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Did they ghost you?

didtheyghostyou.com

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Re: Did they ghost you?

#91

Post by wombat-man »

arcade79 wrote: post #10

Anecdotal, I know, but I was ghosted by Google back in 2004-2005 or thereabouts. Back and forth with a recruiter, who promised me that she would book phone screens. Then heard nothing. Pinged her repeatedly. Nothing. A few years later got another Google recruiter after me. Ended up getting hired in 2008. Looked up the previous recruiter. Her last day at the company was the day she promised she would book phone screen…

what's weird about that though is they must have had some system to track candidates that would have been turned over to somebody.

Re: Did they ghost you?

#92

Post by rubyfruit »

dofm wrote: post #25
rubylimetea wrote: post #20

Is ghosting really such a big deal? Wait until you get an overly smug rejection letter that the author seemed too eager to write, and took too much joy in writing. Some people love to reject, and would never miss an opportunity. Another angle is - If you've been ghosted, you still have not been told no. That means there's no record of you ever getting denied for the position. (and maybe you really haven't been) It's…

This is to some extent a generational thing, but yes. It’s rude. If you’re not ready to politely reject numerous candidates, don’t interview them. If you get a shitty rejection letter, you should see it as a lucky escape. A rejection burns both your bridge and theirs. If it’s especially shitty, there is nothing stopping you publishing it as a signal to others that a recruiter or employer is wasting people's time. Esp…

> there is nothing stopping you publishing it as a signal to others

Well, online moderation can stop you.

Glassdoor seems more about keeping things "squeaky clean" rather than "transparency" ;)

I don't think candidates (or customers for that matter) have much of a voice anymore online.

Everyone who's popular on social media who could reach huge audiences is already working for the brands.

Re: Did they ghost you?

#93

Post by ElProlactin »

andy99 wrote: post #63
slowerturnip wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear this advice given quite a bit, but another perspective: I have never been pleased to receive a thank you email from a candidate. I do not want to receive something in my inbox that does not require me to act. It's a micro-annoyance, and if it's a bad day, I might have grumpy thoughts about the candidate being a brownnoser. Show up to the interview clothed, be pleasant and polite, show off your game, and leave…

Definitely agree, at a big company anyway there is nothing to be gained by sending these, or by any communication not directly related to the process. It doesn’t come across as genuine, it’s neutral to slightly annoying and has no impact on anything, it’s basically a chance at rubbing someone the wrong way with no upside.

> It doesn’t come across as genuine...

How can you determine if a thank you note is genuine or not if you don't read it in good faith?

One person might send a generic thank you that tells you nothing, and another might send a thoughtful message that in some specific way reiterates their interest and excitement in the job.

> ...and has no impact on anything...

Sure it does. I hired lots of people in my career and things like this helped me determine if the candidate was thoughtful, professional and interested. On multiple occasions, I hired people who didn't technically meet my ideal requirements but explained why they were interested in the role and gave me greater confidence that they were up for the challenge and worth taking a chance on.

Cynicism by default does not serve you well in any aspect of life.

Re: Did they ghost you?

#94

Post by danek_szy »

inigyou wrote: post #60
throw-the-towel wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience in France was that almost everyone ghosts you, including after three rounds of interviews.

It's probably because they don't want to be liable for giving a reason.

Well, then they might just respond: Thank you, but no thank you… No liability, but at least they wouldn’t leave the person hanging…

Re: Did they ghost you?

#95

Post by OptionOfT »

inigyou wrote: post #60
throw-the-towel wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience in France was that almost everyone ghosts you, including after three rounds of interviews.

It's probably because they don't want to be liable for giving a reason.

Which should be illegal. You should be able to formulate why you prefer someone.

And it would prevent companies from ghosting people.

Re: Did they ghost you?

#96

Post by andyjohnson0 »

SoftTalker wrote: post #76
andyjohnson0 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A few years ago I was "between roles" and applied for a developer position at Roku. For a short time they seemed moderately interested, and I exchanged a few emails with a senior in-house recruiter. And then they went completely quiet - no response to my follow-up emails. So I just put it behine me and got on with looking for a job. Just over a year later I received an email from another in-house recruiter at Roku, t…

And they didn't address the delay at all in their response to you?

Nope

Re: Did they ghost you?

#97

Post by zelphirkalt »

pbgcp2026 wrote: post #81

Cease and desist letters from lawyers piling in 3 .. 2 ... 1 ... They should've done it in a form of .onion service.

Maybe we also need a site, that tracks /that/. Spineless companies, in which people don't want to take responsibility for the way they treat others.

Re: Did they ghost you?

#99

Post by neilv »

rubylimetea wrote: post #20

Is ghosting really such a big deal? Wait until you get an overly smug rejection letter that the author seemed too eager to write, and took too much joy in writing. Some people love to reject, and would never miss an opportunity. Another angle is - If you've been ghosted, you still have not been told no. That means there's no record of you ever getting denied for the position. (and maybe you really haven't been) It's…

> Wait until you get an overly smug rejection letter that the author seemed too eager to write, and took too much joy in writing.

I got one of those a few years ago, from a prominent tech startup CEO (non-YC).

The funniest thing is that I'm pretty sure it's a person who has some kind of recurring episodes of anonymously attacking HN infrastructure and dang.

Who then also attacked me on HN (and elsewhere, it looks like), while seeming to reference that earlier rejection, and emphasizing how much they thought I was unworthy.

> That means there's no record of you ever getting denied for the position.

Or record held in the mind, even years later, of someone who sometimes acts out maliciously.

Apparently, it's a real thing.

Re: Did they ghost you?

#100

Post by chrismarlow9 »

Ghosted by Apple here. Devops or SRE job for services teams if I'm remembering right. Did a months worth of rounds. Was told the offer letter would be coming within the next week. Turned down other companies on the gamble that it was actually coming. Never came. Pinged recruiter and finally after a month was told they stopped hiring and would reach back out in a few months when it started back. Never happened. That was 3 years ago. It was character building to say the least.
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