A new job seeker survey from StartWire™, a game-changing Internet job search organizer, has found that leaving job candidates in the dark about their application could potentially damage a company’s reputation. 

The survey, with more than 2000 respondents, found that 77 percent of job seekers think less of a company that doesn’t respond to a job application. Going further, 72 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to recommend companies’ products or services, and 58 percent would think twice about buying a product from a company that did not respond to their job application.

“It is easy to understand job seekers’ frustration when they submit résumés but never get a response,” says Chris Forman, CEO of StartWire. “But what most companies don’t realize is that not providing feedback can really hurt their image. Those potential hires may also be customers, and how a company manages job applicants can really travel fast through word-of-mouth.”

Seeking to radically improve the job search process, StartWire – celebrating its one-year launch anniversary this month – closes the “résumé black hole” by providing job seekers with automatic application status updates from thousands of employers.

The survey also indicates the severe level of frustration that comes with searching for jobs. Of those looking for their next position, 90 percent said getting feedback on their applications would make the overall process of applying for jobs less frustrating. While more than 90 percent of job seekers follow-up with potential employers on their status, only 33% of Fortune 500 companies provide feedback through their application systems

Companies that are notorious for application black holes lose out on potential star employees, as a staggering 96 percent of job seekers are more likely to apply for a job if they know they will receive regular updates on their application status.

“StartWire provides automatic feedback from over 5,600 employers. It eases the stress of the job hunt for the applicant and makes companies look good. Everyone wins,” says Forman.