Most job seekers would rather hear nothing than a chatbot after applying, LinkedIn poll finds

A LinkedIn poll of 1,039 people found that 66% prefer no response over a chatbot after applying for a job, underscoring how candidates react to poor follow-up in hiring. Recruiting leaders in Calgary say automation may help manage volume, but it is the wrong tool for delivering rejection after interviews.

Why it matters: - The poll points to a growing candidate frustration with automated hiring communication, especially when applicants never get a human response. - Poor follow-up can damage employer brand at a time when some postings are drawing about 300 applicants, up from 30 to 70. - Recruiters say the issue is less about AI itself and more about using automation to deliver bad news.

What happened: - A LinkedIn poll of 1,039 respondents found 66% would rather hear nothing after applying for a job, unless called in for an interview, than interact with a chatbot. - 33% chose the chatbot option. - The poll was run by Hire Value’s research partner, Kim Wilkinson, founder of Verve Recruitment Group. - Shelley Billinghurst, CEO of Calgary-based Hire Value Inc., said candidates object less to AI itself than to being ignored.

The details: - Wilkinson said she did not expect 33% to choose the chatbot option. - Billinghurst said some organizations are seeing around 300 applicants per posting as employers adopt automation to handle heavier applicant loads. - Billinghurst said automation is the wrong tool for telling interviewed candidates they did not get the job. - Billinghurst called human silence after an interview “the most misplaced and misguided use of conversational AI.” - Billinghurst said candidate nurturing is the most promising use of AI in hiring. - Her example: campaigns that keep rejected candidates informed about employer news and alert them when a similar role opens. - Billinghurst compared applicant follow-up to sales lead management. - Wilkinson said a bad candidate experience can spread quickly, with one person telling 10 to 20 people in their network.

Between the lines: - The poll suggests candidates may tolerate some automation when it saves time, but not when it replaces basic respect and closure. - The results also hint that high-volume hiring may be pushing employers toward tools that solve internal workload problems without improving the applicant experience. - Billinghurst and Wilkinson are framing AI as a relationship tool, not a rejection mechanism.

What's next: - Hire Value is positioning candidate nurturing as the better AI use case for recruitment teams. - Employers facing large applicant volumes may keep expanding automation, but the poll suggests they risk backlash if they use it for rejection or silence. - Billinghurst said recruiters need to remember what it feels like to be job seeking.