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Ask HN: Recruiters Ghosting

2 points by noashavit 2y ago

A recruiter canceled an interview they scheduled with me without any notice. I open my calendar the event was removed, no email, no nothing. I email them to see if this was intentional/mistake - no reply. Do they not understand that their behavior can tarnish the company's reputation? I'll never work for them, even if they chase me in the future and offer me a fortune. I don't want to be part of a company that treats people that way. The potential harm to the business is massive. Why do companies let recruiters treat prospects like less than?

sandwichukulele 2y ago
> The potential harm to the business is massive. how massive? does that mass have a dollar value and a time frame?
- noashavit 2y ago
  Depends on the following the person has and how vocal they are. Consider someone with a million followers calling out a company by name on socials and sharing their experience. Dev rels have done driven bans and caused monetary losses before.
  - sandwichukulele 2y ago
    I believe you and that's why I asked. I also think it's unfair how common ghosting is when it cost so little to reply. > Dev rels have done driven bans and caused monetary losses before. Do you have any specific examples?
    - noashavit 2y ago
      That's a great question, and the thing that comes to mind to me most right now is the fiasco around the no mask mandate at kubecon 2022 in Valencia. Attendees with a following (mostly dev rela) shared their fears on twitter generating awareness, and the new stack had a full webinar about the subject https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sbrgYc8CwE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sbrgYc8CwE On a side note check out this study https://www.careerarc.com/blog/future-of-recruiting-study-infographic/ https://www.careerarc.com/blog/future-of-recruiting-study-in... that shows that: "Not only will a poor candidate experience make someone not want to apply again, but it even has an impact on their purchasing habits. This is seen among 64% of job seekers. Job seekers who don’t feel like they are treated fairly won’t purchase from that company again. This means that companies will both shrink their talent pool and lose money at the same time. Even more so, when job seekers aren’t treated fairly, they are more likely to complain about the company online in review sites like Glassdoor.com. These negative reviews can deter other job seekers from applying for jobs or purchasing products or services from the company."
zer00eyz 2y ago
There are a million reasons and ways this could happen. Reach out and confirm that you're not the one dropping the ball here, or that there isnt a technical issue. It's your job to get a job, this is part of a job. Dont foot gun yourself cause someone didn't follow the protocol in your head. Note if this is happening to you repeatedly well then you might have some other issue that needs addressed.
- noashavit 2y ago
  Thanks for the reply, I did reach out and did not hear back. This is the first time this has happened to me in my 18 year career, so I don't think it's me. I've spoken to other ppl searching for a job now and have heard of similar stories which is just sad. It's my job to find a job, you're right. It's the recruiters job to represent the company. Canceling a meeting with no notice and not replying to emails asking about it is not just unprofessional but negatively impacts brand perception.
  - zer00eyz 2y ago
    > It's the recruiters job to represent the company. Canceling a meeting with no notice and not replying to emails asking about it is not just unprofessional but negatively impacts brand perception. Candidly this isnt the way to look at this. Them giving you a reason is just evidence for some sort of claim. It always has been and it always will be that way. The difference from your perspective is that you're probably used to being in demand. Right now you are not, there's 1000's of laid of tech workers all doing the same thing you are. 24 months from now when the market heats up again your phone will ring off the hook. Dont hate the player, hate the game.
    - noashavit 2y ago
      I’m not a hater, I did vent here tho. I strongly believe tho that every touch point you have with a brand impact your perception of that brand, and an experience like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Thank you for letting me vent and for offering your perspective.
pestatije 2y ago
Name please?
gcheong 2y ago
The sudden nature of the cancellation could mean the recruiter was just laid off with little notice, all their currently scheduled appointments canceled/erased, and their email account locked so they can't get in to reply to your question.
- noashavit 2y ago
  Yeah that was one of my theories as well. If that’s the case I’d hope someone in the company does have access to their emails as I assume there are many prospects in that recruiters pipeline.
gaws 2y ago
> Why do companies let recruiters treat prospects like less than? Companies nor recruiters care because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of potential applicants they can recruit. What's it to them if they ghost some of them?

2 points by noashavit 2y ago

sandwichukulele 2y ago

> The potential harm to the business is massive. how massive? does that mass have a dollar value and a time frame?

noashavit 2y ago
Depends on the following the person has and how vocal they are. Consider someone with a million followers calling out a company by name on socials and sharing their experience. Dev rels have done driven bans and caused monetary losses before.
- sandwichukulele 2y ago
  I believe you and that's why I asked. I also think it's unfair how common ghosting is when it cost so little to reply. > Dev rels have done driven bans and caused monetary losses before. Do you have any specific examples?
  - noashavit 2y ago
    That's a great question, and the thing that comes to mind to me most right now is the fiasco around the no mask mandate at kubecon 2022 in Valencia. Attendees with a following (mostly dev rela) shared their fears on twitter generating awareness, and the new stack had a full webinar about the subject https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sbrgYc8CwE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sbrgYc8CwE On a side note check out this study https://www.careerarc.com/blog/future-of-recruiting-study-infographic/ https://www.careerarc.com/blog/future-of-recruiting-study-in... that shows that: "Not only will a poor candidate experience make someone not want to apply again, but it even has an impact on their purchasing habits. This is seen among 64% of job seekers. Job seekers who don’t feel like they are treated fairly won’t purchase from that company again. This means that companies will both shrink their talent pool and lose money at the same time. Even more so, when job seekers aren’t treated fairly, they are more likely to complain about the company online in review sites like Glassdoor.com. These negative reviews can deter other job seekers from applying for jobs or purchasing products or services from the company."

zer00eyz 2y ago

There are a million reasons and ways this could happen. Reach out and confirm that you're not the one dropping the ball here, or that there isnt a technical issue. It's your job to get a job, this is part of a job. Dont foot gun yourself cause someone didn't follow the protocol in your head. Note if this is happening to you repeatedly well then you might have some other issue that needs addressed.

noashavit 2y ago
Thanks for the reply, I did reach out and did not hear back. This is the first time this has happened to me in my 18 year career, so I don't think it's me. I've spoken to other ppl searching for a job now and have heard of similar stories which is just sad. It's my job to find a job, you're right. It's the recruiters job to represent the company. Canceling a meeting with no notice and not replying to emails asking about it is not just unprofessional but negatively impacts brand perception.
- zer00eyz 2y ago
  > It's the recruiters job to represent the company. Canceling a meeting with no notice and not replying to emails asking about it is not just unprofessional but negatively impacts brand perception. Candidly this isnt the way to look at this. Them giving you a reason is just evidence for some sort of claim. It always has been and it always will be that way. The difference from your perspective is that you're probably used to being in demand. Right now you are not, there's 1000's of laid of tech workers all doing the same thing you are. 24 months from now when the market heats up again your phone will ring off the hook. Dont hate the player, hate the game.
  - noashavit 2y ago
    I’m not a hater, I did vent here tho. I strongly believe tho that every touch point you have with a brand impact your perception of that brand, and an experience like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Thank you for letting me vent and for offering your perspective.

pestatije 2y ago

Name please?

gcheong 2y ago

The sudden nature of the cancellation could mean the recruiter was just laid off with little notice, all their currently scheduled appointments canceled/erased, and their email account locked so they can't get in to reply to your question.

noashavit 2y ago
Yeah that was one of my theories as well. If that’s the case I’d hope someone in the company does have access to their emails as I assume there are many prospects in that recruiters pipeline.

gaws 2y ago

> Why do companies let recruiters treat prospects like less than? Companies nor recruiters care because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of potential applicants they can recruit. What's it to them if they ghost some of them?