Why recruiters don’t reply to your messages
And what actually makes a difference
After my last post about the hidden job market, a lot of people asked me the same thing:
“Why don’t recruiters reply to messages on LinkedIn?”
If you’re thinking, “It’s because they don’t care,” that’s understandable. But that’s not really it.
The real answer is a bit more uncomfortable.
Most of the time, silence isn’t personal. But some messages make it genuinely hard to respond.
The messages I don’t reply to (and why)
I’ll start with this one, because it’s the most common.
If you message me with the wrong name, or something like “Hi [insert name of recruiter here]”, I probably won’t reply.
It’s not about being offended. It’s a pretty strong signal that the message was copied and pasted without even changing the name, whether that’s to multiple recruiters or straight from ChatGPT.
And if someone didn’t spend 10 seconds doing that, it’s hard to justify spending a minute replying.
The same pattern shows up in another way
Messages like:
“Hi, I’m interested in X industry. Here’s my CV, let me know if you know of any roles.”
What you might not realise is that as a recruiter, I hire for specific roles, at a specific company, at a specific moment in time.
It’s a bit like asking your landlord if they know of any apartments available anywhere in the city. They know their buildings, not the whole market.
So no, I usually don’t know of “any roles” across the market, simply because I don’t have visibility into that.
When someone sends a CV with no role, no context and no clear ask, I often can’t help, even if I genuinely want to.
And I understand why messages like this happen.
Job searching right now is confusing. Applications disappear, timelines might stretch and silence from hiring teams becomes normal. Reaching out can start to feel like the only way to get noticed.
Things usually fall part when that turns into too many messages instead of a clear one.
Why mass messaging rarely works
Right now, recruiters are receiving an overwhelming volume of messages.
When a role opens, it’s not unusual to see 100+ applications within minutes. On top of that, there are LinkedIn messages, follow-ups and the occasional “just checking in” from hiring managers, all landing at the same time.
So when something is copied and pasted, very vague, or followed up multiple times without adding any new context, it becomes genuinely hard to prioritise.
That doesn’t mean you did something wrong. It just means the message didn’t stand out in that moment.
Reaching out can help. Overdoing it usually doesn’t.
What actually makes recruiters reply
The messages most recruiters are likely to reply to are simple and specific.
They explain why you’re reaching out now and make it easy to understand where you fit.
For example:
“Hi X, I hope you’re well. I just applied for the [role name] at [company]. I’m particularly interested in the work your team is doing around [specific task/project] and would appreciate any insight you’re able to share about the process. Thanks for your time.”
That kind of message doesn’t demand anything.
It doesn’t create urgency. It just adds context.
Most of the time, recruiters still won’t have the capacity to give a detailed reply. But they might remember the name, or at least the context.
And when applications are reviewed or conversations happen with the hiring manager, that context often comes back into the room.
That’s how visibility usually works in real life.
✦ ✧ ✦
About following up
A polite follow-up is fine. Sometimes it’s even necessary.
Messages really do get buried. Like, really buried (recruiter inboxes are chaos!).
Tabs stay open. Priorities change. A thousand things happen inside a company at once. People fully intend to reply and then… life happens.
What usually doesn’t help is repeated follow-ups that don’t add anything new, especially when they come with urgency.
If you’ve followed up once and still haven’t heard back, that’s usually your cue to treat it as a closed loop and move on.
Silence isn’t always rejection, but it does tell you something.
✦ ✧ ✦
Big sister note
If this made you rethink the whole recruiter-messaging conversation, that’s a good thing.
Very few people actually explain how this works from the inside.
Recruitment isn’t a fairness contest. It’s people with full inboxes, changing priorities and very limited time.
A non-reply isn’t a statement about your talent. Most of the time, it’s just logistics.
So do the basics well. Reach out, be specific. Follow up once if it makes sense. Then move on without overthinking it.
You’re not here to chase strangers on LinkedIn. You’re here to make yourself visible, cringing a little while doing it. Yes, I know!
And yes. Send that message.
Even if it goes unanswered, even if someone tells you not to bother.
I’m here to say the opposite.
Once you’ve sent more of these than you’re comfortable admitting, it stops feeling personal.
You’ll be fine.
✦ ✧ ✦
If this brought something up for you, you can reply directly to this email or message me on Substack and tell me what you’re thinking. I read every one. ✨
I’ve also added a short poll below, mostly out of curiosity. 💌