Why job hunting feels harder right now

It's not just you

If you've sent dozens of applications and heard almost nothing back, you're in very large company. Hiring has changed a lot in the last few years, and most of the change happened out of sight.

This isn't a story about lazy recruiters or a broken generation of job seekers. It's a story about volume, software and stretched teams. Once you can see how the system works, you can work with it.

What's changed

• There are far more applications per job. Across more than 6,000 North American companies using one large hiring platform, applications per job roughly doubled between 2022 and 2025, from about 115 to 244 ^[1].
• Software often reads your CV before a person does. Most large employers use applicant tracking systems, and many now add AI to sort and rank applicants ^[1][2].
• Recruiting teams are smaller. On the same platform, recruiting team sizes fell by over half while the applications each recruiter handles rose more than fivefold ^[1].
• Silence has become normal. In one 2024 survey, 61% of job seekers said they'd been ghosted after an interview ^[3].
• Age makes it harder. More than a third of 50 to 69 year olds in the UK say their age would count against them when applying ^[4].

What this section covers

Each page explains one problem, shows the evidence, and gives you practical steps you can take today for free.

• 01More people are applying for every jobWhy the pile is bigger, and how to stand out in it.
• 02Software reads your CV firstHow screening software works, and the myth worth retiring.
• 03Fewer recruiters, more toolsWhy recruiters are stretched, and how to make their job easier.
• 04The silence after you applyGhosting, ghost jobs, and what to do while you wait.
• 05Job hunting when you're olderAgeism is real. Here's what helps, and your rights.
• 06Getting in front of a personReferrals, networking and direct approaches.