The Mystery of “What’s Next?”
You apply. You interview. You wait. And then… silence.
For candidates, few experiences are as stressful as being left in the dark about their hiring status. For recruiters, the challenge is just as real: balancing multiple stakeholders, managing timelines, and ensuring every communication is clear.
At TheRecAI, we wanted to understand the disconnect. So we asked our community a simple question on LinkedIn:
What’s the most confusing part of the hiring process?
The responses were eye-opening—and revealed what candidates wish recruiters understood better.
What Frustrates Candidates Most
Not getting feedback: 50%
Unclear evaluation process: 26%
Not knowing status: 21%
Unsure how to stand out: 3%
1. “Not Getting Feedback” — The Silent Gray Zone
Half of our respondents said the most confusing part is not getting feedback. It’s easy to interpret silence as disinterest—but in reality, it’s often bandwidth.
Recruiters juggle dozens of roles, each with multiple candidates, hiring managers, and internal approvals. Giving personalised feedback at scale becomes difficult, even when they want to.
💡 Fact: According to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends, 94% of candidates want interview feedback, but only 41% ever receive it.
🧠 Insight: TheRecAI’s AI-driven screening tools are designed to solve this—generating structured, consistent feedback templates that help candidates learn and recruiters communicate faster.
2. “Not Knowing Status” — The Waiting Game
Nearly one in five respondents said they felt lost after applying. The truth? Recruiters often wait on hiring managers for feedback, budget confirmation, or revised requirements.
In traditional systems, this lag feels like silence—but with AI-enabled status tracking, candidates could soon receive real-time updates, much like order tracking on an e-commerce app.
📊 Fact: A CareerBuilder survey found that 66% of job seekers say they’d have a better perception of a company if they just received regular status updates, even without final feedback.
💡 Design thought: Transparency isn’t just a courtesy—it’s a design principle in candidate experience.
3. “Unclear Evaluation Process” — The Hidden Criteria
About 26% of candidates say the most confusing part is not knowing how they’re being evaluated. Are skills being prioritised? Is culture fit more important?
Recruiters use multiple lenses: technical alignment, communication ability, learning agility, and intent. Sometimes, different stakeholders score these differently.
💡 Fact: The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2027, 44% of core job skills will change—which means evaluation frameworks must evolve too.
🧠 TheRecAI perspective: Our persona-based fitment engine clarifies these criteria by scoring candidates across competency, culture, and career intent, ensuring decisions are fair, explainable, and transparent.
4. “Unsure How to Stand Out” — The 3% Who Ask the Right Question
Only 3% voted for this, but it’s arguably the most powerful question. Recruiters agree: candidates who stand out aren’t always the most qualified—they’re the ones who communicate their journey clearly.
💡 Tip: A concise summary at the top of your résumé that links your past experiences to the new role helps recruiters understand your fit in seconds.
Bridging the Gap
The poll revealed something bigger than frustration—it revealed a need for empathy on both sides.
Candidates crave clarity. Recruiters juggle complexity. Somewhere between the two lies the future of hiring: transparent, data-driven, and human.
At TheRecAI, we’re designing that future—where every candidate knows their status, receives fair feedback, and understands how decisions are made. Because better communication doesn’t just fill roles—it builds trust.
