Will Project Managers respond to your adverts?

Well, the answer is both yes and no, depending on how you define candidates.  Adverts will normally generate a response because the job boards use those metrics to claim effectiveness and the numbers can be impressive, here are some stats from a well known IT/Tech job board for July 2023 for average applications per vacancy posted:

• Software Development: 61
• Infrastructure and Support: 62
• Testing: 212
• Database: 57
• Project Management: 146

So the answer is that yes, Project Managers do respond to your adverts, you can expect 146 of them according to this data source. A couple of other points to think about: most response is received in the first 48 hours after which the adverts drops down the listings sometimes receiving a boost after a week or so depending on the platform, adverts are pushed to anyone who has requested to see those type of listings regardless of suitability (only Linkedin attempts any serious form of matching).

What to expect…

Of your 146 responses you can expect them to be made up of the a range of the following types of application:

• Applicants from a related but different background looking to move into project management
• Junior candidates looking to make a step up
• Oversees applicants requiring sponsorship
• People based in other parts of the country looking for 100% remote work
• Very experienced late career professionals looking at roles carrying less responsibility than previously
• People with very lengthy/short CV’s
• Benefits claimants fulfilling their obligations to apply for work
• Well matched (but very active) job seekers

Of the above only the final group (and likely smallest) group are of interest to employers yet by the very nature of them being active in the market they will be speaking to any number of recruiters and employers directly.  It follows that if they are talking to 5 companies then any one company has an absolute best chance of around 1/5 of actually hiring them. 

Conclusion

In reality for unsupported direct applications your chance of hiring will significantly less unless the salary is exceptional, those that understand this are best placed to succeed by putting in place strategies to get those chances higher that doesn’t necessarily mean using an agency like us, we fill around 55% of the roles we register which is well above the industry average of 35% but still far from guaranteed and even half of all retained searches end in failure.

The truth is with so many variables in play there is no simple solution to hiring everytime otherwise it would have been documented, digitised and automated by now, until then it will mostly rely on emotionally intelligent, motivated and diligent individuals driving through a process to completion.