When hiring managers announce vacancies, they expect a lots of candidates to apply for the positions so they can choose the applicants they considered fit for the job. This, at least is the impression most people have about job postings and applications.
But there are many things about recruitment that job applicants are not aware of. Sometimes, companies publish vacancies just for formalities. Often time, they have an internal candidate in mind to fill the position.
So, when you apply for a job and the hiring manager didn’t get back to you, one of the following factors is probably responsible for it.
1. Recruiters already know who they’re going to hire
Sometimes, before hiring managers throw a job posting open to applicants, they already know who they want to employ for the position. Announcing the vacancy is only meant to fulfill righteousness. This is usually the case when you apply for a job and you never get invited for an interview. Someone has already filled the position.
2. Discrimination exists
There’s no doubt about this, even when employers try to downplay it. In Nigeria, the HND-BSc certificate is still an issue. This is a form of discrimination that is based on the kind of degree you’re presenting for a job application.
Apart from this, there are other forms of discrimination like age barrier, over-qualification and employment gap issues. These are some of the discriminatory practices among employers.
3. Most CVs go to the trash can unread
See, here’s the truth. Some hiring managers don’t have the time to look at every job application they receive. And in a country like Nigeria, where the unemployment rate is high like a mountain, a hiring manager may receive one thousand applications for just one opening.
If a company assigns only one person to sort the applications, some would have to be ignored except the company uses Application Tracking Systems (ATS), even with that, the hiring manager would definitely ignore other CVs and dump them in the trash can once he/she finds some candidates with impressive CVs.
4. Jobs are filled via networking
According to Brigette Hyacinth, a social media influencer and career coach, 85% of all jobs are filled via networking and it’s better for applicants to be networkers than job seekers.
Adegbite Oreoluwa, the country manager of careers24, a job board that recently went under in Nigeria also supports the claim that, it’s easier for applicants to get job through networking than applications. Oreoluwa in an interview with Pulse in February 2019, said getting jobs in Nigeria is still largely through referrals.
5. If there’s impending layoff
If a company is recessed and there’s a plan to downsize, the management may decide to hire entry level workers to fill some positions. However, if the recruitment is conducted before the layoff, the hiring manager in a bid to protect the image of the company won’t feel obliged to tell you about the impending layoff.