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How do you deal with ghosting?
For the first time ever, I'm starting to experience prospective employers and recruiters ghosting me.
My background: I'm a mid-level software engineer, graduated with a BS comp sci from an ivy-league school and trying to start a business on the side. I prefer startups
Previous times I've looked for a job this has never happened to me, but now all of a sudden it's happening a lot. Somewhere, abruptly mid-interview process, the employer or recruiter just flakes out, or slowly starts flaking out and then completely flakes out, and stops responding even when I try to follow up once or twice to check in
I'll get a coding exercise or project, maybe even a few interviews in, and then suddenly no responses like a ghost. I've been given initial code exercise/projects and then they flake out as if they never even looked at it. I've had prospective employers schedule a call, flake out on a call, reschedule, flake out on that one, reschedule, then disappear. Same with a recruiter that needs to follow up with a client that claims to have strong interested in me, flaking out on submitting my code project or scheduling next steps.
Job searching has always been really time consuming for me, but this is just adding a whole lot more to that. The flaking out takes up time slots for other prospects and sucks up time from the coding projects. Did they move on to other candidates? is something wrong with my email?
It's very confusing because if they aren't interested then why do they give me coding projects? if they've moved on why don't they say so?
Have you guys has similar experiences? if so, how do you guys deal with this sort of thing?
I'm thinking maybe adding interview reviews on their glassdoor company profiles would at least discourage the behavior. It's just odd because I've never had this happen before ever, and now it's happening a lot, and I don't know how to shield myself from this. And it's sucking up a lot of time
- madeuptempacct 8y agoWhat changed? Did your appearance / demeanor / etc change? Are you asking for a higher role / a lot more money?
- awaythrow9876 8y agoNot that I'm aware of. I'm applying to same kind of position for roughly the same salary expectations. Only changes I can think of are: adding latest job on my resume, more github repos + stars, and revamped my personal site. Last time I was on the job search was almost 3 years ago
- madeuptempacct 8y agoSorry, not sure what to tell you. Market is hot right now - as in, employers are desperate.
- throwaway5250 8y agoYes. In my case, probably demographics (most likely age). In this case, the employer may be motivated to go through a certain number of steps for the purposes of metrics, even though they have no intention of hiring you. As to how I deal with it, I just drop them and move on. I enjoy short coding exercises, so don't really resent those. Larger projects I wouldn't do in any case. It might be partly due to automation. It's far easier these days for employers to take the first few steps with hundreds of candidates, with little cost to themselves. I've been somewhat seriously thinking of charging prospective employers for interviews. :-)
- blackflame7000 8y agoYou take that anger and pain, and use it to motivate yourself to become an even better version of you. Rejection is fantastic motivation. If love and life were easy, where would be the thrill? Embrace the journey of self betterment, for the destination is where it ends not where it starts