6 reasons you got ghosted by an employer after a job application

Sometimes, getting a job application rejected outright feels better than getting absolutely no response from the employer. You will be naturally anxious after applying for a job, so every day you must wait for a response feels like forever. It is normal to question yourself after being ghosted by an employer. 34% of employers have ghosted candidates, as found by the Monster's Emerging Workforce Survey 2022, for various reasons including:

• The candidate being underqualified - 44%
• The candidate seeming no longer interested in the position - 43%
• The job opening closing before being filled - 36%
• Hiring managers prioritizing filling other roles - 30%
• Employers getting busy and forgetting the candidate - 27%
• The candidate not sending a follow-up thank you - 21%

But the candidates are not the only ones getting ghosted either. Did you know that 74% of recruiters get ghosted by candidates during recruitment or interview processes? Let’s talk about why you never heard back from an employer after submitting a job application.

1. There were too many applications

We always talk about how hiring managers receive over 500 resumes for the same job opening. If there was a pile of resumes with only one person to review them all, a few good candidates may get lost among the numbers. This is why you must apply early to job adverts when the hiring manager has only a few resumes to go through.

2. They couldn’t afford your salary requirements

It is always better to wait until after an interview to discuss salary with your employer. However, some online job applications make it mandatory to answer the salary question. If you name a price too high, the employer is more likely to remove you from the pool of potential candidates.

3. You weren’t a good cultural fit

Many employers have dedicated years to building their company culture. If you didn’t seem a good cultural fit for the business at an interview, employers may consider cutting you off. But it is a good thing sometimes. You wouldn’t want to get stuck in a workplace where you don’t fit in.

4. You didn’t tailor your resume to the job description

It’s extremely difficult to get through an ATS without optimizing your resume with the right keywords from the job description. If you have not submitted a resume tailored to the job description, you are bound to get dropped from the race sooner rather than later.

5. You failed to follow the employer’s instructions

The employer specified that the job application must be submitted as a Word file, but you uploaded the PDF version. Now you are waiting for seven weeks for them to call you back. Most companies use such compliance actions in the job description to sort quickly through the resumes they receive. The applicants who don’t pay attention to detail won’t stand a chance.

6. The job was already taken

Sometimes employers advertise job openings just as a formality. Or for legal reasons to comply with office policies. The employer may already have an internal candidate lined up for the position. So, there never really was a vacancy in the first place.