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I’ve personally experienced this first hand. I applied for around 15 roles recently and received just one reply. The rest were either complete silence or responses that came nearly a year later, long after the opportunity was relevant. That is not just frustrating, it is incredibly discouraging and shows a clear lack of respect for candidates’ time and effort.
On top of that, the quality of job descriptions has also become a problem. Many are vague, overly generic, or filled with unrealistic expectations that do not align with the actual role. It makes it difficult for candidates to even understand what they are applying for, let alone tailor their applications effectively. And the classic - competitive pay.
Professional, timely communication and clear job descriptions should be the bare minimum. Right now, it really does feel like finding a recruiter who combines expertise, empathy, and strong communication is the exception rather than the norm.
You hit the nail on the head, and your experience perfectly illustrates why this is a systemic issue. Applying to 15 roles and hearing back from only one—or receiving a automated rejection a year later—isn't just frustrating; it's a massive waste of valuable talent and time.
The issue with vague or hyper-inflated job descriptions only compounds the problem, making it incredibly difficult for highly qualified candidates to align their expertise with what the company actually needs.
Professional courtesy, realistic job scopes, and transparent communication shouldn't be 'the exception'—they should be the baseline. Talent acquisition needs a serious reset that prioritizes human-centric recruitment and basic professional respect.
Pro
I know that my recruiters have to sift through, sometimes, hundreds of applications for each job… so they do everything in batches, because they have to satisfy each hiring managers timeline… most want to fill the spot tomorrow, which is unrealistic…
I go through applications with her on Wednesday’s… we’ll schedule an hour to go through applications… so we’ll only touch 15-20 apps… we’ll only pick 5-7 people to schedule interviews with… schedule those up to 2 weeks out… then around and around we go…
The system automatically sends declines to applicants after the role has been filled, offer has been accepted, and they clear background, and they’ve accepted the final notice…
So if I have 120 applicants it would take at the very least 8-10 weeks before initial interviews are completed, then we have a second and third round… she doesn’t, and I don’t have, the time to send out denials one by one…
AI will send out the denial letter ! AI will select from key word search and your done.No lunch for you !
@Kroger 1 : Honestly: Your situation has nothing to do with what I am talking about, and you are completely missing my point.
I am not talking about sorting through a high volume of initial applications. I am talking about the widespread incompetence in today's market where hiring managers and recruiters reach out to a candidate first, but then completely ghost them the moment the candidate responds.
You are trying to force your specific retail hiring experience into a completely different problem, and it just doesn't fit
What information did you provide them after they reach out to you first? Most likely that information wasn’t a good fit for what they need. Ghosting candidates doesn’t mean they are incompetent, they just don’t have so much free time to get back to everyone.
Good luck. You’re better off networking with your colleagues and applying on your own. Recruiters care about their fee, no matter which candidate it comes from.
I completely agree.
I was laid off a few months ago and have experienced an incredible lack of professionalism and even simple common courtesy from both recruiters and talent acquisition teams.
I’ve been contacted by recruiters, been blown off for interviews by a company’s C suite exec (twice in a row), completed interviews where I was told by the CEO that they’re moving me forward, told an offer was on the way, etc. Then all of a sudden *poof* they’re gone. I’ve given ample time for internal discussion, sent professional follow up emails, expressed continued interest, etc.
Some decided they weren’t quite ready to hire (then reposted two months later after slashing the salary threshold by $40k/year), another stated my salary expectation (which was smack in the middle of their posted range) was too high, one decided to add a new location requirement (after four rounds of interviews) despite the role being posted as a nationwide remote role, some just dragged things out for weeks on end, etc.
All while preaching throughout the job descriptions and interviews how timely communication and building relationships are the cornerstone of the role/company.
If I were the CEO of these companies, I would be absolutely mortified if I had employees leaving this kind of impression on potential candidates.
Candidates are way too self centered and entitled… expecting everyone to take the time to respond to all their questions or follow ups. So what if a few rejected candidates have a bad impression of the company? Every single employee ever got laid off has bad impressions of the company, should the companies never do layoffs? So out of touch. It’s almost always the junior people who don’t understand this.