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I’ve been ghosted twice in my life, once from a guy after what I thought was a really good date and another time after what I thought was a really solid interview!

Either way – it sucks!

As a job seeker, you’ve been immediately receptive to recruiter calls, you’ve missed work for the interview, switched your schedule around, and you leave the interview feeling pretty good. You follow-up with a thank you email and… CRICKETS! It’s unfair that recruiters and hiring managers feel they can treat job seekers like crap. They are nice to you during the phone interview and in emails; they give you great tours during the in-person interview and offer you coffee, and they tell you (with a smile) we’ll get back in touch.

You may have even called to check in on the hiring process – and still… Nothing!

Let me just say, just because you are the one looking for a job doesn’t mean you should get treated like crap. I mean – those same companies have metrics to meet too. They need employees to run the business. So, just like you need a job, they are also in need of someone to fill that open position.

It’s not cool for employers to leave job seekers hanging. If a recruiter or hiring manager is reading this, can we all make a conscious effort NOT to GHOST job seekers please?

Simply, follow-up even if it is a “no, we’re moving forward with another candidate”. This is especially necessary when the job seeker has gone through an interview or two already.

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My husband recently ran into a gentleman who’d ghosted him a year ago after having gone through 4 interviews for a position. 4 interviews! That made for an awkward moment when my husband nicely called him out on it. The gentleman felt really bad especially since he ran into my husband right before going into his own interview for a position at the hotel where my husband was working. Ha! Talk about a small world!  

When I was a recruiter, I'd call candidates to tell them 'Thank you again for interviewing with us last week - I don't have an update regarding the hiring decision just yet, but I wanted you to know you're still being considered.' I was often told how much that simple gesture was appreciated.

If you are a job seeker and you have just been ghosted, there are a few things that you DON’T do (even though you may want to):

• DON’T continue to call and email the employer. Avoid being the stalker. Plus, they've seen the email, they've heard the voicemail. I encourage you to re-focus your efforts.
• DON’T go to social media to complain about the company. Everything you do on social media is traceable (even if you think your page is 'private').
• DON’T get discouraged! Keep the momentum going. Too many job seekers become discouraged in the process and it shows during the next interview. It’s easy to start venting to someone who’ll listen. You don't want to show desperation by saying, 'I just need a job, I’ve applied everywhere.'

Getting ghosted is not cool when dating and certainly not cool in a professional setting.

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Have you ever been left hanging or "ghosted"?!

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