Should I give up hope on this job?

Anonymous

October 27,2023 at 7:10PM UTC

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Should I give up hope on this job? I applied online for a remote job in a rather niche industry in which I have lots of experience. That same evening I got a reply from HR for an initial interview. I had that interview a few days later with the HR head. She told me that she had posted the position on LinkedIn and received 400 resumes but only a handful had the actual experience required. She then set up a second interview with the job to-be-‘s peer. She also told me that there would be a third interview with the VP of the department the position was for. The peer interview went well, I thought. She shared with me at the end that the VP was out the rest of the week and the following week “So if you don’t hear anything do not think something’s wrong.” She also said if I had any other questions to please email her. Of course I did that within my standard thank you to her.. (No response from her at all. I don’t know why people say that at the end of an interview if they aren’t sincere but ok.) Well, it has now been almost three weeks and I have heard nothing from anyone. I have not been looking for a job really long (a few months) but my last job ended two months ago and I need to get back to work. I have been ghosted several times during this job search and am feeling weird and losing my confidence.

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AnonymousOctober 27,2023 at 7:38PM UTC
I would give it one more try and copy the peer interviewer as well.
CautiousOctober 28,2023 at 1:08PM UTC
Good idea. Thank you.
Maggie StoneOctober 28,2023 at 12:32PM UTC
Any number of things could have happened, so I think 1 more polite follow up reiterating your interest and asking about your status is appropriate.
CautiousOctober 28,2023 at 1:08PM UTC
Thank you.
AnonymousOctober 28,2023 at 12:47PM UTC
Why are you so eager to get back to work?
AnonymousOctober 28,2023 at 1:05PM UTC
Because I feel the longer you are out of work the worse it looks to prospective employers. Plus, I need income and health insurance.
AnonymousOctober 28,2023 at 2:16PM UTC
Such a logical answer . . . it's why everyone unemployed with those needs is trying to get back to work asap!
CautiousOctober 28,2023 at 1:07PM UTC
Thank you for the commiseration.
Debra SesholtzOctober 28,2023 at 8:29PM UTC
It can’t hurt to continue to reach out. Express your continued interest in the role and highlighting what you’ll can bring to the role, but continue your search. Not sure why, but companies take forever to respond and the status of open position is always changing. Good luck!
AnonymousOctober 29,2023 at 5:04PM UTC
Ghosting is happening all over, don't take it personally (I know that sentiment is hard not to do) Send her an email again flag it to see when it is read and in that one let her know your job search is advancing and you wanted to check in and see if you are still being considered and if not to please let you know so that you can pursue other things, though her company is top of your choice. Remind her of what she said and also offer to share references that can attest to your work if that could help to move things forward. Use these types of explicit words and then also end with if I have not heard from you by X date I will assume you have made other decisions.
What that does mean is you should be prepared to walk away 100%. I often tell people how you are treated during the interview is perhaps a lot like how you will be treated when hired.
The only other caveats are they might have put the role on hold (did you ask why it was open?) or they filled it internally, was it to firm up someones VISA process< or pushed it out to another quarter in the year or eliminated it entirely. Check their linkedin for evidence of what is going on and see if you can find a trail of information on their page.
AnonymousOctober 30,2023 at 11:52AM UTC
Keep moving on, if they circle back then you make the decision whether to engage with them or not.
AmandaOctober 30,2023 at 1:02PM UTC
sorry but ghosting is the new norm. My experience as far as timeline was similar and reaching out. Unfortunately, I would say to keep looking. Fortunately, it’s not your fault you couldn’t have done anything about it
AnonymousOctober 30,2023 at 2:55PM UTC
I would reach out to her, thank her again for the opportunity to interview and reiterate how excited you are about the position. One, it brings you back to mind, two it shows that you are actually interested in the position and three, it will at least give her the opportunity to update you one way or the other. I would say if you haven't heard back from her by the end of the week, assuming you do not receive and out of office message with different information, that they either have chosen someone else or something was put on hold. Then at least you'll know you can let go of it and move on.
CautiousOctober 30,2023 at 6:24PM UTC
Thank you. Good idea. At least I’ll get closure.
AnonymousOctober 30,2023 at 7:41PM UTC
I followed this advice by checking in and they were still looking and I'm still in the running. They had just gotten busy but they were eager to get back in touch for next steps. Crossing fingers!
AnonymousOctober 30,2023 at 6:19PM UTC
The ghosting issue is significant these days. I tend to accept that not hearing back after an interview and sending a thank you is simply a show of disrespect, and it may be part of the reason you may not want to work there. It's unfortunate that companies do this, but if you wish to reach out, do so with some caution as you may be ghosted again or hear that the position has been filled. This has been my experience and I have chosen to keep looking, even though I'm a little saddened that a potential dream job didn't happen for me. I always look at it that it wasn't the right place for me if I've been able to make two interviews and then my time and effort wasn't respected by being ghosted. It tells me that I would likely face issues that start small and grow over time until I realize it's not the company for me. At that point, I've invested time and energy into the job/ role and made myself a valuable employee. This has also been my experience when I have found I was not communicated with honestly by a hiring team. It's not as if they're also interviewing 1000s of applicants when they receive 1000s of applications... they weed through to the best and better applicants to interview, often with a quick phone call, then moving on to in-person, if they feel there's a connection. So, IMHO it's not that they are unable to respond, rather than they just don't want to. The disadvantage to applicants is that they aren't seen as valuable once the company hires for the position. There's no consequence for the company, yet the applicant who feels things went well is still awaiting word back. It's an unfair disadvantage we have when seeking a new position or from a currently unemployed position. But I would say reach out with caution, or move forward with your search and understand that if they couldn't bother responding to you after your efforts interviewing and reaching back out, they don't deserve you.
CautiousOctober 30,2023 at 6:23PM UTC
Thank you so much for your thoughts. I agree with everything you wrote about ghosting. Rather an inevitable and unfortunate occurrence these days.
Zofia JaneczekOctober 30,2023 at 7:44PM UTC
Don't, being ghosted by jobs is just part of the new landscape. AI filters a lot of candidates out already because now all of a sudden there are hundreds of applicants. The tides have turned a bit and the ball is in the employers court, yet again. Three weeks doesn't really mean anything in this job market. Employers are indecisive and fickle plus trigger shy these days. Can't decide on a "good fit" candidate because they're looking for a unicorn! Some jobs it can take 4-6 weeks to actually get an offer with the company. I wouldn't count them out yet, however, for your own piece of mind ramp up your search. It can take months to land a solid job right now and weeks to get something just to get by. If you have a network, social or in person, start to utilize that ASAP for jobs. If you can freelance while looking for something, I highly recommend that. Also, temp agencies may be valuable, but jobs are competitive there too. Go in person to them or actually call to where they're forced to tell you no, if they have nothing in line with whatever you're looking for. Best of luck! We're on the same boat.
Liz MilneOctober 31,2023 at 1:46AM UTC
You emailed her a thank-you not a question - what possible reply should she give you? Ask her a question and see what she replies, perhaps, 'Hey, am I still waiting for the VP or did you go with a different candidate?' - that, she'll probably reply to because it is a question...