Why There is No Response to Your Job Application and How to Follow Up

If you are not hearing back from your employer, you must be frustrated. Many people start to ask themselves something like "What's wrong with my application?" "How long should I wait?" or "Should I call them?" However, there are several reasons why it might be the case.

Here, you will learn about the reasons for no response and how to follow up when you do not hear back from employers.

The reasons why you don't get any response from employers

Screening takes time

When you have made an online application, you should think that the potential employer may use a computerised scanner for screening candidates. The scanner first filter through best candidates, and then a hiring manager reviews the applications to assess their qualifications and requirements.

Nowadays, many employers use social media sites to know about candidates as well. If they find unfavourable aspects of your posts or comments, you may not get a response from them. This process takes time.

Hiring managers are too busy

You must know that hiring managers receive many applications every day so that they cannot respond to all candidate immediately.

Other people need to review your application

Even when you sent your CV to a single hiring manager, some companies may want other managers to review your application before making a decision.

You submitted your application in the wrong way

You should check that you have made your application correctly. First, make sure that you followed the instructions the employer suggested. You might have sent it to a wrong address or a wrong person. Re-read the job listing carefully, paying attention to the dates and timelines.

You wrote wrong contact information

If your CV has wrong contact information, you can not hear back from a hiring manager ever. Please recheck your CV.

You are not qualified

Although you think that you are the right person for the post, a hiring manager might have thought that you are not qualified. The reasons would be that you didn't meet all requirements or your CV had many errors.

Employers want to hire someone they know

Many employers prefer people who worked with before or those who are recommended by someone they know. If this is the case, you may not hear from them.

How to follow up

When you applied for a job online

When you applied for a job online, first you should check your inbox and junk-mail box to make sure that you did not receive any reply. Check the job posting to make sure if the employer is asking applicants not to call or email to them.

After knowing that, you can opt for the best option to contact them, telephone or email. When you email a hiring manager, try to write a brief message.

What you need to write is your contact information and ask when you can hear about the next steps. Timing is also crucial. We recommend you to wait a few days before following up.

When you applied for a job with the telephone

If you have not heard back from the employer for a few days, you may think about what is going on. No response sometimes indicates that you left wrong phone numbers or the employer is busy. As a reminder, it is not a bad idea to call them.

The important thing is that before calling, you should double-check their job posting. Unless the listing says otherwise, you can call the hiring manager.

Timing is important. Try to choose the right timing and the right day. If it is a restaurant or shop, you should avoid lunchtime and evenings as they are hectic. If it is a company which opens Monday to Friday, Monday is not the right day as they are busy catching up with emails coming throughout the weekend.

Popular websites for job hunting

While waiting for employers' response, keeping job hunting is a good way as you may find better jobs. We recommend you to check the following websites.

Quick Jobs Japan (https://quickjobsjapan.com)

Quick Jobs Japan is one of the best job boards in Japan. With their search function, you can filter through many types of a part-time job. The search category is job type, location and Japanese level. It also provides many kinds of career guide on its website free of charge. There are many tips for successful job hunting. How to find a part-time job in Japan, how to accept a job offer, for example.

Indeed (https://jp.indeed.com)

Indeed is a job board with comprehensive search functions. There are several categories to filter, such as income, location, a full-time job, a part-time job. You can set up job alerts as well. Searching for a potential job is comfortable with Indeed. First, put keywords, company's name or location in the screen, immediately, you can see the related postings.

Last Remarks

As you have learned why employers did not respond to you and tips to follow up, you can confidently take the next action. When contacting them, you must be professional and polite. Good luck with your job-hunting!