When Colette Fozard was looking for work in the fall, things started off great. A partner at her law firm handed her resume to a friend who was hiring. She was quickly called. Fozard, a legal secretary, took the requisite tests and had an hour-long interview with the human resources director.

"It was very positive," Fozard said. "I told my husband I got a very good vibe.''

Fozard was told she would hear the next day or early the next week. She put her thank-you note into the mail and then ... nothing. She called a week later. No call back. She emailed. The firm never resurfaced.

Thankfully, she soon got a job at another firm.

Sure, companies receive a boatload of resume spam, but many have figured out a way to at least acknowledge receiving the applications. Others, however, have forgotten what their moms taught them when they were six years old: RSVP.

For eight years, Kris Hannah helped cull resumes and respond to people who applied to the popular Washington-based non-profit organisation where she worked, sometimes receiving up to 130 resumes for one slot.

"I made sure everyone had an answer within two to three weeks,'' she said.

She did not often receive the same courtesy when she was looking for a new job in graphic design.

Disrespectful

"My resume went out in the atmosphere often to never be heard from again,'' she said. "It was disrespectful and reflected poorly on those companies. If someone takes the time to send you something, you can at least send them a rejection.''

For some, it has to do with sheer volume. Suburban consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton typically receives 15,000 applications per month, Recrui-ting Director Eliza-beth Miller said. Applicants receive an automated res-ponse when they apply, and when they interview (and there are 1,000 of those each month), a recruiter follows up by phone.

But with about 50 recruiters to handle all that, "It probably doesn't happen 100 per cent of the time,'' she said.

Her advice to job seekers? Don't worry about being too persistent. Ask everyone during the interview process for a business card. Follow up by email, sending a copy to the recruiter, thanking him or her and making yourself stand out. Remind them who you are and tell them about anything new that you have accomplished, while reiterating exactly why you're interested in the job.

Be patient

And then? "Be patient. I know that it is really frustrating to be in that job search mode, but be persistent, considerate and cognisant that as many jobs as you are applying for, recruiters are probably interfacing with four to five times as many applicants,'' Miller said.

Don't hear back from the recruiter? Track down your hiring manager or another recruiter. Sometimes these recruiters do disappear. Don't let yourself do the same if this is a job you want.

With an "active database'' of 5,000 to 7,000 resumes and 15 to 75 resumes received per job opening, Michael Beckmann, director of talent acquisition at suburban Freddie Mac, has a system to keep job candidates informed.

His team of recruiters mine the database about every four to six hours. Job seekers receive an electronic acknowledgements when their resumes are received.

If a resume matches enough of the job requirements, it is forwarded to a hiring manager. About 50 per cent of those who apply make it that far. Then they are prescreened by phone, and six to 10 are brought in for interviews. They meet initially with three to five leaders in the group where they applied. If they pass that round, they come in for a final interview.

And do candidates really hear back? "Recruiters are trained to keep candidates live,'' Beckmann said. "They will be emailed through each round of interviews about what's happening. You can always gauge the level of competency of a company by how engaged recruiters are.''

Second or third job

It also behooves companies to be nice: If someone isn't hired for the first job for which he or she applied, he or she might be brought in for a second or third job.

Kristina Baumler, employee communications manager at Freddie since June, went through the hiring process during the spring. She started looking for work in February and, excluding her experience at Freddie, found it frustrating.

"With Freddie, it was a very smooth process. There was always contact with a recruiter. She was touching base with me, as well as making herself available by cell and email if I needed,'' Baumler said.

"Other places, I would run in to black holes or would not hear back at all. Nothing is more frustrating than applying for a job and not getting any response. Even if it's an automated response, it makes a world of difference."

- LA Times-Washington Post