Most candidates either don't track their data or read it wrong. Here's the framework that produces real insight.
Segment by these 3 dimensions:
1. Resume version used. If you've rewritten your resume mid-search, old-version applications and new-version applications need to be tracked separately.
2. Time window. Submissions less than 14 days old are mostly silent, not because they're being rejected, but because they haven't matured yet. Don't count them as "no response" yet.
3. Company size and stage. Public companies and Fortune 500s reject within 2-3 weeks. Startups and mid-market often take 4-6 weeks. Don't mix these into one aggregate number.
The diagnostic question:
"Within the segment of new-resume submissions older than 21 days at companies of size X, what's the response rate?"
That's the number that tells you whether the strategy is working.
Read the funnel, not just the inputs:
Sourced → Approved: are you over-broadening targeting?
Approved → Submitted: any bottleneck on your side?
Submitted → First-round: is the resume converting?
First-round → Second-round: is the interview converting?
Second-round → Offer: is the closing converting?
Each stage has its own bottleneck and its own fix. Don't pivot strategy when only one stage is broken.
What metrics do you track?
— Dr. Hosney Adel