“Why do I keep getting emails from recruiters and then no response when I reply?”
I get this question a lot. It’s frustrating! It can be especially misleading because often the outreach messages seem personalized and specific to you. Unfortunately, this is usually just the recruiter’s AI
Many companies the recruiting role into parts: a junior-level info-seeker whose sole role is to reach out and build a pipeline of qualified prospects for a job, and a higher-level Recruiter who gets those contacts from that junior person. Those finders of contacts are evaluated based on how many outreaches they do, and are sometimes given quotas they must meet. Their job is research and outreach, after which they pass the info along to someone at a higher level.
If you’re getting those initial contacts but not hearing back, you might be one of many contacted by the junior recruiter, and, depending upon the status of the role, they might simply be building a sort of a stockpile of prospects with no real plan to take action. Often they are given what are called evergreen positions in order to have that bank of talent, which may never get tapped into.
Some smaller recruiting firms may also simply be disorganized and overwhelmed. Even the larger firms sometimes just have too much going on, too many potential candidates to follow up with.
Finally, it’s sometimes the case that the company has some job-seekers needing visa sponsorship, which requires them to have conversations with US citizens first, in order to demonstrate that the role cannot be easily filled by someone who doesn’t need sponsorship. This potentially means that they have someone they are set on hiring so they’re just talking with some people to strengthen their argument. (Don’t be upset by this! It’s much harder for job-seekers who aren’t US citizens, and often they’re desperate to find roles because they are finishing college degrees that require a job or internship so they’re really up against a wall.)
I know this can all seem very depressing, but I’m not just going to leave you with bad news. Here are some action steps:
If you’re truly qualified and excited about the role, respond with a set of specific times you can be reached, and your phone number so they don’t have to go back to your resume to find it. You can send the email with a “read receipt” so you know if they’ve opened it or not. If you don’t hear back in a week or so, move up the chain: reach out to the head of the recruiting team with the positing you were contacted about and the date you sent your reply. Reiterate your interest in the role. Give your availability again, along with your contact information. You can have a dedicated job-search email address and maybe even a phone number (check out free options like Text Now and paid services like Google Voice) so you know who’s calling.
If you still don’t hear back, let it go. You’ve done all you reasonably could, so you can safely assume that they’re just fishing or building up that potential talent pool. This doesn’t mean you need to give up entirely, but it probably means that, for whatever reason, you’re not a fit. Try not to take it personally! (I know that’s one of those things that’s easy to say and hard to do, but it’s most likely something outside of your control, like that the employer is seeking something you don’t have, or the recruiting agency isn’t well run.)
