New report says over half of candidates are abandoning job applications mid-way

A new LiveCareer report reveals that 57% of job seekers abandon applications midway, driven by overly convoluted processes and a widespread belief that their resumes are never seen by a real person.

• Radio silence: A deep-seated lack of transparency is fueling the frustration. The feeling of being ignored is the most common complaint, with the report finding that not hearing back from an employer is the top issue for more than a third of all applicants.

• Is anyone there?: The communication void has bred a major trust issue. While nearly two-thirds of applicants are confident their resumes can beat the automated systems, they suspect no one is on the other side. Four in ten believe fewer than a quarter of their applications ever reach a human, and a scant one in ten think a real person sees nearly all of them.

• The 30-minute rule: For many applicants, there’s a literal ticking clock. According to a separate survey from Employ, Inc., most believe an application shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes, and a third will simply walk away if it does.

The findings paint a picture of a hiring ecosystem where efficiency tools have created a frustrating chasm between companies and candidates, eroding the faith necessary for a functioning job market. While applicants struggle with automated systems, recruiters are facing their own AI-related headaches, including being flooded with AI-generated resumes. The broken process has a real cost for businesses, with one report finding employers spend over nine days just sorting through irrelevant applications.