Have you applied for a job online and expected a response? You may have been disappointed if you did not hear back and receive an interview.

The hard truth is that, when you apply online these days, you’re often at the mercy of a computer or resume clerk deciding if your resume should go to the hiring manager for further review. It has been estimated that only 2% of applicants actually get interviews.

With those odds, it is no wonder that people refer to applying for a job as a “black hole,” or a place from which nothing escapes.

Below are four reasons you may not be hearing back after you apply for jobs:

1. Your resume is not ATS-optimized and is mediocre at best.

Your resume needs to be optimized to be seen by the applicant tracking system (ATS) — the machine that reads the resume. The ATS has come a long way in the past decade, but it is not perfect. Ensure that the ATS will be able to read your resume.

Secondly, take steps to ensure your resume is the best it can possibly be. Jobs are so competitive that your resume needs to stand out as the best in the stack to have a shot at an interview. To be a top-tier resume, it needs to read like a marketing document, communicate your value and have a stunning, modern format. A great resume will convey your brand, what makes you unique and different and demonstrate why someone should hire you.

Steps to take:

• For ATS readability: At a minimum, ensure that you don’t have important text within the headers and footers section of the document. Confirm that you don’t have important keywords inside tables, graphs or pictures, and follow a somewhat standard resume format in one column.

• For a top-tier resume: Ensure your resume doesn’t read like a history of what you’ve done, with a bland format, but is a visually stunning marketing document that sells you.

2. Your LinkedIn profile is half empty and not keyword optimized.

It has been reported that “87% of recruiters find LinkedIn most effective when vetting candidates during the hiring process.” While LinkedIn is an effective place to network, it’s also a place where recruiters and those hiring will come to check you out. You’ll want your profile to be in top shape if you hope to move ahead and land an interview.

Steps to take:

• Ensure your profile summary is written in the first person and in a conversational manner. The summary section should communicate your brand and why recruiters and hiring managers should pick up the phone and call you.

• Add industry keywords to your profile in multiple sections.

• Have at least 50 connections.

• Fill in all sections and ensure you have a current job listed, even if unemployed.

• Use the 50 most relevant skills, rank them in order of importance and have others recommend you for your top skills.

• Have at least three meaningful, targeted recommendations.

• Ensure you have a professional photo and your profile is set to public for viewing.

3. The hiring manager never got your resume.

As we mentioned, only 2% of applicants actually get interviews through directly applying online. Therefore, you’ll want to take other measures to ensure your resume gets past the ATS and the HR clerk and into the hands of the hiring manager, who ultimately decides if he or she wants to meet with you.

Steps to take:

• First, apply for the job through normal channels.

• Next, track down the hiring manager on LinkedIn. This person would be one to two levels above the position you’re going for at the company.

• Email the hiring manager your resume, only briefly stating that you applied for the job, wanted to ensure they had a copy of the resume and look forward to future discussions to determine if you’re a good fit.

• Don’t contact the hiring manager again; wait for a response.

4. You haven’t used your network for a referral.

With a large number of applicants applying for each position, companies place a greater emphasis on referrals. Perhaps that’s because referral hires tend to “have greater job satisfaction and stay longer at companies.”

Studies also show that only 7% of applicants come through an employee referral — and yet, referrals account for a whopping 40% of actual hires. In other words, you have a serious advantage toward receiving an offer if you have someone refer or recommend you.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Friendly people generally want to do so. Also, many companies will offer employees cash for making referrals, so referring you could be a perk for them.

Steps to take:

• Determine if you have any connections at the company on LinkedIn by typing in the company name. See if you have any connections (2nd level) or connections of connections (3rd level) who work there. Perhaps, if a connection of a connection works there, your mutual connection can introduce you to this person, who can then make a referral for you at that company.

• Ask around in your network to see if anyone has connections at the company.

• Attend job seeker networking groups to find connections.

• Join your professional association to widen your network.

If you take steps to improve in these four areas, you will have a much better shot of landing an interview when you apply for a job.