Ever applied for a job and never even gotten a response to confirm that your application wasreceived?

Chances are good the answer is yes. Dust off your Twisted Sister tapes and cds, “we’re not going to take it” is emerging as the new theme song for job seekers. In a recent survey of over 2,300 members of the StartWire community, 69% of respondents said they would probably not – or simply wouldn’t – buy a product or service from a company that didn’t respond to their job application. 77% said they’d think less of a company if the company doesn’t respond to their job application, and a whopping 96% responded that they are more likely to apply for a job if they know they will be getting regular feedback.

Couple that with the recent dip in unemployment rates, an increase in consumer use of social media to share opinions on corporate behavior, and a growing trend of individuals buying their own health insurance and starting their own businesses – and you’ve got a recipe for a perfect storm for a candidate revolt. Just as the Occupy Wall Street movement has a mission of fighting back “against the richest 1% of people that are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future,” we see a wave of job seekers who’ve had enough. As Alison Green, a career columnist for U.S. News said last summer,

As the job market continues to favor employers, job seekers are increasingly reporting poor treatment—from employers who never show up for scheduled interviews to inappropriate demands for private information on online job applications.

Employers may feel they don’t have to pay much attention to the candidate experience in such a flooded market. But this is shortsighted, because the best candidates have options and will turn elsewhere. It’s also unkind to people who are in a vulnerable and anxiety-producing spot.

It’s time for a job seeker’s bill of rights, to improve the hiring process on both sides!

At StartWire, we’re raising our hands in support of job seekers and candidates in two ways today.

First, we’re celebrating our first birthday – and saluting the thousands of job seekers who’ve joined us and used our site to sign up for automatic status updates on the state of their job application. (A first step in finding out what’s actually happened to job applications after they’ve been submitted.)

Secondly, we’re looking across the village green from our headquarters in a small New England town to toast the New Hampshire primary – and to watch democracy in action. No matter how you move the lever in January or February, we think it’s always important to have your voice be heard.

We’re committed to helping you have a better candidate experience as a job seeker. In the weeks ahead, we’ll continue to share tips and strategies to make that happen – and to advocate for your rights. Let’s work together to make the process of applying for a job clear, transparent, and timely.

How can we help you make the process of looking for a job more fun?

Photo courtesy of Vector Portal.