Keep Applying But Never Hear Back? Here’s Why And What to Do About It

“Trevor, I keep applying for vacancies, but I rarely hear back. What am I doing wrong? Is it me?”

Ah yes, the great mystery of modern job hunting.

You spend hours tailoring your resume, carefully selecting just the right combination of words to describe your experience and boom - you hit submit.

Then…nothing. Nada. Zilch.

No call. No rejection. No “thanks but no thanks”.

Just silence.

Like you’ve launched your application into a black hole where CVs go to die.

And it’s not just you.

- 75% of resumes are never seen by human eyes. (Forbes)

- 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS software to screen applications. (Jobscan)

- The average job ad receives over 250 applications. (Glassdoor)

If you feel invisible, it’s because you probably are.

Because here’s the cold, hard truth:

The hiring process isn’t designed for fairness. It’s designed for filtering.

And that means your resume - no matter how brilliant - is often judged by a robot before it ever reaches a human.

So what’s going wrong?

Well, it’s probably not your experience. It’s that:

🚫 You didn’t use the right keywords or phrases

🚫 You didn’t tailor your resume to the job ad

🚫 You relied on applying online instead of activating your network

Here’s what I tell every job seeker I coach at Talentology:

✅ Resumes don’t get you jobs - relationships do.

✅ The hidden job market is real. Over 70% of roles are never advertised. (ABC News)

✅ Hiring managers prefer to hire people they know and trust, or people referred by people they know and trust.

So, if you’re stuck in application purgatory, here’s what to do:

1️⃣ Spend less time applying and more time connecting.

Comment on posts. Send DMs. Reconnect with ex-colleagues. Develop meaningful relationships with good recruiters. Ask for introductions.

2️⃣ Research the hiring manager and reach out.

A short, friendly message on LinkedIn can move you ahead of 249 other applicants.

3️⃣ Treat every interaction like a job interview.

You never know who’s watching or who might open a door.

4️⃣ And yes - optimise your resume for the robots too.

But don’t let it stop there. The algorithm isn’t your only way in.

Look - if you’re applying and hearing crickets, it doesn’t mean you’re not valuable.

It means you need a new strategy.

Have you experienced the application black hole? How do you get around it? Come on - let’s hear your hacks.