Have you been applying for jobs online (e.g. Seek), but aren’t hearing anything back? You’re sure you can do the job, but for some reason you don’t even get an interview. Then you don’t even hear back from anyone about your application at all.

We see this a lot with our new clients (you’re not alone!), and we can support you with some process tweaks, to be better placed for great roles.

Understanding what may be going on behind the scenes can be helpful:

1. Often, this “black hole” is caused by the sheer volume of applications that recruiters/hiring managers receive (and yes, unfortunately many don’t take the time to let candidates know they’ve been unsuccessful).

To navigate this, one strategy we share is to forgo the online applications altogether and tap into the “hidden job market”, as we know that a good 80% of roles are not advertised through the formal channels. We spend quite a bit of time helping clients with this, and have seen exciting results.

2. It could be that the story you’re selling on your CV may not be representing you as well as possible.

If you'd like to continue applying for roles online, keep in mind that robots may actually be scanning your CV prior to it reaching a recruiter/hiring manager! Otherwise known as applicant tracking systems, these robots are becoming quite commonplace these days, and help to sort through CVs and shortlist candidates. They search your CV for keywords, in context, so if you don’t have them, you may not get through this first stage. We take clients through how to 'fix' this, and it can help a lot. For more reading on how this works and some good tips and tricks, we recommend this article: How to trick the robots and get your resume in front of recruiters.