When a Potential Employer Ghosts You
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I’m going to be super vulnerable here. Recently, I was ghosted after a string of job interviews with a company I was really interested in. Even worse – they seemed really interested in me! I interviewed with a company for over two months and four interviews. We talked about pay, how my workday will be, etc. The hiring manager was supposed to get back to me about the package and the offer, and then I heard nothing. #Ghosted
What to Do If You’ve Been Ghosted After a Job Interview
As ridiculous as ghosting a potential employee after an interview is, it happens all the time. You are not the only one who has been ghosted in this way. According to Career Builder, more than half of job candidates say they do not hear back from companies at all.
Before you feel any embarrassment or shame, know that upfront. As I am walking through this myself, here are some things I am doing to help me deal with it.
Feel Your Feelings. It happened, and you are allowed to feel upset about it. Allow yourself to be upset by a potential employer giving you hope and then disappearing.
Don’t Rage Online or Send Hate Mail. However, don’t allow your disappointment to guide your decision-making. For instance, while you have every reason to be upset and angry, it is never a good idea to blast a company online or to send an angry email. Vent to your friends and family – but do not vent online. It can come back to haunt you.
Don’t Give into Negative Self Talk. A potential employer ghosting you does not mean you had a bad interview. Don’t allow this person’s lack of courtesy to lead you down a spiral of self-criticism or self-doubt.
Don’t Give Up on Finding an Even Better Job. If a company ghosted you, then you don’t want to work for them anyway. Trust me. There are employers who will value you. Don’t give up the search.
It Says More About Them Than It Does You
Ghosting interviewees says much more about the company than it does you. If companies are so big that they do not have the time to send a quick email to let you know they are going with someone else, then this is a company you don’t want to be an employee of anyway. It speaks volume of the work culture.
There May Be an Actual Reason for the Silence
However, it is also important to remember that there may be legitimate reasons you have not heard back. For example, the hiring process may be taking much longer than the company anticipated. Or, the company may have a “no feedback” policy for interviews.
What to Do to Help Avoid Being Ghosted
Now that you have felt the burn of being ghosted after an interview, you want to make sure you don’t feel that pain again. Unfortunately, you cannot control someone else’s actions. But you can take control of the questions you ask regarding the hiring process in your next job interview. Here are a few things you can do that will help you avoid being ghosted after a job interview:
Ask about the hiring timeline.
Ask if they will let candidates know if they did not make it to the next round of interviews.
Ask what the deadline is for making a job offer.
Ask if they will notify candidates that they are going with another candidate as a courtesy.
Send a handwritten thank you that also expresses your interest in the job position after the interview.
