Hi!

Anonymous

October 16,2021 at 4:34PM 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.

Hi! First post here! I was pushed out of a prior position due after 10 years despite being capable due to management bullying. I took a lower paying position at a different company but the bullying started immediately. I feel that I am being blacklisted in my industry despite several interviews no callbacks.. How can I find out if I am on a recruiter blacklist?

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

DeeOctober 16,2021 at 5:25PM UTC
Are you in a niche field where everyone knows everyone? How do you specifically define bullying? I ask because there isnt a lot of context here and much is subjective based off of personal experiences. I dont know if you would be “Recruiter” blacklisted but, in small/niche industries, people do talk.
Kamillion 2204October 16,2021 at 5:39PM UTC
I'm in banking industry and I am a minority and an introvert and management did not want to see me grow in my career
AnonymousOctober 16,2021 at 7:14PM UTC
No advice, but the same thing happened to me (sort of). I've had a couple of interviews, but younger & less experienced people got the jobs. I was just pushed out of my job of 10+ years at 63 years old -- too young to retire, and too old to hire. It sucks. If you can keep your head down and work on having a rewarding life away from work, just hang in there until you can find a better place to work.
AnonymousOctober 17,2021 at 1:32PM UTC
This. I have been passed over for promotions. I believe that management wants to push me into quitting. At 61, I can't quit a job. Ageism is real.
Theresa BlackburnOctober 16,2021 at 8:44PM UTC
I am sorry to hear that you are having a rough career year. I don't have a recruiting background but my hunch is that a recruiter wouldn't blacklist many people. If someone was charged with something egregious like white collar crime that could surely get you blacklisted. Otherwise, I would think it unlikely that your industry would blacklist you. In which industry do you work? Some industries are certainly more sharp-elbowed than others. Do you work in an hard-driving industry? What was the company culture at the place where you worked for 10 years? Was it a hard-driving and sharp-elbowed culture or was it just your particular boss that was managing with elbows out? I wonder about the source of the management bullying. Did you have a personality clash with a manager? Were you part of a larger layoff? Do you love your industry? Are you wedded to it? Is your industry growing or shrinking? Getting downsized is always stressful. Getting downsized during a pandemic has to be especially difficult. I hope you are taking time to process your career setback. If you can afford to, maybe you need to recharge your batteries before you continue with the job hunt? Also, you might want to consider reassessing your career goals -- is it possible that this industry is no longer a good fit for you? Or maybe you are working in a city like New York where many people in finance and a few other industries work very long hours and compete fiercely with their coworkers? Maybe you have the ability to re-locate to a city with a more low-key culture? What do you think? Hang in there!
AnonymousOctober 18,2021 at 3:07PM UTC
Do these recruiters contact former employers or references you give? If they do a background check, a recruiter would contact your employers not on your reference list to verify dates only; anything else would be legally risky though they wouldn't likely care. There are online reference check companies for hire who check your references for you. They have different levels of questions, but all record tone and if anything is actionable they provide a letter and advice on next steps.
Of course, it might not be that reason, but a proactive check would answer the question. Best wishes to you on your job search.