stuartm

Hey all,

Hope you are all well and sane!

Ok is it me but is it just normal practice for Canadian employers not to respond or acknowledge any job applications? I head to Van in 6 weeks and every app i submit is just ignored, even a bugger off would be good. It just seems that theyre heading into the void.

The job adverts ask not to follow up with phone calls etc so it is all very frustrating!!!!!

I really hope things improve a little when im on Canadian soil!!!!

Rant over...............

Stu

JamesM

It's common practice in North America that "only selected applicants will be contacted due to volume".

It is however also becoming more prevalent in the UK.

I had a company come back to me 4 months after applying.

Tangram

Having done recruiting myself for employees here we wanted, it is normal not to respond to resume's you are not interested in. Whether HR/OD do it on my behalf I'm not sure, but I certainly don't have the time to respond to all that I don't want to interview.

sonlymewalter

happens in Australia too so maybe it's an epidemic

ann m

Not you - common practice - sooo many applications for each post.

For us - "only those selected for interview will be contacted, usually within 28 days."

If you haven't heard back, apply for another one!

Good luck

MikeUK

yep

They will however expect you to acknowledge everything they do;
I recent business report that suggested that you should send a thank you note if you are interviewed and hand written would be considered appropriate, a lack of response could be considered a lack of respect and grounds for not taking them through to the next level !!!!

This is; the land of lip service, double standards, and have a nice day

It’s not the end of the world, just a different approach and once your used to it, it’s easy enough to deal with , but I can imagine it’s a real teeth grinder when you're actively looking for work and the clock is ticking..

geo4

Why on Earth would they respond to someone they have no intention of carrying on any further dialogue with? Some of our postings have over 500 applications.

What do you do? I sincerely hope, like so many before you, you're not heading over to Canada expecting people to be impressed you're from the UK. Because they're not.

Aviator

Quite normal, if employers are interested in your resume, they will contact you, if not, you won't hear a word. This is the way it is done here and in the US.

With many job applicants, of which quite a few are often totally unqualified for the job, replying to every applicant is unproductive time, especially for smaller employers.

Get used to it, it is not likely to change. Just don't rely on one job application.

It is tough when so much is hanging on job applications, but this is the way it is and likely always will be done. More efficient use of time.

You may also find you attend an interview and don't hear for weeks or at all on occasion. Just keep sending off applications and take the job you get offered.

Come here and accuse employers of being Bloody Rude, doing what we do as a matter of course (Canadians accept this as the customary way of hiring) and they will pretty much tell you where to go, and it won't be here.

ann m

Another point I think is a sad reality is that we have several people each week turn up at our HR desk to hand in their resumes - which is lovely, thoughtful and a good personal approach.

However, those resumes will go in a "general" file and rarely be looked at.

We want people to apply for specific jobs in a specific way (through our website). We will likely get 30 to 70 applications for each post. The recruiters don't need to go and look for more applicants so they will be unlikely to go rummaging through that "general" file - unless someone has very specific skills that made them really stand out.

We give tips to people on this forum that the personal touch is good - and it is - but work on that more. Get names, get chatting, get networking - get temping!!

All bloody hard sometimes when you've just landed, and I've felt all that frustration when all you want is for somebody - anybody - to notice you.

Tangram

Really don't see a need for such a response.

victorfoxtrot

That's standard practice, but I think to be fair it also happens in the UK. I would not expect a response to an initial application unless it was to tell me I'd got an interview.

However what someone else said about lip service/saving face is completely true. Here's a classic example........An ex-colleague in the UK recommended me for a position at a Canadian company we used to do business with in the UK. Same industry, skill set etc. The role was actually doing business with my old company. Met them for a casual chat over coffee in November. Coffee went well, she said she wanted to use my skills and would be in touch and that I shouldn't panic if I didn't hear anything in the next 3 weeks as she was busy....fair enough. 3 weeks passed, then Christmas came and went. I sent an email in January - happy new year etc, just enquiring whatever happened to that role etc. No response. So I didn't chase after that. Fast forward to the end of March. I get a call from her colleague, he wondered if I wanted to meet, because his colleague had said she'd chatted with me a couple of weeks ago (well try 4 months ago!). So we met, and again it went well, he discussed a number of roles he thought I would be suitable for, told me he needed to fine tune stuff, but that we should keep in touch. I emailed him the following day to thank him for his time.....and NADA, nothing.

Now, if they don't mean that then please don't say it. I'm a big girl I can handle it. Gird yourself, it can be a soul destroying process.

Alan2005

Corporate courtesy costs nothing and can be beneficial.

1 - They might be customers
2 - You might want to deal with them in the future
3 - They might be in a position to help you in the future

Personally I think it's just plain rude that they don't respond. Fair enough when it used to cost postage etc, but these days of email the time and effort required is practically zero. If this isn't the case then your recruiting process is shit.

ExKiwilass

My advice is: don't take it personally. Unless they've met you in person in which case I agree it's kinda douchey not to hear anything. My experience is the same as everyone else's - I only hear from employers when they want to interview me, otherwise it's nada. Current job, which I started Monday, came out of logging resume on a website (Ann is bang on about that process) for a large company, hearing nothing for 3 months, (normal) get an interview, then 7 months later finally a job offer.

Just the way it is.

ExKiwilass

I agree, it would be much classier to get back to applicants but I can also see the argument against - 300 applicants = 300 emails, that's a lot of time spent.

ultrarunner

The key is to dress your curriculum vitae ( resume' ) to the specific job you are after. Don't include all the jobs you've had including milk runs and shelf filling at Tesco/ASDA/Sainsbury if that is not the job you are currently seeking.

Also be sure to visit the company's site/page to see what they do, and make sure your to use the key words that will get your application noticed. I don't know if some of you know this, but most companies ( inc govt jobs ) run the applications thru a script that checks for keywords, and if yours doesn't have, then you don't even get an interview.

Better still if you know someone at the company that can hook you up with HR. Simply picking up the phone and sweet talking the reception/admin desk can do the trick. Start off with things like "hello there", "how are you doing today", "paying them compliments", "flirting" et al