Job Seekers Get Zero Response to Mass Applications
Applying to hundreds or thousands of jobs and receiving no interviews, no shortlists, no responses at all — the application void, not knowing what is wrong or how to get seen.
SOURCES (60)
“I am a licensed SPED teacher who has been out of work since June of 25’. I have applied to jobs everywhere around me and have even had some interviews but every single time I hear crickets or a flat out rejection. I was even…”
“Hi there. I ran out of unemployment benefits this month and have been sending out dozens of applications every day. I'm lucky if I hear back from 1% of them. I've used unemployment services, resume workshops, job fairs, etc., all to no avail. At this point, I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I search all the popular job boards, try less popular ones, network, use employment services, walk into businesses and leave my resume, and honestly, I feel like I've tried everything. I”
“I finished my degree in April. I was working full time the entire 4 years (and my entire life prior), did VITA, and have completed a couple courses on Intuit Academy since graduating. I've applied to 300+ positions, I've reached out directly to firms/ businesses, and I've been applying to anything from bookkeeper to AP/AR to accountant roles. I have 15 years in culinary and restaurant management, as well as a previous degree in linguistics. Should I just take all my previous experien”
“was applying for jobs (Senior/Junior full stack web & AI developer) since past 6 months, not even single application got shortlist till now, education completed in masters and have worked some companies as enterprise developer and had some gap, after that has built portfolio on modern web and AI then started outreach cold messages by building LinkedIn network and also applied for remote jobs. But till now nobody short list or nobody call back. Is any one face same experience, can suggest and”
“Yep me too. 500 applications really isn't much though, although I have 300 more and no offers. I've actually had more scams from financial scams to downloading viruses than actual interviews. I've gone to all of my local temp agencies too because they had some IT jobs on their website and then after I sign up with them they all tell me they only do industrial work and dont have IT. I've been thinking about revature / dev10 type stuff which is like they're a temp agency for te”
“It has been over a year since I've graduated university and have only gotten 4 interviews, 3 behavioral and 1 technical and over 500 applications. I feel like everything I've worked towards was in vain, I have reached out to people I know and had one of my applications specially considered, but ultimately was rejected or ghosted. My only real work experience is working on projects for my university's CS student society, I have never gotten an internship before (I also got rejected an”
“I am a college student looking for a minimum wage job. I have had so many interviews over the past month, and none have yielded anything. You can call places to ask if they're hiring, and they will say, "check the website". And when you check the website and apply, the AI chatbot moves you forward and tells you to come in for an interview at 11am. But when you get there, the manager isn't working that day, and they tell you they're not even hiring. I am sick of having 20+ m”
“Hello all! I've been unemployed for about 18 months now, prior I was working at GeekSquad in field PC and Home Theater for over 3 years. I haven't been able to land even an entry level IT role, and I'm not sure what to do at this point. I don't think my resume is the problem, but I'm going to start trying to adapt it to specific roles a little better. I guess my main question is, should I go for some type of certificate? Even something like the free IT ones from Google. Would”
“Every application has been done online to a local retail store or restaurant (fast food and sitdown). Feel free to ask any clarifying questions. submitted by /u/Legitimate_Area_5773 [link] [comments]”
“Sent out many many emails asking for mentorship in Network Engineering and also offering to help out/shadow for free, just to get the slightest chance of a toe in the door. Nobody has responded to a single email. Technically not a "rejection" but there's no way EVERYONE's emails are so flooded that I can't even get a "sorry, I can't do that for you" submitted by /u/WorldlyPhilosophy547 [link] [comments]”
“Post: I’m 21M from Ghana and I’m looking for honest advice from people who have actually moved abroad for work. I’ve sent 1,000+ applications for different entry-level jobs abroad, especially warehouse, logistics and similar work, but I haven’t received a single serious response. At this point I’m wondering if I’m applying in the wrong places or completely misunderstanding how hiring foreigners works. I finished high school and didn’t go to university because I couldn’t afford it. I’m trying to”
“Looking to break into IT, been targeting entry level jobs in London and surrounding areas like 1st line MSP and internal helpdesks, even applied to some which are welcoming graduates and very entry level but still no luck. Is there anything wrong with my resume or is this just down to a numbers game and need to keep applying. I'm thinking of pausing my CCNA and quickly doing an ITIL or Microsoft cert just to maybe have a better chance of getting past filters. Link to resume: https://litter.c”
Thought had a job but prin. Never returned call for ref for new prin. Wth
“I have a degree in CS with 8 years of experience (2018 grad) and found a job in 3weeks after being laid off. Have you considered applying to small consulting companies? Typically when I don’t hesr back from big names I usually hear back from smaller consultancies. Look for ones that are still growing rapidly so their interview process is quick and relaxed. Do you have connections at places that could hire you? Having a felony is tough but if you have people that will back you up within a company”
“Hi everyone, I’ve attached an anonymised copy of my CV. I’ve been actively looking for a new role for a few months now. If I’m completely honest, I went into this search assuming my profile was strong enough that I’d be able to land something relatively quickly. The reality has been very different. For a bit of context, I’m an LSE grad and ACCA-qualified, with over 4 years of experience driving financial insight across Management Accounting and FP&A at a trading firm. My technical skills”
“no replies on my application mostly :( submitted by /u/colorgreens [link] [comments]”
“I have been looking for jobs since January. I have a part time job at a coffee shop, but it doesn’t come close to paying the bills. After months of not get any communication from any of the places I applied, a company reached out for a position I was really excited for. I had a phone interview that went very well, and then two Zoom interviews with the person I would report to that also went very well. He told me multiple times that he loved my approach and thought that I was an incredible fit fo”
“God I feel so anxious I don't know what to do. I've been searching for a job for one and a half years and nothing. I've had a couple of interviews (more like talks because they weren't for specific openings) but nothing. I've tweaked and retweaked and tweaked my resume again, but there is I think no getting around the fact that I don't have long experience in any one field. I jumped around too much early in my career, and when I was in consulting... well that also involve”
“I definitely understand the resume feedback, and I’m open to making improvements to it. I probably should have clarified in my original post that the 65 rejections haven’t all been the same type of rejection. I’ve actually gotten several interviews, including with banks for internal audit positions. In those situations, I’ve made it through the resume/recruiter stage and interviewed directly with the hiring team. The feedback I’ve received afterward hasn’t been that my background wasn’t relevant”
“Hi I’ve been applying to jobs for a month now and keep getting rejections. I need to find a new job asap. Is it my resume? I appreciate any tips or feedback anyone might have thank you! submitted by /u/Fit_Dependent_565 [link] [comments]”
“Hey, Fresher SWE this side. I'm applying for this role from the past 3-4 months but not getting any reply, resume not getting shortlisted. I applied for so many jobs but not getting replies from the companies and my resume is not getting shortlisted. My details: - 1 YOE - 74 ATS score What I am doing wrong guys? If anyone can guide me, then please share your insights below! submitted by /u/SmoothNoddy35 [link] [comments]”
“I keep seeing people saying they’ve applied to 200 or 300 jobs and barely got any interviews, and then the advice is basically “keep applying.” At some point I feel like it makes more sense to look at what’s actually going wrong. Like, if you’ve sent 200 applications and got almost no interviews, maybe the jobs aren’t close enough to your experience, or something in the resume/targeting needs work. But if you’re getting interviews and just not getting offers, sending another version of your resu”
“I'm a 2026 graduate, and I've been looking for a Software Engineering job for more than 6 months now. I've spent years learning DSA, competitive programming and development. I have a decent profile, built projects, solved a lot of problems, and genuinely tried to improve myself. I've applied through company websites, LinkedIn, referrals, cold emails, job portals, pretty much every route I could think of. But the hardest part isn't getting rejected. It's not even getting t”
“I’m an international student in Australia. It’s been 2 years almost here, and I am not able to find myself a job or internship. I apply almost every day with customised CVs and cover letters. I go to my uni classes every day, do every assignment, and every group project. I do group projects all alone, by myself, as my classmates just want to earn and get passes. While I want an HDS, my WAM is almost 80. And I have genuine experience in the field. I do nothing illegal here, no overtime work, noth”
“How the fuck are we supposed to get jobs with dozens of job boards that take hours to apply to hundreds of jobs and then result in nothing? submitted by /u/Amazing_Priority_881 [link] [comments]”
“I've posted an application for almost every fast food place in my area. And for every single place I've been rejected or not answered. I did get one interview but they ended up rejecting me. I honestly don't know where to apply, I'm only 15 so I'm looking for about 10 hours a week. submitted by /u/Ok-Gas3378 [link] [comments]”
“I've been applying to jobs for about 18 months and have gotten a total of 1 interview which didn't pan out. To be fair I'm almost exclusively applying to the ever diminishing pool of remote jobs (I've been remote for 6 years and I'd like to stay that way). I'm only shooting for senior accountant roles so not overextending myself. Please help me tailor my resume to give me at least a fighting chance at the interview chair. Thank you!! Also I'm qualified to sit for the”
“I’ve been searching non stop for an entry lvl position emailed every company called every company and also gotten interviews for some and I keep getting “you were not chosen for this role” I even applied as a laborer which is bottom of the bottom for trades and I also have 7+ years experience as a farmer and nothing I’m doing is working I’m 20 and currently work at a plant and want out I live in the Duluth area Minnesota idc about pay I’m okay with grunt work and starting at the bottom I just wa”
“I’ve been searching non stop for an entry lvl position emailed every company called every company and also gotten interviews for some and I keep getting “you were not chosen for this role” I even applied as a laborer which is bottom of the bottom for trades and I also have 7+ years experience as a farmer and nothing I’m doing is working I’m 20 and currently work at a plant and want out I live in the Duluth area Minnesota submitted by /u/Astr0naut11 [link] [comments]”
“Being unemployed for years is normal at this point, regardless of skills or years of experience Putting out only 70 applications in a year is way, way too few, though. Should really be doing 70 applications per week or two. That means scaling up the rate by 26 to 52 times just to get a call back”
“I’m genuinely frustrated. I’ve been trying for months to find something I’m 23. I’ve been applying to things in my area, but I don’t live in a big city or anything so the options are quite limited but even so I haven’t even gotten a single email back except for one which was a email saying that they’re not hiring. I don’t understand what I have to do at this point to find a job, It’s not like I’m not trying. I have nothing. submitted by /u/Haunting-Fox2730 [link] [comments]”
“You should definitely still be applying to jobs while doing all of this, though, even if it’s not your main focus. I got a full time job as a new grad in a major city last year with a relatively shitty resume, and no leetcode skills, and I wouldn’t have got it if I stopped applying completely.”
“I've been applying for the past 18 months, but my location (Hawaii) is hurting me I think. Unfortunately I'm not really in a position to relocate. Pretty sure I've applied to maybe 600 positions; not 1 AI generated resume. Radio silence.”
“Helloooo Ive been trying to find a job for seven months to no fucking avail. I have an extensive CV and all the positions im applying for is just waitressing and small things like that. I have so much experience and am a good worker so I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Please help me I need to pay for bills and get money. Its straining my relationship too. submitted by /u/lecrixd [link] [comments]”
“Lost my job back in September last year. Continued to look for a job and as my savings were gone I took a low paying job as a cutodian in March. I continued to apply to jobs, in the last 2 weeks alone ive done at least 20-25 applications. I feel like at this point I have applied to every single job near me with no luck. I'm applying to assistant manager/Lead positions in my area and front office receptionist and I'm not even getting those "we've moved on to other candidates"”
“Looking for a job in marketing and advertising right now. I lost my job last year and have been working in a coffee shop so I don't go bankrupt. I have been applying and getting interviews over and over. The other side on the phone screening always told me they would get back to me in one or two weeks and that I should feel free to follow up. I did, and no reply; completely ghosted. Just had another phone screening today; it told me I will have a Zoom interview in September, in-person in Oct”
“For context, I 24M lost my job July 20 and have had about 6 interviews since then. I was qualified for all of them and I feel like only one of them didn’t go well, but I have not even received a rejection letter from any of them. Any tips or jobs I’m not seeing? I’m kinda starting to drown. 3+ years of driving experience and 2+ years as an assistant manager in retail. Thanks for any help submitted by /u/FishstickJonson [link] [comments]”
“so everyone says the job market is bad right now but i really didnt expect it to be THIS bad. been applying since december for marketing coordinator roles mostly remote or hybrid. sent out probably 35 apps before i got a single response that wasnt automated what killed me was the ghosting. not even rejections just nothing. id spend an hour on a cover letter for a specific role and then complete silence. started wondering if my applications were even making it through whatever system companies us”
“My last 2 jobs were full time 4-5 years at each, and I got laid off due to, you guessed it, "restructuring." I am consistently applying to new jobs and tweaking my resume/cover letter to match the JD, have had countless personal recommendations (only 2 of which resulted in interviews). Things are starting to get desperate, I've even gotten turned down for an interview at Trader Joe's. Anyway just wanted to throw a rant out into the universe. Maybe it's time I switch careers”
“Hey Hey guys, I could really use some advice and perspective. I’ve been actively searching for work for almost five months now, and honestly, it’s becoming extremely discouraging. I’ve had multiple interviews where companies seemed interested and wanted to move forward, only to eventually ghost me or tell me they decided to go in another direction. In the past month alone, I’ve completed five drug tests and background checks, and each opportunity has ended without an offer. I’ve even reviewed my”
“I’ve been applying for jobs for about a month now and i’ve noticed how lazy communication has gotten with applicants. When I was applying to jobs over a year ago, yeah places didn’t tell you if you had been offered an interview or not, and that was frustrating enough. But recently I’ve had a few interviews and they’ve just gone ghost, even after telling me a specific day that I will find out. Another example, I had an interview at a sports shop and in the interview I was told I would find out by”
“I’m 18, didn’t graduate high school, have no experience, and so far have applied to around 9 places (I think). My resume just looks so sad though like I feel like my chances suck 🥲 submitted by /u/Overall_Concept_0 [link] [comments]”
“For job seekers, the complete absence of human interaction is exhausting. We spend hours tailoring resumes, filling out redundant application portals, and recording video responses to a blank webcam, only to be met with canned rejection templates or total radio silence. There’s no ability to ask questions, gauge team culture, or explain context. When you can't even get a single human being on the phone or over email, recruitment loses all empathy and respect, turning the job search into a de”
“It's quite easier as a junior. Seniors are expensive and highly specialized. Many times I was told my expertise just wouldn't fit.”
“It feels like I'm literally experiencing recruiting hell. I've been looking for work for the last 7-8 months and only managed to get 2 interviews. The first one was entry level Analyst role which I was overqualified for (I have a master's degree and almost 4 years of experience in BI) but given the job market I was willing to start over. The guy who interviewed me for the 2nd round was less experienced than me. My interviews went well but then I was ghosted for a month. When I reache”
“22F | Fresher | Job hunting is exhausting I've applied to 500+ jobs at this point and honestly, I'm frustrated. I've been upskilling, tailoring my resume to JDs, writing cover letters for individual applications, etc. I've also gone to job fairs and applied directly through company websites. Job fairs? They usually say they're not hiring. Company websites? Either an instant rejection or complete ghosting. I'm applying to around 5–10 jobs a day now and started maintaining”
“Many take longer than 3 weeks to reach out, sadly. As many have mentioned, apply for mid level instead. Additionally, make your resume single page and tailor it to the specific role requirements.”
“There aren't hard skills and easily replaced by AI. From your other comments it seems like you're from a region where a lot of this type of work used to be outsourced to in the past. These days it's much cheaper to get a Claude subscription than to hire someone overseas.”
“Only 3 weeks and 150 applications? Have you not been paying attention to anything? There’s software engineers here on Reddit that have been laid off for years now with thousands of applications. Assuming you’re in the US, the latest jobs report says US is losing a massive number of jobs& people are dropping out of the labor market.”
“I don't even understand how people can down 150 apps in 3 weeks, I'm lucky to go through 10 in a week.”
“Been applying for 6 months after a layoff, have heard nothing but automated rejections and scammers. I had to leave my living situation, I'm bumming in my little brother's spare bedroom working an overnight gig at Walmart as a temp that ends on Friday. I have no clue if I'll be hired on permanently, I can't pay my bills if I'm not. I'm at a complete loss for what to do, I feel like a complete failure. I'm in the Software Dev industry, however after a few bad experienc”
“For the last 3 weeks, I’ve been doing everything I can. applying on job boards, researching companies that fit my profile, opening myself up to remote opportunities, and sending desperate messages on LinkedIn. ZERO response. Nothing. Not even a call or a rejection. I’ve probably applied to over 150 jobs by now. My CV is ATS-friendly and uses a professional template. I’m a Senior Software Engineer (Full-Stack). What else is there to do? submitted by /u/Professional_Monk534 [link]  ”