I just found out that a job I interviewed for 3.5 weeks ago closed.

48 Comments

1. AnonymousMarch 8,2023 at 7:28PM UTC

   I completely agree.
   That level of unprofessionalism is unacceptable. I follow Robynn Storey on LinkedIn in who has this to say about the topic.

   “Job seekers are [p.o'd]…and, rightly so.
   The monumental lack of manners, time-wasting and ridiculous requirements has reached dizzying heights of stupidity, laziness and ignorance rarely seen by a civilized society.
   The term “ghosting” should not even be a thing…
   What has always been unacceptable (rudeness, ignorance, no communication), has somehow become ACCEPTABLE in a job search.
   …..You don’t want to hire them? Send them a note or give them a call and let them know.”

2. AnonymousMarch 10,2023 at 3:00PM UTC

   I am a hiring manager and I have always personally made the extremely hard call to tell someone in person that I'm not hiring them. That is, until our company got a recruiting division. Now I'm lucky if I even know that an opening has been pulled much less let the interviewee know that I am unable to hire them. As someone who was job hunting, I have been in the position of waiting for that phone call, email, even snail mail that doesn't come letting you know about a position because being considerate and polite is not something that we do anymore. As a manager I should have figured out that the posting was pulled and called the interviewees myself but my boss said that recruiting would take care of it. I depended on recruiting to take care of it but then found out it didn't happen. I felt so bad for the interviewees but by the time I found out it was months later.

3. Rebecca MillikenMarch 8,2023 at 7:43PM UTC

   That happened to me two years ago. The thing that really annoyed me was the only reason I applied for that position was because someone who worked there, a former coworker, called me out of the blue and said she recommended me and I was the only person she thought of to fill her shoes. Which was a bit odd since I had worked with her 8 years prior for only six months. Anyway, I was fairly confident at the interview which was with 2 people and lasted over an hour. I sent written thank yous to the two who interviewed me as well as the person who recommended me.

   Got a quick text from the former coworker but nothing from the people hiring.

   A few weeks after my interview, another former coworker in my field sent me a text saying she got a new job...it was the one I interviewed for! It ended up being a toxic work environment and she left after only a few months.

   I'm glad it worked out well for me but I'm still annoyed but the lack of professionalism. I think the LEAST someone can do is send an email or give a phone call to reject you after you've been interviewed. But not getting a response pretty much told me I was glad I didn't get the job.

4. AnonymousMarch 9,2023 at 5:58AM UTC

   That’s like when I was ghosted by a company that seems perfect for me and they ended up in bankruptcy and folded within a couple of years

   Bullet dodged indeed!

5. AnonymousMarch 8,2023 at 8:23PM UTC

   :( That's what I am hearing.
   I had a friend got to final interviews for 2 different companies for them both to tell her that they are putting the position on hold and not hiring until further notice. It sounds like companies are building a pipeline!?

6. AnonymousMarch 8,2023 at 9:35PM UTC

   I'm sorry to hear this. I went through a similar situation. It's tough to put your all into conversations and interviews just to find out on your own that you wasted your time.

7. AnonymousMarch 8,2023 at 9:43PM UTC

   Yes, this is very common these days. The world of recruitment has drastically changed. Unless they are hot to sign you, there is no interest in professionalism.

8. AnonymousMarch 9,2023 at 1:34AM UTC

   I just discovered yesterday that a candidate we interviewed a month ago was (unintentionally) ghosted. There was a miscommunication with the other person thinking I would follow up and me thinking she would. It fell off my radar entirely because of a death in my immediate family, and only came up in passing yesterday. I'm going to follow up with the candidate tomorrow and at least close the loop.

9. Bonnie CoventryMarch 9,2023 at 12:55PM UTC

   IMO more often it's the last task to take care of after finishing the hiring process all the way to them being an active employee for the company. That is when the other candidates can be notified. Is it a perfect timely process, no, but often after an interview the first round of chosen candidates moved forward have 2 weeks of interviews, background check after that, then their notice they give to their soon to be prior employer. It's not quick. Yes, some companies don't follow a best practice with communicating, but not all. Another place to look is on their application account you may have had to set up. See if it's communicated there but not emailed out. Every ATS system isn't equal. I wouldn't take it personal or feel demeaned, they haven't earned that ability to affect you. Your next job is out there waiting for you! Good luck.

10. KatMarch 9,2023 at 3:32PM UTC

    I applied to a company and started following them on LinkedIn. I heard nothing, but I know sometimes hiring is a long process. A few weeks later, one of their updates on LI was someone starting the job I applied for. Later that day, I finally got the rejection notice from the company. Would it really have been that hard to send the "you didn't make the cut" email when I sent my application in, instead of waiting until someone was already hired? Common courtesy seems to be lost in the job hunting process and so many other places. It's very frustrating.

11. AnonymousMarch 9,2023 at 6:33PM UTC

    Sometimes an offer is made to a final candidate after a long search and then that final candidate declines the offer for whatever their reason. Some companies feel they could find a better pool of candidates, so they will advertise again, others will go through the applications they had previously received and use that group to start over. Either way, yes, this market is out of control in more ways than one.

12. AnonymousMarch 10,2023 at 3:46AM UTC

    I am a hiring manager and in my company we have a policy that HR is supposed to go back and notify the candidates who did not make the cut. I give them feedback why I selected different candidate so they can pass it on. But we are not allowed to speak directly (maybe because of potential lawsuits). Unfortunately, I found out that HR is not good at responding. Frustrating for both the candidates and hiring managers. Also, our HR recruiting system is outdated and does not retain reliable candidate data so we can reach out later if a new role opens up.

13. Crystal HowellMarch 11,2023 at 1:18PM UTC

    Unfortunately, it is. You think, is this how they run their company. Do they even know the recruiters are making a bad image. Look up on LinkedIn or call for hiring mgr, let them know. We all just move on.

14. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 1:39PM UTC

    This has been the norm for some time. Don't let it get to you, you weren't the only one! You could always follow up with HR and ask for feedback. Also, the position could've been eliminated due to budget cuts.

15. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 1:42PM UTC

    In my opinion it has been like this forever. About 98% of the interviews haven't gotten back to me, nothing. The 2% actually did and those were the most recent ones. I feel like it's slowly getting better as to them getting back to you. Unfortunately there will always be company's that are old school and won't.

16. Jennifer TannerMarch 11,2023 at 2:06PM UTC

    Yeah this is the "new normal" unfortunately. It is ridiculous and wastes so much time and effort that workers can ill afford. Our system of doing business sucks.

17. Jessica FerlandMarch 11,2023 at 2:43PM UTC

    Applying for jobs is a numbers game. There are way too many candidates for HR to follow up with. Alternatively, I'm guessing (could be wrong) that you didn't follow up with every single resume you sent. It's always been that way in my experience. It's not personal. Focus your energy on the calls back you do get.

18. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 10:41PM UTC

    The OP said she didn't hear anything after an interview. I think when someone take precious time out of their day, perhaps using valuable vacation time, to interview with you, sometimes multiple times, the least an organization can do is send a simple email. Not doing so is rude and disrespectful. I would tell people that if they don't respect you enough to get back to you after an interview, you likely don't want to work there. Employers expect better from candidates and employees, they should live up to their own expectations.

19. Cynthia Armistead NewmanMarch 11,2023 at 3:24PM UTC

    That's the norm now. I don't expect to hear anything from employers anymore unless they're looking to make an offer.

20. Rebecca MillikenMarch 11,2023 at 3:31PM UTC

    The point is, too--it's different to not hear back if all you did was apply. But if you've sat for an interview you've given them some of your valuable time. The very least they can do it let you know they went another way so you can move on.

21. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 3:40PM UTC

    Yes. I had 3 interviews one being a zoom. Then an online “personality “ test for 40 mins — and they requested a background and credit check before there was even an offer! Is this legal? It’s been 3 1/2 weeks - I have reached out an heats nothing!! How inconsiderate is that?

22. CJB62March 11,2023 at 4:32PM UTC

    Background checks are not uncommon and credit checks are off required for financial jobs or if you will have access to a company credit card. Often the background check can hold things up through no fault of your own (i.e. getting ahold of references or prior employers).

23. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 8:27PM UTC

    I always read that they have to get your permission for a background check. I thought it was after an offer has been extended and the offer is subject to a successful background check.

24. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 3:42PM UTC

    As a hiring manager I’m not allowed to reach out to candidates. HR handles that to ensure a hiring manager doesn’t say anything to get the company in legal trouble. HR departments are so understaffed these days they just don’t have time to reach out to every candidate that interviewed. Honestly, no one owes you a response and if you get one consider yourself lucky. It’s just like candidates that don’t send a thank you after an interview. It’s nice to get and can sway my decision but I certainly don’t expect it.

25. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 8:24PM UTC

    I disagree I believe a company does owe a candidate a response if they have interviewed, even if just a form email “thank you for your interested and we are moving forward with other canidates.” That’s all it takes. A simple email can be repurposed. It would save so much aggravation for everyone. It completes the interview process cycle for that candidate.

26. AnonymousMarch 12,2023 at 2:27AM UTC

    It’s never a simple email that can be repurposed. We’ve implemented a process to do a rejection email, and then we get more emails asking for more information. I am 1 person for HR for the entire organization. The emails are also from an outside platform that I need to work with specifically in order to do those rejection emails. So, while I understand it’s nice to get those emails saying ‘Sorry. We went a different direction.’ Please be aware that it isn’t personal. I am far behind on emails and can barely keep up with everything that needs to get done. I do what I can to let people know, but those particular emails are not at the top of my priority list.

27. AnonymousMarch 12,2023 at 6:16PM UTC

    You said it exactly, it’s not personal. It’s just business. People need to stop creating slights in their own mind and move on. No one is trying to hurt their feelings and they need to look beyond themselves to the other parties in the transaction. They don’t know or care about the feelings of the HR professionals who are dealing with overwhelming workloads these days.

28. Rebecca MillikenMarch 12,2023 at 8:26PM UTC

    I don't think any follow up responses are necessary once someone gets a rejection. I agree it's not personal and doesn't need to be. But if someone has had an interview they should be told as soon as possible that door is closed

29. AnonymousMarch 12,2023 at 6:17AM UTC

    I send a thank you email always. I’m disappointed this is what people think. I have had to phone companies to find out.

30. AnonymousMarch 12,2023 at 6:07PM UTC

    I have interviewed 21 candidates in the past 7 weeks for multiple openings and have only received 2 thank you emails.

31. AnonymousMarch 13,2023 at 3:55PM UTC

    So that means out of 21 applicants you really only have 2 candidates. They weed themselves out!

32. AyianMarch 11,2023 at 4:09PM UTC

    This is normal and has been for decades. If that has not been your experience so far, consider yourself fortunate.

33. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 4:45PM UTC

    I got a “no thank you” from an HR office 2 years later once. Now that the process has been taken over by HR it is terribly behind. Wish it was still personal.

34. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 5:16PM UTC

    Yes, ghosting is everywhere in the job market. The recruiting / interviewing process is horrendous and companies should be ashamed. Good luck in your search and don’t be discouraged! Also, set your own timeline for a follow up to the company if you don’t hear back. You’ve got to keep it moving.

35. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 6:07PM UTC

    Post your opinion about the process on glassdoor, be specific and give details on the experience and how it made you feel step by step. It will hopefully change their behavior or warn others away.

36. AnonymousMarch 11,2023 at 7:20PM UTC

    This has been going on for decades, actually. A big pet peeve of mine. Two reasons, imho.

    1) People are afraid to tell someone the bad news, so they ghost them instead.

    2) People are afraid that if they give any reason, or misspeak, there will be a lawsuit alleging discrimination, so they just say nothing at all.

    It's not fair. It is wrong. A couresty email is all that is needed in simple language- though I prefer a phone call after an in-person interview.

    Employers take note. Be polite, tell a candidate when you've moved on.

37. Ida McCartyMarch 11,2023 at 7:20PM UTC

    Unfortunately this is the case, but it started last year. I completed 4 interviews with a company by January 2022, including the final interview and got ghosted. Never got a rejection letter, email, or phone call. The recruiter even stopped taking my calls. Ironically I got a call last month (13 months later) asking if I was still interested in the position. They explained that they had put the position on hold indefinitely, and now it was rebudgeted. Thankfully, I got a dream job in October 2022. It is very telling about a company that does not provide feedback one way or the other. Keep on plugging away. Something better is on the horizon for you.

38. Jessica FerlandMarch 11,2023 at 11:06PM UTC

    In that case, they absolutely should have let you know that.

39. Debbie CreeMarch 11,2023 at 9:23PM UTC

    Unfortunately it does happen a lot.

40. AnonymousMarch 12,2023 at 12:19AM UTC

    Unfortunately it seems to be a trend. From what I’ve noticed/heard it seems to be more recruiter specific vs company as a whole.

41. Liz MilneMarch 12,2023 at 2:00AM UTC

    So many job descriptions now say: 'if you haven't heard back by [whenever], you've been unsuccessful.' I think that's quite rude, but not quite as rude as just not saying anything!

42. Rebecca MillikenMarch 12,2023 at 8:27PM UTC

    It depends on the size of the company as well. My experience was with a super small company with one location. If it was a nationwide business or even regional with hundreds or thousands of employees, my expectations would have been different.

43. AnonymousMarch 12,2023 at 10:12PM UTC

    Sadly, it is. I find it incredibly unprofessional. Especially when most utilize a recruiting tool that can send a form letter. I get they're all busy, but how much time does it take to click a button in an app that the job is closed (and sends all the emails out)? There are some very professional recruiters who will call if you've interviewed with them, but sadly they are few and far between.

44. AnonymousMarch 13,2023 at 6:53AM UTC

    Yes it is all the time.

45. AnonymousMarch 13,2023 at 3:51PM UTC

    This is how it always has been; it's only recently that people are expecting it to be different.

    When they say "we plan to make a decision by x date and we'll let you know", it DOES NOT mean "we'll let every single (potentially hundreds) of applicants know that they weren't chosen". It means we'll let YOU know if YOU are chosen.

    I think people assume by the "we'll let you know" that it means they will contact you either way but please realize that those words are not what were said.

    Unless they outright said "we will contact all applicants regardless of status"

    they will likely only contact the person that they intend to hire. You can follow up, but only after you didn't hear back in the amount of time that they said they would make a decision. Anything other than that is disrespectful to the company which you are trying to impress. I know of people who will throw away your application for doing that because it shows an inability to follow directions. Everything you do is part of the "interview".

    Perhaps it is different in different areas of the world but where I live this is how the hiring process has always been handled.

46. Rebecca MillikenMarch 14,2023 at 11:48AM UTC

    I disagree, having been in the workplace for over 40 years. It has not always been that way. If you have been interviewed, you are more than just an applicant, you are a contender for the job. In the old days, someone would actually post a rejection letter by mail. Now all that needs to be done is click on something to send a form rejection email. I also disagree that it's "disrespectful" to follow up after having been interviewed.

47. Vanda LeeMarch 14,2023 at 6:43PM UTC

    Short answer yes ?

    I just got a rejection email for a job I applied for 4.5 months ago...it's crazy.

48. AnonymousMarch 16,2023 at 4:53PM UTC

    Actually not, depending on the size of the company generally the way most corporate (big company) recruiters work is if they get a huge turnout for an application is they leave all the respondents in the requisition in the ATS (applicant tracking system) until the job is closed. If they are bad at housekeeping or the job of closing out the req is left to someone else like HR or a recruiting coordinator, then often they just close it out without sending rejection notes. Not defending this behavior but explaining for clarity. If its a smaller company they may just not have the bandwidth to touch each and every one to close things out. IMHO sending a note from your side (candidate) keeping in close touch throughout the process will let you know where you stand or don't. Don't sit back and not do this because keeping the pressure on from your side is the best way of staying top of mind and in the mix.