I recently received yet another email stating that, after careful review, they decided to move forward with other candidates. This has become a familiar refrain for me over the past year, as I've faced countless rejections and radio silence from potential employers. I have a solid work history with good references and left my last job due to a family emergency. Since then, I've sent out around 20 resumes, but most of the time I either get rejected or simply ghosted. I know 20 applications is relatively small compared to others who have applied hundreds of times, but it felt like I was just feeding forms into a machine with no human interaction. Frustrated with the job search process, I decided to start my own small company to generate some income. I realized that while the government tracks job openings, there’s no record of the countless rejections applicants face. It’s disheartening to see “We’re hiring” everywhere, yet there’s no transparency about how many applications go unanswered or are automatically rejected. To address this gap, I created a platform called Dear Candidate, where individuals can record their job application outcomes anonymously. It’s still in its early stages and currently mostly contains my own rejections, but I hope it can grow into a resource for others who have faced similar struggles. If you want to contribute your experiences, you can do so without any sign-up or personal information required.