maggie!
If you have a career coaching question you want answered, you can send in your question here!
