Job hunting can be a soul-sucking experience, especially for those who have dedicated countless hours to perfecting their resume and tailoring a cover letter. The most common outcome, however, is not rejection, but silence.
On social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) and TikTok, a growing number of frustrated young professionals and recent graduates are venting their frustrations. Many claim that a simple “no” would be preferable to the uncertainty of not hearing anything at all. Others are calling for feedback, anything to help them improve and move forward.
The Job Search: A Tale of Two Worlds
For Dane Egla, job hunting isn’t always an active pursuit. As a student, he relies on opportunities to come to him, and he’s often found jobs through networking and showcasing his expertise.
- “I always have my resume ready,” he said. “I always have a cover sample letter ready that I’ve made from the first time I applied for a job. I just edit that over time to be more context-specific.”
- He shared how his most recent job came about not through a formal application, but through networking. “I knew someone in the organisation because we volunteered together. That’s another thing, too, volunteering is key,” he said.
- Egla admitted that a lot of his former jobs came through networking and showcasing his expertise. But even with a strong network and careful preparation, not every application turns into an offer.
The Sting of Silence
Egla, like many others, has faced the sting of silence after a job interview. His most memorable experience with application rejections came when he was turned down for several scholarships that he had poured his heart into.
“I remember the first year I came to university, I applied for like 20 scholarships and I got zero,” he recalled. “That kind of demotivated me. I wasn’t interested in going the other academic year to apply for anything. But I always say to people, the ‘D’ in Dane stands for determined. So a lot of times I’ll be disappointed, but I don’t really let that discourage me.”
The Other Side of the Story
While job-seekers struggle with the uncertainty of the hiring process, human resources (HR) professionals like Abagale Fraser, who has seven years of experience in recruiting, are managing overwhelming volumes of applications.
| Recruiter’s Role | Key Factors |
|---|---|
| In recruiting, it’s for us to sift through all the applications. | Experience, qualification, location, and automation |
| We will have an idea of what we want, and we’ll shortlist candidates based on the resume. | Automated assessments may be used to narrow the field before the resume is even read. |
| After this stage, HR contacts the top candidates for face-to-face interviews, usually no more than five or six, depending on the position. | Feedback is not always provided, and some companies don’t send automated messages to unsuccessful applicants. |
A Call for Change
Both Egla and Fraser agree that feedback could bridge the disconnect between job-seekers and recruiters. Egla suggested that recruiters seek input from applicants to improve the hiring process itself.
“A lot of times we plan things and we execute it, but we really don’t achieve the aims and objectives we want to achieve,” he said. “Maybe they can find some way of trying to gauge persons through different evaluation forms. That would be good.”
Meanwhile, Fraser encourages students fresh out of universities to be prepared for the reality of job-hunting. She advises them to seek out interview prep resources by attending mock interviews and career coaching that universities provide.
Transparency is Key
While there’s no quick fix for the stress of job-hunting, one thing is clear: both job seekers and employers could benefit from more transparency. Egla’s experience reflects a broader truth felt by many young people across the island.
“Sometimes we ourselves know why we didn’t get it. We know that we didn’t meet some requirement. But we were trying,” he said.
Whether it’s a one-line rejection email, a thoughtful piece of feedback, or a more human-centred approach to recruitment, small steps can go a long way in helping job-seekers feel seen, even if they don’t get the job.
And as Egla noted, every company would benefit from the feedback of a potential worker or someone who is already working at the company.
“The company can move forward. That’s critical in building a company’s overall capacity as a premier functioning entity,”
he said.
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