Exclusive: Chris has been job hunting for close to a year and has been ‘ghosted’ by more hiring managers than he can count.
The Sydney-based analyst, who finished his last role at one of the Big Four banks in February 2024, has sent out hundreds of applications and had no luck despite his wealth of experience.
He can’t even get feedback on why his applications have been unsuccessful most of the time because he never hears back, not even with an auto-generated rejection email.
New data from LinkedIn revealed that more than half of Australian job seekers have been ghosted by hiring managers, with 57 per cent saying they’re hearing back from hiring managers less than ever.
“There’s no ‘thanks for your application … unfortunately you were unsuccessful’, so there’s no real insights as to why?” Chris told 9news.com.au.
“It’s frustrating not to be able to get feedback.”
About three in five Australians will look for a job in 2025 and LinkedIn’s Career Expert, Cayla Dengate, told 9news.com.au that it can be harder for job seekers to hear nothing than to get a rejection.
The data revealed a clue as to why so many applicants aren’t hearing back these days and it’s because Australian job seekers apply for an average of seven jobs a week.
“Hiring managers are being inundated with lots of applications, and some of them are not really [suited],” Dengate said.
“That’s creating this scenario where hiring managers feel like they can’t get back to everybody.”
About 95 per cent of HR professionals said the majority of the applications they receive do not meet the listed job criteria.
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The data also showed that 41 per cent of Australians don’t know how to match their skills to job advertisements, making the process more difficult on both ends.
LinkedIn is rolling out a new job match feature that shows members how their skills and experience line up with open positions in the hopes of helping more job seekers apply for and land roles they’re suited to.
But Chris said it can be hard to negotiate for a competitive salary in the current job market, even when his skills and experience are perfectly suited to a role.
He told 9news.com.au that he was recently approached by an agency for a role that was very similar to his last position, but offering a salary about 25 per cent lower.
“They want workers, but only at a certain price,” he said.
Unemployed Aussies like Chris aren’t the only ones looking for new roles in 2025.
Almost three in five Australian professionals will be applying for new jobs this year, many of them motivated by a desire for higher wages (49 per cent) and better work-life balance (36 per cent).
But Dengate predicts inflation and global economic instability could hinder wage growth over the next 12 months.
“Those looking for a pay increase might be needing to look at developing their skills and maybe applying one level up, as opposed to getting a pay increase in the current role that they’re in,” she said.
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Surprisingly, 65 per cent of Aussie professionals looking for a new job are seeking opportunities outside their current industry or role, up from 52 per cent last year.
Dengate advised those job seekers to look for roles with criteria they already match or consider upskilling to be a more competitive applicant.
She advised any Australians on the job hunt to be adaptable, focus on matching their skills to a job listing before they apply, and reach out to hiring managers directly to avoid being ghosted.
Despite his setbacks, Chris is “optimistic” about his job hunt and had already submitted five applications by Wednesday. He hopes to hear back about at least a couple.
“You have to not take it personally and keep chugging away.”
