UK Job Application Callback Rates
Anonymised, aggregated data from thousands of UK job applications processed through Autoply. Which companies actually reply. Which ATS platforms have the highest response rates. Which employers ghost.
4–8%
Average UK callback rate on cold applications
200–400
Average applications per London tech role
5×
More callbacks with 50+ applications vs 10
72hrs
Median time to first recruiter reply (when they reply)
Callback rates by ATS platform
The ATS a company uses correlates with how responsive they are. Here's what the data shows.
Lever
8.2%Typically used by tech scale-ups. Higher engagement than legacy systems.
Greenhouse
7.1%Standard at well-funded startups and mid-size tech. Decent response rates.
Ashby
9.4%Newer ATS adopted by high-growth companies. Best average response rate.
Workday
4.3%Enterprise system. Long screening pipelines, lower initial callback rate.
LinkedIn Easy Apply
5.8%High volume = lower rate. Good for discovery, lower response than direct apply.
Generic / Direct
6.1%Direct applications to company career pages. Varies hugely by company size.
Rates reflect callback within 30 days of application. Minimum 50 applications per ATS to appear.
See which specific companies ghost candidates
The employer ghosting tracker shows companies with 0% response rates across multiple applications.
View ghosting tracker →What the callback rate data actually means for your job search
A 5% callback rate is not a failure — it's the baseline. Most job seekers interpret silence as rejection or proof that their CV is bad. It usually isn't. The median UK tech role receives 200–400 applications. Even an excellent candidate will be screened out simply due to volume. Callback rates of 4–8% are normal across the industry.
ATS platform matters more than most people realise. Companies using Ashby and Lever tend to have better candidate communication built into their recruiting workflow. Companies on Workday are often large enterprises with long screening queues — the low callback rate is partly structural, not a comment on your application quality.
Volume is the only reliable lever you control. At a 5% callback rate, you need 40 applications to get 2 interviews. Most job seekers apply to 10–15 roles and give up. The math doesn't work at low volume. Autoply is built to solve this — apply to 100 roles overnight so the statistics work in your favour.
Response time data: When companies do reply, 60% respond within 72 hours of application. After 2 weeks of silence, the probability of a reply drops below 5%. Don't spend energy waiting — keep applying.
How Autoply measures callback rates
When Autoply submits an application, we connect the user's email account (Gmail or Outlook) and monitor the inbox for recruiter replies. A “callback” is defined as any reply from a recruiter email domain within 30 days of application. This data is anonymised and aggregated — no individual email content is stored or shared.
Apply at volume — let the maths work for you
At a 5% callback rate, 100 applications = 5 interviews. Autoply applies overnight so you don't have to choose between volume and quality.
Start free — 10 applications →