silence /ˈsʌɪləns/
You have posted a proposal on a mailing list, and you are sure based on your past experience that people would generally be detail oriented to see your complete message. But, no one responds back, everyone just stays silent. You say to yourself why don’t somebody just say yes or no. It is not as simple as that. This is where the subtle answer is given in the form of silence.
So, depending on your question the answer is obvious.
You have given your resume to a friend in the hopes of getting referred to where they are working. You tried to reach them at regular intervals in a reasonable timeframe and you are consistently not receiving any feedback, then the answer is obvious. That they might have tried well enough, or they are too busy with their work. Hence they cannot respond back.
So, on safe side the response would be negative and you need to move on.