Mark Plummer: Silence Isn’t Feedback: Why Employers Owe Young People Better

Mark Plummer 

Every year, thousands of young people invest enormous amounts of time trying to secure their first meaningful role.

They research organisations, tailor their CVs, write thoughtful cover letters, complete lengthy online application forms and prepare carefully for interviews. Many submit dozens of applications before receiving a single positive response. Many do not get replies at all!

For many, this is their first real experience of the world of work and too often, it is also their first experience of silence.

At Finito Education, we work with ambitious young people preparing to begin their careers. They understand that recruitment is competitive and that not every application will be successful. Rejection is part of life, and resilience is something every professional must develop.

What they struggle to understand is something rather different and that is hearing nothing at all. Applications disappear into online systems without acknowledgement. Interviews take place, only for weeks to pass without an update. Candidates are left wondering whether their application was ever read, whether the role has been filled or whether they simply were not considered good enough to warrant a reply.

The silence creates uncertainty that is often far more damaging than rejection itself.

Constructive feedback has always been one of the most powerful tools for personal development. Throughout our careers we improve because managers, colleagues and mentors tell us what we do well and where we can improve. Without feedback, progress becomes little more than guesswork.

Recruitment should be no different.

Of course, employers face genuine challenges. Many receive hundreds, sometimes thousands, of applications for a single vacancy. Responding personally to every candidate is rarely realistic, and few would expect detailed individual assessments after an initial application.

But there is a significant difference between providing extensive feedback and providing no communication whatsoever. A simple acknowledgement that an application has been received. A realistic timetable for recruitment. A brief notification that a position has been filled. These are small actions that require relatively little effort but demonstrate professionalism and respect.

Where more personalised feedback can be offered, particularly following interviews, it should be. Not because candidates are entitled to it, but because it helps them develop and, quite frankly, should be part of the ethos for any business.

One thoughtful conversation can help someone understand how they presented themselves, where they fell short and what they might do differently next time. It turns disappointment into learning and rejection into motivation. That matters.

The way organisations recruit says a great deal about the culture they create. Candidates may not become employees today, but they are future customers, future clients, future colleagues and future advocates. Every interaction contributes to an organisation’s reputation.

Helping young people prepare for successful careers is not solely the responsibility of schools, universities or organisations like Finito Education. Employers also have an important role to play.

If we genuinely want a generation that communicates confidently, embraces feedback and demonstrates resilience, then we must model those behaviours ourselves. Technology has made recruitment more efficient than ever before. Applicant tracking systems, automation and artificial intelligence can process applications at remarkable speed.

Surely they can also help ensure that every candidate receives the courtesy of a response.

Because sometimes the most valuable feedback is simply knowing that someone has taken the time to reply.