The Problem 

Millions of qualified people — freshers and experienced workers alike, in every country — apply to hundreds of jobs and hear nothing back. No rejection. No reason. Just silence.

Many companies post jobs that don't even exist — "ghost jobs" — just to look like they're growing, or to build a resume database for later. Others use software that rejects candidates automatically, without a human ever reading the application. People don't know if their resume was seen, why they were turned down, or what they should fix. Even candidates applying for entry-level, fresher jobs — jobs made for people with little experience — get rejected or ignored, with no path forward.

This isn't a small inconvenience. Every one of us has bills, rent, loans, and family depending on us. Months of silent rejection cost people their savings, their confidence, and their time — time they could have spent improving the right skills, if only someone had told them what was wrong. This is a global problem, not one country's problem, because job platforms and hiring software work the same way almost everywhere.

 

What We're Asking For

We ask governments everywhere, and international bodies like the ILO, to push for a rule requiring companies, in every country, to:

• Confirm that a real, open job exists before they can advertise it — no fake postings.
• Send every applicant a real response — reviewed by a person, not just an auto-reply — within a fixed time (for example, 30 days).
• Give a short, clear reason for rejection — even one or two lines — such as "we needed more experience in X" or "another candidate had a closer skill match."
• Make sure the reason is genuine, not a copy-paste line — companies should give the real reason a candidate was rejected, not a generic message like "not a fit at this time" sent to everyone regardless of the actual gap. A false or template reason should count as no reason at all.
• Share one concrete way to improve, where possible, so rejected candidates aren't left guessing.

Companies that fail to comply — by staying silent, or by sending fake, copy-paste reasons just to tick a box — should face a penalty, the way other labour protections already do.

 

This Is Not a New Idea — Some Countries Have Already Started

A few places have begun to act, but only in a small way. The EU now requires companies to tell candidates when AI is being used to screen them, and to explain automated decisions that affect them, starting August 2026. In the US, New York City's Local Law 144 already forces employers to check their hiring software for bias every year and tell candidates when such software is used. Colorado has a similar law requiring bias testing and public reporting.

These are good first steps, but they only cover a few cities and countries, and they only cover AI tools — not the basic right to know why you were rejected. Every country should have this rule, and it should apply to every hiring decision, not just automated ones.

 

Why This Matters

Job seekers aren't asking for a guaranteed job. They're asking for basic respect: to know where they stand, and what to do next. A short message costs a company almost nothing. Its absence costs job seekers months of their lives — in every country, in every language, at every level of experience.

Sign this petition if you believe every candidate, anywhere in the world, deserves an honest answer.