Why do companies bother reaching out on Indeed, sharing the JD, asking if you're interested, you confirm and then they ghost you?

Anonymous

March 18,2023 at 3:51PM UTC

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Why do companies bother reaching out on Indeed, sharing the JD, asking if you're interested, you confirm and then they ghost you? I didn't even know about the role, the recruiter brought it to my attention,

I followed up with a message that I would like to learn more, I provided a tailored resume even though she already saw my resume and that's why she contacted me in the first place.

Indeed asks me for a social media test that didn't apply to the role so I didn't bother taking and then the next day I heard I wasn't selected. I don't understand why they are wasting my time? If I contacted them it would be one thing but this strange scenario has occurred quite a few times in the last month.

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AnonymousMarch 18,2023 at 4:32PM UTC
Employers and recruiters choose which Indeed assessments to send to potential employees, not Indeed itself.
Though you may be of the belief that the assessment has nothing to do with the position/your potential job duties, that decision isn't yours to make - there are a number of reasons it could have been sent, number one being that the recruiter or employer would know the most about what's required of the position. Heck, they could also be trying to gauge your willingness and ability to handle tasks only tangentially or occasionally required.
No matter what the reasoning was, they provided you with a required assessment, which you actively chose to ignore because you felt you knew better, without even so much as considering to ask them why. In their mind, you wasted their time, not the other way around. Is that fair? Maybe, maybe not. Heck, they could could have even sent you the wrong assessment.
However, they're not going to consider someone who doesn't go through an extremely simple and not very time consuming process they've required.
If you're concerned in the future, you need to reach out and ask.
AnonymousMarch 18,2023 at 7:18PM UTC
I've attempted to take the Indeed assessments in the past but they don't align with my skills. It's been years since I've been in charge of day-to-day social media management and instead directed its implementation. In addition, we used Hubspot to schedule the postings instead of the individual sites so even my former social media manger wouldn't necessarily ace those tests. I didn't complete the test as Indeed said it was suggested but not mandatory. Since it wasn't 'required' I didn't think it would enhance my application. Thank you for letting me know its an employer asking for it instead of Indeed. I've been told mix things about the tests and the desired results.
AnonymousMarch 18,2023 at 8:44PM UTC
My experience has been that unless you get an interview and the company wants you (which is rare, right?), all recruiteers will 100% ghost you at some point. For them, it's a numbers game. They have a lot of work to do and they come on excited and interested, but when they find a better fit or someone who answers faster than you do, you are immediately purged and they will not speak to you again even if you email them. Nature of the business sadly.
AnonymousMarch 19,2023 at 12:01AM UTC
My experience with anyone who reaches out to me from Indeed (mainly) is for something I have no interest in doing or a company I do not desire to work for. I get very suspicious when I state in the resume that I am looking for work with a non-profit and get a response from an insurance company (I've never heard of a non-profit insurance company).
I would be careful about replying without checking out the company first. Go to their "careers" page on their website and see if there is any job you are interested in that is posted. If not, it is probably a phishing scam. When you can't find the person or company through a google search, or it isn't from a "corporate-looking" email address (i.e., they are using a standard domain mail like Verizon, Xfinity, Gmail or aol mail or some other generic free email service) they are likely looking for a response and to verify your email. There are ways that recruiters can search for potential candidates with a broad set of characteristics (even as obscure as "updated profile in the last xxx days/months) to get as many responses as possible and send out a mass email, making it look like they just contacted you.
AnonymousMarch 20,2023 at 4:23PM UTC
I am on the hiring side. We post jobs on indeed at my company. I have found that towards the end of the posting process, a box is automatically checked for Indeed to reach out to potential candidates. I missed the unchecking of this box one time and was very confused about why I had people saying I was reaching out to them when I did not. After that, I was very careful about posting on Indeed. We don't want our ads for employment to be misleading or bothersome, and we definitely don't want anyone feeling ghosted. It could be that the person who posted the ad left the box checked and is unaware that Indeed is reaching out on their behalf.
The assessments are there to help the employer determine if you have the right skills for the job. It may seem arbitrary, but it can give them a good idea whether the person applying will have part or all of the skillset needed for the job.
AnonymousMarch 20,2023 at 10:16PM UTC
Zip recruiter dies the same thing.