A company's recruiter contacted me before the holidays requesting an interview.

34 Comments

1. Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterJanuary 5,2023 at 4:30PM UTC

   Give it one more try - be sure the message you leave doesn't convey your frustration :). Yes - it could be the holidays, but who knows?

2. Megan LeasherJanuary 6,2023 at 1:04PM UTC

   I second this. One more try. If you hear nothing, move on.

3. AnonymousJanuary 5,2023 at 5:08PM UTC

   You’ve left 2 messages, maybe you’ll hear from her, maybe not, but I wouldn’t leave a third.

4. AnonymousJanuary 5,2023 at 6:13PM UTC

   There most likely is no longer a need to speak with you. It's a numbers game.

5. AnonymousJanuary 5,2023 at 7:04PM UTC

   Unfortunately, some recruiters are more like a tele sales person. No answer, moving on. You don't matter to them, it's all a numbers game to some. Most likely this behavior would be seen in someone simply out to find "warm bodies," get a quick hire/quick bonus, and move on to the next ticket to fill. Find a group of recruiters you trust on LI and follow them.

6. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netJanuary 7,2023 at 6:55PM UTC

   You are absolutely right Anonymous--no answer and we are moving on. I am looking for that responsible candidate who has the sense to keep their phone close to them to answer an unfamiliar number if they have applie to an ad or they are looking for a job. I can assure you that my company clients are not paying the money they pay me to find them a "warm body" and there is no quick hire/quick bonus ( it is not a bonus actually) unless the candidate is stellar, can pass a drug and criminal background check and whose references check out.

   I place less than 10% of the candidates who apply to my ads because they are not the calibre of candidate a company will pay a fee for.

7. Beth DangJanuary 5,2023 at 7:35PM UTC

   Is it possible that the recruiter "ghosted" you, yes, but please keep in mind, there have been thousands of recruiters cut from corporate companies over the last six months, leaving many recruiters with sometimes triple the workload they had prior to the company cuts. I've been in recruiting for 20 years and my current place of work in the only place that I carried less than 20 jobs at any given time. Is it right that they haven't returned your call, no, but please keep those things in mind instead of just assuming we are just about the numbers. My advice, call them back and leave a voicemail that says they can contact you when you are ready, but that you are moving on to other things. Also have you tried email or LinkedIn messaging? They could be out of leave or holiday and just catching back up.

8. AnonymousJanuary 6,2023 at 8:51AM UTC

   If she wanted to talk to you she’d call you back. Recruiters are like that. Maybe they decided to no longer hire. There could be a 100 different reasons don’t take it personally and don’t stalk here.

9. AnonymousJanuary 7,2023 at 1:19PM UTC

   “Why would someone call to set up an interview and then ghost me?”

   It’s been a while since you job-hunted, I guess? This is not unusual at all, though who really knows which of the many stock recruiter excuses is the “why” in this particular case.

10. GirlBossanova934974January 7,2023 at 1:25PM UTC

    Most recruiters are paid on commission. They make money when someone gets hired. And they don't paid when someone is not hired. So knowing that, the recruiter quickly moves on to the next best opportunity to make a commission. IF the company says no more applicants, they are quickly on to the next pool of potential applicants for the next job. Getting back to someone who was not there when the position has already been filled or the position is on delay, is not going to happen. Add in the fact that hiring has slowed for many companies and thus the recruiter has pick their battles even more carefully and that's it. Go on to your next opportunity.

11. Peggie Arvidson * Career Consultant | Adoptee Advocate | RecruiterJanuary 7,2023 at 2:35PM UTC

    Recruiters who work for agencies are paid on commission. Recruiters who work for corporations get paid a salary and no commission. In all cases we are paid to find, screen and provided candidates to hiring managers who have very specific requirements. So yes, if the recruiter has found enough qualified candidates to move forward for a role they will keep going.

    Most of us work on average 25 roles at any given time.

12. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netJanuary 7,2023 at 3:21PM UTC

    This is very true. This notion that being paid on commission makes us sharks is ridiculous. Everyone gets paid for their work. Recruiters get paid for their successful work. I personally do not wastet time with candidates who do not answer their phone unless they are at work. I have way moved on. My job is to fill the opening and I have long given up chasing candidates. There are many excellent candidates who understand that while job searching, they must answer their phones are the ones I am interested in. It is a missed opportunity if you don't.

13. Stephanie F, MSHRMJanuary 7,2023 at 4:28PM UTC

    Unfortunately, my recruiters are currently juggling 100+ roles in my environment.

14. Peggie Arvidson * Career Consultant | Adoptee Advocate | RecruiterJanuary 8,2023 at 1:56PM UTC

    oh my Stephanie - I feel ya. Here's hoping y'all get some breathing room soon!

15. AnonymousJanuary 7,2023 at 2:01PM UTC

    This is pretty much common behavior from recruiters from my experience. I no longer give them much credit and have had much better luck finding jobs without them. IMO, they’re like that guy you meet in a club one random night that asks for your number. If he calls, he calls. If not, you’re not sitting on top of your phone waiting for it to ring.

16. Peggie Arvidson * Career Consultant | Adoptee Advocate | RecruiterJanuary 7,2023 at 2:33PM UTC

    I think the key here is that recruiters are not job brokers. Recruiters are paid by companies who hire candidates we present. Every job I've ever had since getting out of high school has had me meet with some level of recruiter - you may call them HR or screeners - but they are almost always the first line of hiring. (unless we're talking mom & pop companies in which case, very different).

17. AnonymousJanuary 13,2023 at 12:43AM UTC

    I think you are thinking of staffing agencies. In house or corporate recruiters only work for one company filling jobs for the company they work at. Depending on the company, role, etc. depends on who you speak with. Staffing agencies work on the the open jobs another company tells them to. You never know what you will get.

18. AnonymousJanuary 7,2023 at 2:29PM UTC

    Let it go. Sounds like it wasn't a solid opportunity and she's moved on.

19. Peggie Arvidson * Career Consultant | Adoptee Advocate | RecruiterJanuary 7,2023 at 2:31PM UTC

    i'm a recruiter - and most likely - the company changed the priorities or direction between the time she left the message and when you got back the first time.

    You didn't mention whether the recruiter is an agency, contract or corporate recruiter

    Also - I have to say, you can't "ghost" someone you have no relationship with - most recruiters call dozens of POTENTIAL candidates - cold for EVERY role they are working (a corporate recruiter works between 12 and 40 roles at a time). Leaving a message saying "hey I'd like to set up a time to chat" is NOT "hey, we have your resume, we've spoken 2x to go over generalities and now we want to set up an interview" (unless that's the situation you're in - which I didn't get from your original post) The first is a cold call to do a pre-screen and the second is an attempt to set up an interview with a candidate who is well-qualified per the screening. By the time I'm setting up interviews I know a) where you want to work, b) why you're open to a new job c) what your compensation expectations are d) when you would be available to start given you were selected and e) your full qualifications for the role.

    So, my read, you weren't ghosted - the priority shifted or two or three of the other people the recruiter called on the day they cold-called you answered and she has a full slate to present to the hiring manager right now. If none of them pans out, she'll circle back.

    In the meantime, I recommend, a) making sure this is a role you'd like (or at the least a company you are excited about) b) reach out tot her recruiter on LinkedIn and connect - stating you hate that you missed the chance to talk before the holidays but have researched the company and would be excited to work for a company that XXX (fill in something that you've discovered about them) and c) you hope y'all can stay in touch for future opportunities.

    Connecting builds relationships. And keeps you top of mind.

20. AnonymousJanuary 7,2023 at 2:55PM UTC

    As a recruiter I loved and totally agree with your response.

    I find the word ghost interesting because now I realize how many times I was ghosted by hiring managers for long periods of time lol.

21. AnonymousJanuary 7,2023 at 2:53PM UTC

    Many folks take off this time of year, including the recruiters and hiring managers. Then upon returning to work (some next week too) catch up and fires to put out take precedence.

    Its happened to me at this time of year. Give it some time. If you have her email in the subject line put follow up please let me know one way or another but it could take a couple of more weeks to arrange the interview. You need to also understand that things happen internally that recruiters are not always made aware of having been in recruiting know that for a fact, there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of miscommunication and no communication and then recruiter is not always informed of any and all changes. Good luck on your job. Search in 2023.

22. AnonymousJanuary 7,2023 at 8:13PM UTC

    Only if you really want to. You did the right thing by trying to return their call AND apologizing; if they are acting like this now, it isn't going to get better. It's very frustrating- they can ghost potential candidates, but potential candidates aren't "allowed" to take some time to respond.

23. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netJanuary 8,2023 at 8:39PM UTC

    The issue is that the recruiter has the job. If you are a potential candidate you better act like one who is is motivated and interested or you will be forgotten. Take all the time you want to respond and see if the job and your candidacy is still there.

24. AnonymousJanuary 9,2023 at 12:21AM UTC

    Just to reiterate . . . she called back 30 MINUTES after receiving the voicemail. That is not a lot of time to take to return a call - especially during the holidays. And then she has repeatedly followed up. How does that not demonstrate that she was "motivated and interested" . . . ?

25. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netJanuary 9,2023 at 7:06PM UTC

    Well apparently it does but i just suggested to her to re-apply.

26. AnonymousJanuary 30,2023 at 4:52PM UTC

    Your outlook is skewed. You somehow think that its inexcusable for a candidate to return a call back 30 minutes later. Did you thoroughly read the post? She said she called back 30 minutes later but yet you keep saying she called back hours later (which is still not bad).

27. AnonymousJanuary 30,2023 at 4:50PM UTC

    Calling back 30 minutes later is not "taking all the time she wants"

28. AnonymousJanuary 8,2023 at 10:27AM UTC

    I hate to say this it happens all the time. It has happened twice to me. These recruiters are flakey

29. AyianJanuary 8,2023 at 4:33PM UTC

    Don't waste your time chasing a recruiter down unless they keep doing it. If you haven't worked with them before, they were just cold calling people and they weren't seriously interested.

30. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netJanuary 8,2023 at 8:35PM UTC

    I am not sure i understand what you mean by "they were just cold calling people." How do you think they got her contact information?? Because she applied to their ad. And then didn't respond when they reached out for hours at least and in the meantime the others ad responses did and yes--you are totally correct in that they were no longer interested in her. So no need to "chase down the recruiter" because they have moved on unless they have not filled the job and maybe they will attempt to reach out to her again. If they haven't forgotten about her....

31. AnonymousJanuary 8,2023 at 9:38PM UTC

    As the original poster, I wanted to respond regarding hours later. I called back 30 minutes after I was contacted. I applied for the position through Indeed and was very interested in the role. It wasn't an outside recruiter but one that works at the company. I'd understand if the organization was working with an agency or it was hours or days later. The fact that I called back right away, followed up repeatedly and it still didn't warrant even returning my call for a high-level position in my area was disappointing.

32. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netJanuary 9,2023 at 7:04PM UTC

    Go ahead and re-apply. You do not need to indicate that you have applied before.

33. AnonymousJanuary 30,2023 at 4:49PM UTC

    Even if she did call "hours later" it was not a reason to ignore her returned calls. She may have been in a meeting or otherwise tied up. Not everyone call back immediately.

34. AnonymousJanuary 8,2023 at 9:45PM UTC

    OP: I appreciated everyone's advice and suggestions. I've had this happen to me when it was an outside recruiter but I checked and this was a company's staff member. I called back as soon as I realized I missed the call about 30 minutes later. The voice mail listed setting up an interview and not a conversation. I was excited about this opportunity and felt it would have been a good fit for my background. While I'm moving on, I'm slightly disappointed as I thought it would have been a good fit and career advancement. Onward and upward but I like the idea of reaching out to the employee next week and connecting on LinkedIn for future opportunities. Thank you again!