Why Don’t Recruiters Respond to Emails? The Reasons Might Surprise You

It’s something that you hear over and over in the recruiting world: recruiters ghost me, recruiters never answer my emails.

If that was the case, the recruiters would never make placements and recruiting firms would all go out of business.

So, obviously it means that it’s not a prevalent problem. What it is, in most cases, is a misunderstanding of what the nature of recruiting and headhunting is.

Many people view recruiters as job placement services or career counselors. In truth, recruiters function as neither of these things. Instead, a recruiter is tasked with finding the best candidate for their client (the company who pays them to find workers).

Below we will review some of the major reasons why a recruiter isn’t responding to you. Some of them might be as simple as you’re using the wrong email. Others are more involved and deal with you and your worth in the marketplace to that particular recruiter.

Reason #1 – Your Email Never Reached the Recruiter

Sadly, recruiters get a ton of emails. In some cases, a recruiter might get 100+ emails a day from potential job seekers. If that recruiter has signed up for job posting websites and they have listings that are active on places like Indeed or Craigslist, then you might have hundreds of emails and resumes being sent in daily.

Obviously, this can be a huge burden to review. It makes sense that recruiters, therefore, are going to miss a few emails.

Another point to consider is that if you’re emailing the recruiter directly through a company portal or website, then many times the emails get filtered. In these instances you might not even be connected to the recruiter. In that instance, the recruiters emails might be pre-screened by an automated system in place by the company.

Reason #2 – The Recruiter Doesn’t Have Work For You

In the simplest case, the recruiter just doesn’t have work for you. Now, while some recruiters may let you know that they are not working on a role that is a good fit, many recruiters simply don’t respond.

The reason that recruiters don’t want to respond is that they don’t want to initiate a conversation with someone who they don’t plan on working with. In many cases, a candidate will simply never stop sending emails and trying to call a recruiter once there is an established connection.

So, many recruiting agencies practice strict rules when it comes to interaction with candidates. If the candidate is not someone that the company has a job with, then there is no business reason to connect with them.

While you might like for a recruiter to respond to you personally, it simply isn’t professional behavior when dealing with so many jobseekers.

This is why it’s a good idea to check out the recruiting firm before sending off emails and submitting your resume. Does the agency handle the type of work that you are qualified for? Are you someone who is a nurse? Well, if you send off an email to an executive search firm that deals with investment and finance roles, don’t expect to hear back. Likewise, if you’re an entry level analyst, and you send your emails to a travel nurse recruiting firm, you’re not going to get a response.

Reason #3 – You’re Blacklisted or a Problem Candidate

Sometimes it is personal. If you are someone who is blacklisted at recruiting agencies for causing problems (quitting jobs without notice, being a problem worker, fighting, not showing up for interviews, or any other serious breach of professional behavior) then you might not get a response.

This is why it’s important to behave in a professional manner. Even if you change agencies, a bad reputation can follow you. Recruiters move from agency to agency and they remember candidates who caused them grief. If you are someone who no showed to an interview, or who quit a job without notice then the recruiter will be unlikely to use you again.

Most people who are blacklisted are going to be problematic people. It’s less common in corporate roles, but does happen. It’s more common in social service work and medical staffing where many of the people in the job market come from less educated and less professional backgrounds.  A nurse who was caught sleeping on shift or a social worker who quit without notice is going to get a bad reputation with their agency and it might be the reason that no one is returning their calls.

If you cause drama for a recruiter, then it’s likely that this is the reason why you’re being ghosted.

Reason #4 – You’re Emailing The Wrong Person

Finally, it might be a case of you mistakenly emailing the wrong person. If that’s the case, then you won’t hear back from them.

Many people approach the job market with a anything goes mentality. They send out emails haphazardly and send LinkedIn requests to every recruiter in the world.

This simply isn’t a good idea. It can be a huge waste of time, but it will also create errors where you end up emailing the wrong person. If that person isn’t the right point of contact, then it won’t help your cause any.

So, make a plan and make sure that you are contacting the right people when you’re sending out your emails.

Reason #5 – Your Resume Is Poorly Written Or Inappropriate

A lot of people spend time sending out their resume without actually spending the time to craft a well written resume.

If you are sending your resume out, and if it’s a poorly written resume, then that could be a reason why recruiters aren’t responding to your emails.

What constitutes a bad resume? A lot of things. 

The main problem with most resume is bad spelling, bad grammar, and bar formatting. There are also issues like improper tenses.

All of these things signify to the recruiter that you’re not a serious person and should not be dealt with.

Another type of bad resume is the resume that includes inappropriate information. This includes adding in too much personal information, or inappropriate jobs like professional gambler or poker player.

There are even people who write complete biographies of themselves and add it to their resume. This goes beyond the objective statement (which is not necessary for a resume) and only serves to make your resume look bad.