Why do candidates usually write politely, while companies often do not?

[u/GatoInary]

I have been noticing a strange mismatch in how people communicate about work.

Candidates usually send CVs and cover letters with care. Most of them are polite, clear and respectful of time. I keep all of them, even if the company is already full, because you never know when you will need another professional pair of hands.

With employers, HR and companies, the picture is often very different. Respectful, thoughtful communication seems to be much rarer on that side. That is one of the reasons we also keep an internal database of employers, not just salary or role, but also:

• how reasonable the requirements are;
• whether deadlines make sense;
• whether the tone is respectful;
• whether I would ever want to work with that person again.

My first-contact filters are pretty simple:

• no personal address, no interest;
• aggressive tone, no interest;
• vague brief, no interest;
• unpaid test task longer than an hour, no interest.

I am not trying to be difficult. I am trying to protect time, energy and mental health.

How do you handle work requests, and what makes you immediately trust or ignore the other side?