Recruiters: Your Ghosting Is Actually Damaging

It’s spooky month! Plastic pumpkins are appearing, talking skeletons are on the rise and costume sales pick up… but there is another spooky phenomenon that can also be found, but not just in October. It’s an all-year-round ordeal.

Ghosting recruiters. You may remember the article I wrote on my 100+ rejections and what that did to me and my confidence in applying for work. You can read that here. In summary, it didn’t do well for me and I feel it would be the same for you.

During my job hunt after graduating, I had a rough time finding work that applied to my skill set. Not only were some job descriptions vague, but they were either offering a smaller wage for a position that should have had more or advertising a senior role as “entry-level”.

I was entry-level. Me, not the one who has worked in the industry for 10 years and has the portfolio to boot. I redid my resume at least three times during the course of the year as I picked up freelance work. I still received many rejections every day but that’s not what hurt the most.

It was the absent responses. Especially from jobs I was really keen on and knew I could do well. I followed up with each job I applied for and asked for feedback from the ones who had rejected me. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive any.

I specifically remember applying for a video editor position at Buzzfeed (when it was still alive) and did not receive anything. Not even a notification that they were processing my application. Just a thank you and that was it. I followed up with them twice asking for updates and I got no responses. That sucked.

When I was ghosted, I felt like I was wasting my time. Job hunting is a lot of effort and time through each day. You’re using your energy to appeal to people who would potentially hire you.

The so-called “entry-level” positions that I was finding required a degree, over 5 years of professional experience, PLUS knowledge in extra stuff not relating to my degree or industry. It was ridiculous. Advertising for a role that should be two separate roles is misleading. I stopped applying for jobs like that and began focusing on the ones that I truly wanted.

So, recruiters here’s my advice for you:

1. Be specific on what you want from a potential employee and what you need from the position.

2. Don’t claim entry-level when the job is definitely not.

3. Research how much to pay for that specific position and then offer that, don’t short change potential employees. It shows you don’t care about the position.

4. Respect everyone that applies.

5. Reply to everyone. Even if it’s a generic letter, it’s something. It goes back to point 4.

6. Don’t try and be sneaky and hide a role under the guise of something else. A marketing assistant is NOT a receptionist. If you need a receptionist, then advertise for one.

7. If you end up hiring internally, still communicate to your other applicants. They need to hear it.

I became tired from feeling like a failure. Was it all me? Am I the problem? Was my application not good enough? Am I not good enough? The answer to all of those may just shock you!

No. It’s not you, you’re not the problem. They either found someone who bought into their scam role OR they found someone who was the perfect fit. It happens but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the right job out there for you. It may take time but patience and self-care will be your best friends during the process of finding it.

Check how you’re applying and see if you can have someone in HR or recruiting to check out your resume to make sure it’s up to scratch. I had professionals who have been experts in their industry for years look over my application and resume and they helped me out a lot during that time.

In conclusion, recruiters stop avoiding and ghosting. That causes more damage to the applicants than you think. And job seekers, keep hunting. You’ll find what you’re after. If you’re looking for a sign, this is it.