What really happens after you apply for a job?

“What happens to my application after I submit it?”

That’s the most common question we get asked by job hunters – and it’s not surprising. The hiring process has become a black box that leaves candidates wondering: Did my application go to spam? Did a recruiter even see it? Will I ever hear back? 

And now with AI in the mix, it seems more mysterious than ever.

We want to shed light on all of this. But first, why should you listen to us?

Well, at Greenhouse we have unique insights into what really goes on behind the scenes in hiring. Over 7,500 employers use our software to manage their hiring process. Last year alone, our customers processed over 150M applications from more than 40M people. From this perch we see across the entire hiring journey, from the moment a role is published to when it’s filled, including the job application itself and all the steps along the way, from reviewing applications to interviewing to making offers.

Here’s an inside look at what actually happens after you submit a job application.

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What happens after you apply for a job through MyGreenhouse?

‍Reviewing applications‍

Once you click “submit,” your application will go straight into a queue on a recruiter’s dashboard in Greenhouse. And many recruiters will let you know when they’ve received your application by sending you an automated email thanking you for applying. This doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get an interview, or even that your resume will be seen by a person (more on that later), but it offers reassurance that your submission was in fact received. Across our customer base, 95% of jobs are configured to automatically send a “thanks for applying” email.

Most recruiters review applications in the order they were sent. They’ll see your resume, cover letter, answers to questions on the application form and any supporting documents exactly as you sent them. They’ll then look at your application, add tags to highlight specific details or qualifications and decide whether to advance it or reject it. They might also add feedback for other members of the hiring team to consider.

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So by and large, applications in Greenhouse are reviewed by real people, one by one, in the order received. Yet there are a few common reasons why your resume may not be seen at all after you apply:
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• When a role is popular, recruiters may filter the queue
• Certain roles might use auto-reject rules (based on specific criteria)
  Read on to learn more about what happens in those cases.

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Searching and filtering the queue

Many roles these days get hundreds or even thousands of applications as soon as they are posted. For roles with many applications, a recruiter might use Greenhouse’s filtering and search capabilities to narrow in on the best candidates. A lot of companies filter by referrals or internal candidates first, while others filter based on the answers candidates provided to custom questions in the application form. Recruiters might also conduct search queries to identify candidates that meet a combination of specific criteria and review them first.

Our filtering and search functionality means that if you’re a strong candidate, you’re more likely to stand out, whereas you might’ve slipped through the cracks if only a keyword search had been used.

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Auto-reject criteria

For in-demand roles, your application might go through an automated screening process that allows recruiters to narrow their pool of candidates to those that meet required criteria. Importantly, these filters are set and controlled directly by recruiters (AKA, living, breathing humans) – not outsourced to a bot. 

Here’s how it works: Recruiters might configure a job in Greenhouse to auto-reject or auto-advance applications based on very specific rules. For example, if you answer “no” to a question like “are you legally allowed to work in this country?,” your application will be rejected. Similarly, you might be automatically advanced to a later stage if you meet certain criteria (if you hold a specific certification or are willing to travel, for example). Recruiters may also set rules that limit the number of times a candidate can apply for a role or prevent applicants who were previously rejected from applying over and over again.

When a company does not review your resume due to one of the above reasons (filtering or auto-rejection), Greenhouse makes it easy for them to send you an email letting you know. Over 50% of roles are set to send you an email if your application is auto-rejected. If you were simply skipped over due to a recruiter filtering their queue, they may or may not send you a note while they consider other applicants. So, when you apply but don’t hear back, this is usually what is happening.

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Some (unfounded) worries about the process

Because job seeking has become so challenging, candidates often suspect that there must be something fundamentally broken or unfair about how the process itself is run. Specifically, candidates often wonder:
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• If answering demographic questions (such as race and gender) affects their chances
• Whether including “magic keywords” is needed in order to be given a fair chance at an interview
• If AI is screening them out

Let’s address each of those questions next.

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Answering demographic questions

Some candidates avoid demographic questions because they’re concerned that their responses will put them at a disadvantage at the screening stage. This is not something you need to worry about when applying through MyGreenhouse. The demographic information you provide is never shown alongside your application. It is only used for reporting purposes and is always shown in an aggregated and anonymized way.

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Including “magic keywords”

There’s a belief out there that you have to “stuff” your application with certain keywords, otherwise you won’t show up in a recruiter’s search results. This isn’t the case with Greenhouse. Our system uses AI to analyze job descriptions and suggest relevant keywords and synonyms of those keywords for recruiters to use in their search. For example, a job description mentioning “JavaScript” might suggest that recruiters search for related terms like “React” or “TypeScript.” When recruiters search for these terms, they’ll find exact matches in candidates’ applications.

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AI screening

It’s true that some companies use AI to analyze, score and auto-reject applications without any input from humans. At Greenhouse, our auto-rejection functionality is based on very specific rules that are set and controlled directly by recruiters. AI doesn’t score or rank applications, nor does it make any decisions about whether or not you move forward in the process. (You can read more about how it is used here).

Now let’s talk about some of the steps recruiters might take to reduce bias when hiring for a role you applied for.
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Do companies do anything to reduce human bias in the hiring process?

A hiring team might decide to turn on specific features in Greenhouse to help ensure they are reviewing all applications fairly. For example, with our resume anonymization feature, recruiters can remove details that could inadvertently bias a person who’s reviewing an application.
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This functionality is there to help recruiters identify the most qualified candidates quickly and fairly. And once they do that, it’s time to reach out. Next, we’ll explain how that process works.

When and how do companies reach out to candidates?

If you’re moving forward in the interview process, most companies will send you an email with details about the next step (and some will include the ability to self-schedule an interview at a time that suits you). If you were not selected, you should expect an email telling you that your application was rejected. We know that recruiters have a lot of applications to manage and that personally emailing everyone is unfeasible. But we also think candidates deserve closure. That’s why we made it easy for recruiters to send emails in bulk, with the ability to personalize certain details (e.g., reason for rejection) at scale.

Timely communication is more important than ever, especially now with “ghosting” on the rise (61% of applicants have been ghosted after an interview). In fact, the way a team handles communication with candidates directly impacts their rating for Greenhouse Verified – our system for highlighting customers with good hiring practices so you can see which ones have a track record of delivering a positive candidate experience.

What a company’s hiring software says about their attitude to recruitment 

Over the last few years, job hunting has become more painful than ever before. Soul-crushing, in fact. An eye-watering 91% of candidates view the current market as challenging. But there are more and more companies out there who care about delivering a positive and fair experience to candidates. Their choice of hiring software says a lot about how they approach their people practices.

When you see a company using Greenhouse to hire – especially those with Greenhouse Verified badges – it’s a good sign that they care about running an equitable and inclusive process. That they’re committed to identifying and thoughtfully considering the most qualified candidates. And that they will leave you in little doubt about what happens after you submit your application. After all, that’s the least you deserve.