Seeing disturbing new trend in hiring.

41 Comments

1. AnonymousDecember 15,2022 at 7:13PM UTC

   This is terrible and very discouraging. It's an overconfidence issue on the part of many would be employers. They are so cocky to be back in the drivers' seat post-pandemic that they can give candidates and recruiters the run-around, ghost, give lame "It's not you, it's me/us" excuses, and there is little to nothing

2. Evelyn LivantDecember 15,2022 at 8:57PM UTC

   Yeah. Over the course of my life I've been through a few different job climates and this is different.

3. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 2:08PM UTC

   having a handful of jobs through the pandemic, and for years before in recruiting for a corporation, I tried to change the climate internally, my input fell on deaf ears, but when employers were interviewing me for the position as a recruiter, they want to know how you’re going to move the process along!!!

   it’s amazing because the more proactive and aggressive you are in recruiting, trying to complete a hire, the less communication there seems to be and it doesn’t matter if you’re a contractor, temporary employee or an internal permanent employee they do as they please the hiring process is broken and if we want to work we have too truck on through.

   my salvation was learning to accept rejection and assuming rejection because then you’re pleasantly surprised and you can invest the right excitement in getting an interview. I did land a handful of jobs, but I did apply for hundreds and being mature I’m sure it was more challenging for the older crowd to find work.

   Some may argue that the power of positive thinking is better however, I can say personally it didn’t work for me because there was a time where every job I applied for I was made an offer, but this climate has changed. The culture has changed, employers don’t look at you as a potential positive promoter for their branding and marketing they are blind to their reputation!

   candidate care was my number one platform as a recruiter and as painful as it was at times I just was honest with the candidate about the managers unresponsiveness.

   HR is not contributing.

   I worked for a company where eight weeks went by and I still didn’t have an approval to hire former candidates, who were working, as temporaries, because it was being analyzed in finance whether it made sense financially to the bottom line. How crazy is that, but it was very real.

   I don’t know that I will ever work in recruiting again because over the last couple of years blaming Covid, blaming the economy is old news, what’s the excuse now?

   I don’t think I want to be part of it anymore because candidates are treated so badly I can’t stand it.

   Final note, the companies that advertise for recruiters that are concerned about candidate care are not decision makers, it sounds good, but you as a recruiter also have no authority whatsoever.

   . Good luck to all you jobseekers I wish you the best in 2023.

4. AnonymousDecember 15,2022 at 7:31PM UTC

   I’m very sorry that this happened to you — how frustrating!

   Unfortunately, ghosting candidates after stating that an offer would be forthcoming or withdrawing an offer before the start date have never been uncommon.

   One of my friends was downsized shortly after moving cross-country to accept a job. Another acquaintance had a written offer rescinded.

   Such events are more likely to occur in a cooling economy, like the one we have now.

5. Evelyn LivantDecember 15,2022 at 8:39PM UTC

   I take exception to being labelled as as "self-righteous temper tantrum". I'm wondering why you are hiding behind an anonymous name and callling me unprofessional or undignified. What do you have to hide?

   I thought this was a safe forum to discuss these kinds of issues free from character attacks. Has something changed?

   I think your examples prove that there should be some kind of legal protection for candidates.

   It shouldn't be labelled as unprofessional to have some kind of reasonable recourse for lodging complaints and holding companies fiscally accountable about bad hiring practices. Or require them to follow through hiring for the role they offer. I wasn't the only one damaged here. My recruiter was also angry and lost commission. Are you also going to label him as unprofessional and undigified?

   I had an employee handbook and start date. I was stopping a job search based on this. They cost me networking to get me paying employment. Including your friends' experiences this is concrete damage that could be recovered in a court of law.

   My statement is that I wish there were some legal recourse for this kind of abusive hiring practice - which it is.

   There are a lot of employment laws that have been created over the years to protect employees. Would you also call the employees in need of protection "unprofessional and undignified"?

   I challenge you to come out of your hiding place and show your face. Or are you too much of a coward?

6. AnonymousDecember 16,2022 at 12:40AM UTC

   I agree! it's like candidates are expendable and professional manners are no longer part of the process.

7. Vanda LeeDecember 17,2022 at 2:46PM UTC

   Exactly, and I urge everyone to remember this if and when they are in a situation where they want to leave for a better position and feel guilty! I see this frequently when an employee has a better offer from another company but is on the fence due to some misconceived loyalty... go for it! Even good organizations will drop you in a second and not think twice about it - their drive is the bottom line!

8. Elizabeth ToccoDecember 16,2022 at 2:31PM UTC

   How terrible! This really is a disturbing trend. I would recommend keeping up the job search and maybe talk with another recruiter as well...

9. Evelyn LivantDecember 16,2022 at 3:48PM UTC

   I'm certainly not stopping the job search. I always keep the job log because unemployment requires it. The same recruiter is already submitting me for more roles. I saw a post on LinkedIn reporting the same damaging hiring practices.

10. Rebecca AliDecember 16,2022 at 3:43PM UTC

    Business needs do change but it sounds like (at least in the second scenario) that there was terrible planning and communication. As a former recruiter, I felt these kinds of situations did incredible corporate brand damage. Unfortunately, there is not much repercussion for this type of poor "customer service" because so many places don't consider you a customer. Onward and upward!

11. Evelyn LivantDecember 16,2022 at 3:47PM UTC

    The CEO knew they were needing to hire a more senior person while I was in the interview process. Then they told me that was the reason they revoked the job. They needed to fill the more senior role first. I'm left wondering at what point did this occur to them. SMH

12. maryDecember 17,2022 at 1:43PM UTC

    well said, bravo!!!?

13. BethBDecember 17,2022 at 1:15PM UTC

    Two experiences do not a trend make. It sucks and yet needs do change. Look forward instead of back. Good luck on finding a great new position.

14. cperry@heritagehall.comDecember 17,2022 at 1:24PM UTC

    This exact same thing has just recently happened to a friend of mine TWO times in the past couple of months.

15. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 1:26PM UTC

    I had a friend who accepted an offer and quit his old job. Then he was told that the position was no longer available. Sorry.

16. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 1:42PM UTC

    I was an internal recruiter and an agency recruiter for 20 years and the problem really does exist internally. The change has to take place within leadership, and it needs to filter down to hiring managers. The obstacles are very real, budgets are very real, referrals and promotions happen during the process and it’s unfortunate, because the recruiter is not always informed about, the changes that take place.

    employers need a makeover when it comes to hiring. Keep looking don’t give up because if you need to work wanna work enjoy working you have to jump through these hoops and it’s painful and I’ve been there personally.

17. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 1:44PM UTC

    ONLY TWO BAD EXPERIENCES?? Man, I've been looking since October because I knew layoffs were coming and they did last month. I've had so many interviews, been ghosted after 3+ interviews, talking benefits, meeting the CEO, etc. No feedback, not even making a sad effort to say "we went in a different direction" nothing. I hate that this only gets worse .. but finger crossed after the holidays maybe it gets better! Good luck!

18. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 1:45PM UTC

    This just happened to me. I had the extensive phone interview and then received an email asking for availability for an in-person interview the upcoming week, I was given Monday or Wednesday. I wrote back "I choose Monday" and never heard back from the HR "manager". Wouldn't want to work for a company that does that.

19. Laura E. WendtDecember 17,2022 at 1:50PM UTC

    So frustrating. Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulder about it. Best of luck for the next legit, good-fit opportunity.

20. Jennifer TannerDecember 17,2022 at 1:54PM UTC

    Multiple rounds of interviews with long periods of hearing nothing, getting ghosted, being told the position is no longer available, and generally just disrespectful and time-wasting behavior on the part of hiring teams is definitely the new norm if you're looking for corporate work.

    Been looking for 6 months and I've yet to have any company actually live up to their own stated timelines or communication methods. I was laid off the same time as the rest of my group, just about everyone who didn't immediately get placed is having the same experiences. And this is in the DC area where you'd think employers would be more competitive with their hiring process. But no, they treat us like cattle. It's ridiculous.

21. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 1:55PM UTC

    I feel like this has always happened but can think of two reasons it may "trending" more now in perception:

    1. The job was planned for then because the economy is slowing businesses are pulling back in fear of recession. Someone super high says "hiring freeze" or tells every department to tighten the hatches and all the sudden a potential hire is less important than keeping their own jobs but their too chicken to actually face you and tell you that.

    2. The job pool still has been right and many candidates are also ghosting companies, if they can even find someone. So they make everyone feel like "they're the one" to keep them super interested and invested until they make their real decision, but it just wasn't you. LDefinitely.not ethical but really, few employers are. Even the best try total bs things occasionally to improve their odds.

22. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 1:57PM UTC

    My live interview where I was going to meet the team and facility, after two phone interviews was cancelled day before. I was told job was closed. Also some do not take off the job on indeed or repost with a lower salary or title but same job. Frustrating.

23. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 2:04PM UTC

    I went through the first scenario too. I was talking to the Director of HR and was ghosted. I realize things can change but have the professionalism to update candidates and not ghost them! I had another interview for a recruiter role, I have over 14 years experience and the HR Manager didn't feel I could recruit for manufacturing candidates for general labors. I just smiled and kept on searching for other roles. I have found another role and we will see how it goes. I accepted a high level role but am severely under paid. It is on me for accepting it, however I wanted to be off Unemployment. Plus, I am hoping as we grow and with me educating the owner he will see what salaries should be.

24. GirlBossanova934974December 17,2022 at 2:35PM UTC

    You have dodged a bullet! This company is a real screw up outfit and you would have found out fairly quickly how bad it is. You don't start talking offers etc unless you have your stuff together. OH we have to hire someone else first etc? huh? You didn't think of that before? Too many darn cooks in the kitchen. Is the CEO calling the shots here? Doesn't sound like it. Sounds like these guys are not on the same page and now are out there wasting other people's time. I would move on from this very quickly.

25. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 3:00PM UTC

    I've been self-employed for several years now and since the pandemic (and what I gave up to get on the frontlines to help and now getting "punched in the tit" for being a good human), I have been looking for full-time work. I cannot believe the recruiting, hiring, fake postings to get info etc. that's out there. Really, I find much of it to be inhumane. I wish you the best and feel your WTFs.

26. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 3:42PM UTC

    Sounds like one has to wait until he or she gets an offer letter. That’s terrible and companies should not get away with this but they will. Smh. Keep looking and please keep us updated on your job search. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!

27. RichDecember 17,2022 at 3:47PM UTC

    I wonder if you ran into a problem with the final five checks. We've seen people, including myself, have issues with them. They don't tend to be run until the company is serious, because they aren't free, but if you flunk one, they will ghost you. These final five checks are;

    1) Drug Screen - Remember, there are medications and drugs that are legal in some states that will trigger a screen. You need a doctor's note.

    2) Credit Check - This is why they always want you to fill out an application by hand. They are required to have your signature accepting their right to run the credit check. We've seen people who had credit issues get ghosted until they learned to tell HR about those problems before the check is run.

    3) Background checks - Criminal history. It turns out that there was someone with my name in my town who had a violent criminal history. I was always getting ghosted until I found out, and learned to tell HR to make sure that they had the right person, and used my address.

    4) Reference Checks - We've seen cases where a reference was torpedoing a candidate. In one case, a reference did it repeatedly over 18 months...! Make sure you are keeping your references in the loop. You should touch base every couple of weeks, and ALWAYS tell them before they will get a phone call. The only way to find out is if HR tells you (which they likely won't), or if you can have a friend pretend to be HR checking a reference.

    5) Social Media Check - This is a common one to hit earlier in the process. Your social media should ALL be professional, and supportive of your personal brand. That means No sex, drugs, alcohol, or dangerous behavior. I know you enjoy base jumping - do it under a name that can't be traced to you. Also, no strong opinions about politics or religion, or anything at all negative about any specific organization or individual. All of these are things that signal "Potential HR Problem," and hence, will get you ghosted. We had one person who was unable to block an uncle who was member of a tin-foil brigade, because he had mental issues and the family felt that blocking him might be bad. So she learned to tell HR about this during the interview process, and was surprised to find others who had the same problem. She got hired, and started a group for others dealing with this problem!

    So, our advice is that if you're hearing that they want to hire you, and then suddenly ghost you - you've probably run into one of these five checks. Go through and do what it takes to fix it. If nothing else, when HR asks you, "Do you have anything else you need to tell us?" - Tell them. In most situations, they are expected to keep it confidential unless it directly affects your ability to do the job.

    But don't give up! You're doing the right things to get interviews! That's a really big step which most people don't do.

28. Danielle SimonDecember 17,2022 at 5:41PM UTC

    It's not a "final five checks" issue. Been laid off since mid-August, and this is the absolute oddest time I've ever had trying to find a job. A lot of employers are playing games right now, and many of them have no intention of hiring until some time next year but are listings jobs and interviewing people anyway. I have interviewed for more than one job that is still listed and being re-listed, despite having really good interviews that are on par with what usually gets me hired and being told the job has been filled. Some employers find out they can't hire right now in the middle or at the end of the process with you, and some actually already have some idea that they can't or likely won't hire until 2023. I have worked with at least one recruiter who told me about a position that is being discussed but being held off until 2023, and the company basically already let her know they're interested in me for that. I didn't think I'd still be looking by the time they were ready to hire, but it looks like I will be.
    My guess is come January and February the games will start to calm down some, and you will get an offer in one of those months.

29. Kelli MahoneyDecember 17,2022 at 8:14PM UTC

    I've been looking for two years, and I agree with you. Strangest job market I've ever experienced. A ton of fake positions being posted (like you apply and suddenly end up on their jobs email list...grrrr). A lot of jobs being posted by companies not serious about actually hiring. A lot of "oh, we're putting that off now," emails. Just went through a whole process for a job where we were 90% there, and the CEO, COO, and CTO were all on different pages. So it fell through after two months of back and forth.

    I'm just not sure the games will calm down. I feel like this is the nature of the job market now. It's highly chaotic and for someone quite structured like me, disconcerting.

    But now that I've gone all Debbie Downer, in some positivity, I do hope we'll see an upturn in hiring come Jan/Feb. I don't know that the games will stop from the bad actors, but some responsible companies will begin posting new jobs then.

30. RichDecember 17,2022 at 9:11PM UTC

    I completely agree, fake positions still happen, quite a lot. Often companies post positions that they have no intention of hiring for. They do this usually to confuse the Wall Street analysts. But typically they don't go through an interview process unless a budget has been approved. The cost of interviewing and such is part of that cost because it's not free to post jobs, review resumes, and interview people. There are costs to the process.

    But we have also seen cases where the companies are so badly disorganized that they post and interview for jobs that they aren't ready to actually fill. In that sense, I agree totally with several of the other comments here that you've escaped a potential mess.

    But I still say you must be doing somethings very right, to be landing interviews. I help mid-to-late career professionals land jobs, and too often, it's week after week, no interviews. So keep it going!

    This time of year is the best time to be interviewing, because companies have new budgets starting in two weeks, and they are interviewing now for positions that start in January. The BLS says that January is the most common month for people to start new jobs. Many of them interviewed in December.

31. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 8:36PM UTC

    Can we start putting these companies on blast on here, so we know which ones to avoid?

32. AnonymousDecember 17,2022 at 11:03PM UTC

    I agree with everyone. It’s the companies that are complaining nobody wants to work we can’t find anyone. They are the ones playing the games.

33. Julie AcostaDecember 17,2022 at 11:24PM UTC

    As a hiring manager, what you see happening right now with large enterprises and small alike is contingency of expenses.

    Roles that where originally open but not deemed critical in the last 2 months (for some companies further back than that) have been closed out or put on freezes.

    Hiring freezes are very common especially towards the end of the year.This trend normally reverses especially as we see consumer confidence and the economy bound back.

    It is nonetheless frustrating for candidates and hiring managers - I would add.

    This is cyclical and will pass. I would encourage, in the meantime, to focus on self-development and continue networking and applying to keep the momentum going.

34. AnonymousDecember 18,2022 at 12:34AM UTC

    I do not feel anything is solid until you sign those tax forms lolol.

35. Marianne MacKenzie GiulianoDecember 18,2022 at 7:09PM UTC

    Even then it's not solid. I was signing new hire and tax forms. When I was told that corporate said they are freezing hiring and they can't hire me.

36. AnonymousDecember 18,2022 at 6:14PM UTC

    I was hired last January into a great position and what I thought was a great company and nice people. Around April, I realized they really didn't have enough work for me but hung in there. In June, they laid off the guy that hired me. Work picked up so I wasn't too worried. In November they laid me off AND a guy with over 15 years with the company....whose wife had died 8 weeks prior. Now I think I was working for a-holes.

37. AnonymousDecember 18,2022 at 9:13PM UTC

    I am seeing this all over the place. I have been told to rush and hire then as we get close with good candidates to have the roles pulled. I was hired in 2022 into this new company. The economy has thrown hiring for the scale up I am at into shear chaos. There is no urgency to hire, high candidate requirements and the owner wants to cut salaries drastically. I am considering going out on my own as a consultant and limp by financially until things pick back up.

38. Ellyn Specker CharapDecember 19,2022 at 12:45PM UTC

    I'm afraid this isn't a new trend - this happened to me constantly in the 1990s. As this old lady has found over the years (to her edification but also to her disappointment): companies are run by people, and people are mainly terrified and do not know how to proceed with a "break up" any better than we do.

    I'm so sorry this happened to you. What a bunch of BS. I do think you dodged two bullets; ghosting and lack of clarity from the top like that both indicate that the companies are run by people more terrified than most.

    Wishing you all the luck for finding the right position!

39. ErikaDecember 19,2022 at 1:30PM UTC

    I know that there is a lot of financial uncertainty and I know my company has discussed this and these companies might be navigating through some bad timing as well. Quite possibly the funding was there when the job posting went up and when you went through the initial interview process, but as year-end planning progressed and thought about recessionary concerns, they may have come up with a different plan for 2023. This may include a different plan for the position you were posting for which puts you in a terrible position... This is all guessing, but with the best of intent in mind as I know we've had these conversations where I work.

    Please let this network know what you are looking for as there are still jobs out there and a lot of people who want to help you land in a good place! While we've paused in hiring in other areas, I know we're heavily invested on the IT side in the insurance industry!

40. Laura Hofmann RutherfordDecember 19,2022 at 5:06PM UTC

    We are hitting a recession. Positions are being recalled as it is easier to eliminate an empty position than a filled one. I would try not to be offended but I know in a lot of companies right now they are dropping unfilled positions.

41. AnonymousDecember 22,2022 at 12:03PM UTC

    I’m sorry this happened. I left a toxic job for a long term project w/ PWC. Went through an interview, an assessment, another interview and moved onto onboarding. Handed in all the paperwork & supporting docs. There was a problem w/ the I9. Spoke w DHS & SSA. No one could figure out why I was flagged. Spoke w E-verify and had it cleared. Then got an email saying my onboarding was cancelled.

    I know it doesn’t make your situation better, but at least you didn’t do all that.