Got Ghosted 👻? What are you going to do about it?

Every job seeker gets ghosted eventually - especially in a market like we’re experiencing in 2023.

The question is, what are you going to do about it?

Just like everything else in life, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket or get worked up about factors outside of your control.

It seems every time I log onto twitter or linkedin there’s a new post about someone getting ghosted on an application, interview, or networking DM.

It sucks. I know. But technically speaking, you’re not owed anything.

So we have two options: complain about it, or do something about it.

I like to cater to the audience that likes to do something about it.

That’s the mantra of 2023. Get on offense. Take action. Try to make something happen.

So here are a few tips if you want to get proactive, take action, and protect yourself from getting ghosted 👇

First, Let’s define “ghosting”

First, I’d like to define what ghosting actually is.

In my humble opinion, it’s not “ghosting” if you don’t follow up OR if there was never a two way communication.

It’s not enough for you to just reach out, they had to have acknowledged you as well.

“Why wouldn’t the recruiter/hiring manager want to let me know what’s going on?”

I know, it sounds dumb.

But instead of wondering why, let’s just assume 1. they’re really busy and 2. they’re dumb.

Some common scenarios that may or may not qualify as ghosting:

• Never hear back after applying to a job (IMO, not ghosting)

• Never hear back after recruiter says you were submitted/shortlisted (potentially ghosting)

• Never hear back after interview (yes, ghosting)

1: Get Proactive & Follow Up

Instead of waiting around and assuming, let’s get proactive and follow up.

Will this work every time? No.

But can it increase your chances of getting more responses over time? Yes.

And that’s what it’s all about, increasing your odds of success over a period of time to increase your odds of landing an offer.

If you applied to a role, reach out to the job poster. If there is no job poster available, look up some recruiters from that company and send them a DM. Make sure to include the specific job ID to make it easier for them to help you an look it up, because chances are they’re not the specific recruiter for the role. If there is no job ID, then include a link to the role.

If you had 2 way interaction with a recruiter and haven’t heard back, keep following up. Maybe they’re busy. Maybe you’re rejected. Or maybe they have 0 feedback and nothing to report back to you. If this is the case, when you follow up, let them know even if there is no update you’d appreciate communication saying that. You can even try to call a bluff and say you’re really interested in the role, have other interview activity going on, and want to see if you should still be considering this role at the top of your priorities. Remember, it’s all about leverage!

If you had an interview and didn’t hear back, same type of reasoning may apply here. They’re busy, you’re rejected, no feedback yet, etc. You can use the same follow up approach. IMO - at the interview stage, you ARE OWED feedback, positive or negative. Unfortunately that’s not always the case.

To emphasize, make sure to let them know you’re open to negative or no feedback, and any update is better than none. Sometimes that can increase the odds of hearing back.

2: Assume the worst and move on

Instead of getting worked up and talking smack on linkedin (which is never a good idea because future recruiters and hiring managers will see this), let’s just assume the worst and move on.

It’s never a good idea to have all your eggs in one basket.

It’s also never a good idea to get emotionally attached to a role.

If you’re already working & in a good spot, and just a passive candidate, then it is what it is. Carry on with your life, wait for the next opportunity to arrive.

If you’re out of work and/or actively seeking, let’s go back to applying to roles & networking. We need to keep that interview activity high in your pipeline. If they get back to you, great. If not, let’s focus on other roles and show them what they’re missing out on.

I don’t care if this was your potential dream job. If you didn’t hear back, we need to move on.

3: Let’s gain some leverage

Let’s assume more days/weeks go by without hearing back.

By now, hopefully we have more interview activity going on. That’s the goal for ANY job seeker.

The more interview activity you have, the more leverage you hold in your job search.

If the original company in question ends up reaching back out to you, guess what, you’re now in the driver seat. The key is NOT to be petty about it. Let them know you’re interested still, but since you didn’t hear back, you took the time to interview elsewhere and came up with some other great opportunities. Lever that pipeline to move this potential role to move faster, quicker, and with better communication.

Let’s pretend they didn’t reach back out to you. Once you get some interview activity, you can then go back to the original company in question and let them know you’re interviewing at other companies. If they get back to you, great, follow the steps from above. If they don’t, then you have some closure that you can now firmly assume your rejection.

Closing

Ghosting sucks. I know. Especially when you’re out of work, your back is against the wall, and the market is tough as well like it is today in 2023.

You have your right to complain. Just try not to do it publicly, with your identity, where future employers can potentially see it and view you as a risk.

Remember it’s almost always better to remove emotional attachment from any role you’re applying to, even if it’s your dream job, to avoid the emotional roller coaster from ghosting.

It’s not ghosting unless there’s 2 way communication.

Finally - let’s take some action. Get on offense. Follow up. If you don’t hear back, move on.