Improving positive response rate when applying to a job advertisement

By Ken Pelczarski, Contributing Editor | TLT Career Coach November 2026

Tailoring the presentation of your background to the specific job is an effective way to improve your chances of getting an interview.

It is quite common to feel like your resume submission to a job advertisement has gone down a black hole. Unfortunately, you will not hear back from most employers if they have not selected you for an interview.

The rejection of your job application may happen after review of your resume by artificial intelligence (AI), an automated tracking system (ATS), a human resources manager or a hiring manager. Possible reasons for rejection include the following:

- Overqualified
- Underqualified
- Not a good fit for the job
- Lack of related experience
- You require relocation
- Better candidates available

You will have plenty of company if you are not invited for an interview after applying to a job ad. On average, employers will invite three to five candidates for onsite interviews or virtual calls from dozens or even hundreds of applicants.

Average response rates to job ads (i.e., reply by a human) are the following, depending upon many factors such as geographic location, level of experience, relevant background and accomplishments, education and professional field:

- Cold online job applications: 2%-3%
- Aggregated job boards like Google Jobs and Glassdoor: 5%-11%
- Indeed: 4%-25%
- LinkedIn: 3%-13%

Assuming you are qualified for the position, there are ways to increase your positive response rate when applying to a job ad. The best way to accomplish this is to tailor the presentation of your background to the specific job and then follow up in various ways as needed.

Below are recommended ways to improve your response rate:

1. The resume

- Tailor your resume:

- Emphasize experience and responsibilities that match the job opening.
- List accomplishments that relate to the specific job.
- If you have a job objective in your resume, make sure it closely relates to the open job.

- Build a resume that will pass ATS screening:

- Include "buzz words" throughout the resume.
- Ensure that your list of "skill set" words matches job requirements.
- Tweak job titles to include words in the open position's title.

- Create a resume with AI assistance:

- Input your experience and accomplishments as well as the advertised job responsibilities to AI.
- Review the AI-created resume to gauge the likelihood of an employer response.
- Be sure you are presenting an honest and accurate picture of yourself.

2. The cover letter

- Convey why you would be successful in the position:

- Explain in a few words your high level of success in a similar role.
- Describe briefly your proudest accomplishment in a similar role (quantify if possible).

- Stress your interest and motivation:

- Write a sentence or two about why this position is a perfect next step for your career path.
- State why this job would be satisfying, and you would be eager to tackle this role.
- If you have had more responsibility than this job offers, the cover letter is the place to explain why the advertised job is the type of position you are targeting.

- Explain why it is worth considering you as a candidate who needs to relocate for the job:

- If it is relatively simple and inexpensive for you to relocate, make sure the employer understands.
- Stress your affinity to the job location and your interest in settling long-term in that geographical area.

- Mention referrals and recommendations:

- Point out if you have been referred to the company by a mutual contact or by a respected professional in the industry.
- Invite the employer to check a reference with somebody you may know in common.

Note: It is wise to include a cover letter with your application even though it is not always read by a live person.

3. The job application form

- Present only relevant information:

- Consider omitting short-term jobs you held for under a year.
- Consider omitting temporary positions unless related to the open job.
- Consider omitting education and jobs not related to your career path.
- Attempt to account for all lengthy periods of time.
- Be prepared to discuss and be honest about omissions when you have direct conversations with the employer.

- Present jobs and dates in the best possible light:

- List your jobs by "years held" unless months are specifically requested.
- Try to avoid providing specific dates that would reveal your age.

- Present salary history carefully:

- Ideally state your salary history to be close to the expected salary range of the open job (e.g., by rounding off salary numbers, excluding bonus figures or including compensation from incentives).
- State your desired salary to be close to what you think the position is paying.
- Be truthful with the numbers you present.
- You can explain your thoughts on compensation further once you open the door for direct discussions with the employer.

4. The timing and follow-up

- Apply early to the advertised job:

- Most candidates selected for interviews applied to the job ad within a few weeks after the posting.
- If you wait several weeks to apply, the employer may have already filled the position or stopped accepting new candidates.

- Contact the human resources manager (or person named in the job ad):

- Follow up within a few weeks after your original job application.
- Emphasize your continued interest.
- Provide any new relevant information.
- Mention if an industry professional has recommended you for the position.
- Make contact by phone if this is a position you greatly desire.

- Get in touch with an established contact at this employer:

- If you are already connected with an employee of the hiring company, contact this individual to learn more about the job opening and its status.
- Request that this person put in a good word and potentially open the door for you.

- Contact the hiring manager:

- Try to find the name of the hiring manager through referral, a professional recruiter or LinkedIn.
- Get in touch either before or after your job application to introduce yourself and see if this individual can influence the candidate selection process on your behalf.

5. General guidelines and recommendation summary

- Follow instructions in the job ad (e.g., include salary information, no phone calls, apply through proper channels).
- Keep several different resumes on hand as templates that may need little or no tweaking for various types of positions.
- Emphasize certain aspects of your background, experience and accomplishments that are pertinent to the open position.
- All submitted information should be tailored to the specific job.
- Apply to the job ad through the employer website if the position is posted there (you may stand out better and get a closer look).
- Be hired for who you are by presenting only truthful information.
- Work hard to find a mutual contact who will recommend you for the job.
- Do not give up if you believe the job is a perfect fit for you (keep following up).

Positive response rates from employers for direct referrals to a hiring manager are estimated to be in the 30%-40% range. Although applicants from job ads will never get close to this percentage range, you may achieve this response rate by combining your job ad application with a referral or recommendation from a mutual contact or other respected industry professional.

The time will come when you see an advertisement for a position that is a better fit for you than any posting you have seen in a long time. I hope this article has provided you with a few tips for improving your positive response rate for this occasion. Try to be relentless in a professional manner in your pursuit of such an opportunity.

Ken Pelczarski is owner and founder of Pelichem Associates, a Chicago-area search firm established in 1985 and specializing in the lubricants industry. You can reach Ken at (630) 960-1940 or at pelichem@aol.com.