Most job seekers don't hear back from employers

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The ultimate goal during the job application process is to impress the employer. But a new report from Career Builder shows it's certainly not a two-way street; Alot of job seekers aren't so impressed with their potential employers throughout the job hunt.

“I'm looking for new employment, I've been out for about six months. It's been pretty tough. Frustration,” said Carlos Santiago of Springfield.
 
For Carlos Santiago, looking for a job has become a full-time job in itself. During the past six months he's applied to hundreds of positions from Massachusetts to New Jersey.

“Every day, Sunday, Saturday I'm on the computer looking for a job. I go to places and most of them are online applications,” Santiago added.

The job market might be slowly improving, but there are still too few jobs and too many people vying for them. So for those applicants doing everything they can to get hired, it becomes pretty frustrating.

75% of workers who applied to jobs last year never heard back from the employer-- leaving them to wonder if their application had been received or even if the job was still available.

Some job seekers fear they'll hurt their chances of getting hired by calling to check in, but experts urge them to do so.

“For them to follow up after a few days or a week is a good step because it shows them you're interested, you're motivated for that job and it may give you some feedback as to whether or not the job has been filled or whether the job search is still open,” said Konrad Rogowski who is career services manager at Futureworks.

Carlos has had a lot of practice in mastering that persistence. But he knows it will be his key to bringing home a paycheck.

“I'm not giving up. I'm going to find something. It's going to be soon,” Santiago said.

The survey shows people who have a bad experience applying to a job are less likely to apply again later and are more likely to discourage family and friends from supporting the company