What your reply rate is telling you
Response rates are the only feedback most job searches ever get. Read them properly.
Applications rarely come with feedback. The one signal you do get is whether anyone replies, and it distinguishes between quite different problems.
Under five per cent
Something structural is wrong, and it is almost never your ability. The usual causes, in order of frequency: you are applying to roles you are not eligible for, most often on work authorisation; your CV does not contain the words the role is searched by; or you are aiming a level too high.
Check eligibility first. It is the cheapest to fix and the most commonly missed.
Five to fifteen per cent
Normal, and it means the machine works. Improvements now come from better targeting rather than a better CV. Apply to fewer, closer roles.
Above twenty per cent, with no offers
Your CV is outperforming your interviews. That is a good problem and a specific one. Practise the first fifteen minutes: the walk through of your background, and the story of one project in depth.
Replies but always a no after the first call
Usually a mismatch between what your CV implies and what you are. That can be level, salary, or a skill that is listed but thin. Ask for feedback directly. Perhaps one in five will tell you, and one honest answer is worth twenty guesses.
Track it or you are guessing
A spreadsheet with date, company, role, source and status takes a minute per application and turns a vague feeling into a number you can act on.
Find roles that actually fit
Upload your CV and AgentFlow AI reads your field, level and skills from it, then matches you against thousands of live postings. The file is parsed in your browser and never uploaded.
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