Ghosted yet again...

Anonymous

February 14,2024 at 3:56PM UTC

Welcome to Fairygodboss!

We’re the largest online career community helping women achieve their career goals. Gain access to articles, jobs, events, and a supportive network of women and allies. Membership is free, always.

Ghosted yet again... Job search is a marathon, not a sprint!

Ifyou are looking for a new job, prepare yourself for a long and hard journey ahead of you. A marathon with turns and twists, ups and down unless you are lucky. This is especially true if you are later in your career and in a senior management position.

I am reflecting on this after yet another ghosting situation when after 4 rounds of interviews and a verbal offer the company stopped communicating with me. And it is a reputable company...

Unfortunately, this lately has been the rule, not the exception.

When you apply online it would be like playing a lotto . When you network, things are not that much better unless the person you network with has the immediate need for your skillset. Otherwise you will have to follow up, but not sound pushy, be polite and professional, but insistent.

When recruiters contact you and you respond, the return back rate is extremely low. I think often recruiters send these mass inmails, but do not really follow with many people.

So brace yourself! It is not for the faint of hearts!

Why women love us:

Daily articles on career topics
Jobs at companies dedicated to hiring more women
Advice and support from an authentic community
Events that help you level up in your career
Free membership, always

6 comments

Share your insight

Join an authentic community that helps women support each other at work. Share your professional experience or ask for advice — you can even post anonymously.

6 Comments

Join the conversation

Tanya R.February 14,2024 at 4:12PM UTC
It just plain sucks. The ghosting is rude, unprofessional and has no place in the hiring system. The job market is so incredibly different than years ago. Employers need to wake up and stop treating candidates this way.
BTW I’m searching after being laid off for second time in 15 months.
KathyAnn KrajcikFebruary 14,2024 at 4:12PM UTC
No, it certainly is not. Worst job search I've ever done,
AnonymousFebruary 14,2024 at 5:47PM UTC
In your description and situation if I were you I would have sent the last communication you had received and reiterate the verbal off to the CEO or Head of HR. When it hits their desk, trust me it will bubble back down to the person who needs to close the loop with you either positively or with a rejection. Let them know your strong interest in joining the company and that you are waiting for X days with no reply so wanted to see if they could help you move ahead. The bigger the company the more red tape to get what you need and the volume they deal with often does not allow for personalization but does allow for a long waiting game. It's not the recruiters fault, they only facilitate and take direction from internal managers who often leave them hanging too. In my talent team if a HM does this we stop working for them and let them know to let us know when they get serious about hiring again. It's not ideal but we don't like jerking candidates around. We let them know things are on pause.
Allison CromptonFebruary 14,2024 at 6:30PM UTC
I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you, I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago.
I’m looking again after a second layoff since 2020. With two contracts and two full-times I’ve worked at 4 places in the past 3-4 years and it’s exhausting. I’d look at the experience as fortunate you were shown who they were before accepting.;)
AnonymousFebruary 14,2024 at 6:33PM UTC
Unfortunately I have to agree.
AnonymousFebruary 14,2024 at 6:54PM UTC
I'm sorry this happened to you and sadly, I've had a similar scenario in my last search. After months of interviewing and receiving an offer, I was ghosted.
I ended up finding another job as I needed to work at that point. I was recently let go due to a restructuring so I'm back out there again.
While it doesn't help with procuring a job, make sure to take care of yourself. It sounds cliche but spending all day looking and seeing the same posts each time that you applied to previously is maddening.
I recently had to move in with my parents as I couldn't afford my rent and it's a tough pill to swallow at my age. I'm not sure where I'm going to find the money to pay off my lease ends as it was at will company. That being said, I'm getting out and taking walks, finding free Zumba workouts online and at night, giving myself permission to unplug after checking the sites.
I'm putting in a lot of hours job searching and networking but I learned from my last extensive search that if you're not at your best, why should a company hire you.
They want someone who is going to add benefit to their team not hiring because you need a job. It's a harsh lesson I had to learn but even when feeling down, psych yourself up for each interview. Good luck and we're all rooting for you!