Chicago — Feb. 20

The vast majority (75 percent) of workers who applied to jobs using various resources in the last year said they never heard back from the employer, according to a nationwide CareerBuilder survey.

While this speaks to the challenges of finding employment in a highly competitive market, it also brings to light negative implications for today's employers. The survey shows candidates who have had a bad experience when applying for a position are less likely to seek employment at that company again and are more likely to discourage friends and family from applying or purchasing products from that company.

The study of more than 3,900 U.S. workers was conducted online by Harris Interactive from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30.

Eighty-two percent of workers, the survey found, expect to hear back from a company when they apply for a job regardless of whether the employer is interested. Nearly one-third (32 percent) of workers said they would be less inclined to purchase products or services from a company that didn't respond to their application.

Twenty-six percent of workers have had a bad experience as a job applicant, the survey found, citing a lack of follow through, inconsistencies from the employer or poor representation of the company's brand as the primary culprits.

Source: CareerBuilder