Job Applications

Another friend of a friend is looking for a new job. She feels she is ready to take a step up, take more responsibility, move ahead. And earn more money. She is young-ish, well-educated, very competent, successful, has initiative, is reliable and committed, and she is willing to move.
 
Two or three times a week she scours the online recruitment listings because that is where the jobs are today. She narrows down the list to those where she feels she has a good chance of success, both in applying and in doing the job, crafts an application letter, tweaks her resume and sends in a thoughtful and focused application.

She told my friend that in the last two months or so she has submitted perhaps thirty such applications. She has received perhaps six follow-ups, had four interviews and reached the final round twice. She is actually expecting one or two offers. Congratulations.

Why is this significant?

The other twenty-four potential employers did not even acknowledge her application.

As everything is electronic, either "fill in the form" or submit an application by email, it is not difficult to send a simple "thank you; we have received your application and will be in touch if we wish to proceed" and perhaps including a recruitment timeline.

The complete silence suggests either they did not receive her application (so she should re-send it) or that they are arrogant and/or careless. My friend's friend suspects the latter and reacts accordingly, also telling everyone she knows to avoid company 'x' whose people so obviously do not care about people. She is ambitious and I am sure she will do very, very well. One day, these companies may reach out to her and she will remember what they did and react accordingly.