Ghosted By A Recruiter? There's A Good Chance It Wasn't Your Fault

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You've spent countless hours revamping your cover letter and resume, carefully searching and applying to jobs you feel like are the perfect fit, and finally, a recruiter contacts you! The two of you pick a time to speak and you're excited because it went well...

Or, so you thought.

Days go by. Then weeks. You still haven't heard anything from them. Finally, you come to terms with the hard truth; you've been ghosted.

Unfortunately, this is a common issue job seekers face. Yet, it's hard not to take it personally. Your career confidence can suffer as a result. Causing you to feel jaded and angry towards recruiters, and perhaps, your job search as a whole. But, before you give up, let's talk about why this happened because there.s a good chance you did nothing wrong.

What Happens Behind The Scenes Of Recruiting

I work with a lot of recruiters. Usually, when they reject or ghost a candidate it is because of one of these common reasons:

1. You and 5 other candidates were a fit for the job. Just as you thought, that conversation with the recruiter really did go well! However, they had other interviews to conduct and they discovered one or more of the candidates was an even better fit than you. Recruiter are only supposed to submit a certain number of candidates to the hiring manager for consideration. In this case, you didn't make the cut.
2. The recruiter was told 'no' by the hiring manager. In this scenario, the recruiter thought you were a perfect fit and submitted your qualifications to the hiring manager; only to be told 'no'. Trust me, they're just as frustrated as you are because they either A) don't know why you were rejected, or B) don't agree with it. However, the hiring manager is their customer and in order to please the client, the recruiter must look for other candidates.
3. The job description and requirements changed and you're no longer a fit. You spoke with the recruiter and both of you got the same feeling, you're a perfect fit for this position! However, once they submitted your credentials to the hiring manager it caused them to reevaluate the position as a whole. While evaluating your qualifications, the hiring manager realized they needed a different set of skills and strengths than what they originally asked for.
4. The position is on hold for the foreseeable future. After receiving your credentials, the hiring manager realized they're not ready to make the hire quite yet. However, they want the recruiter to continue screening applicants to ensure there are enough candidates for when they are ready to hire.

Remember, There Are Two Sides To Every Story

I'm going to ask you to do something that may be difficult for some of you. I want you to put yourself in the recruiter's shoes for a moment.

Would it have been nice and respectful for them to contact you with an update letting you know why you're not moving forward in the hiring process? Of course, it would and you absolutely deserve that courtesy.

However, before you get too angry, I urge you to take time constraints into consideration. Every single week recruiters receive hundreds of applicants and screen almost as many candidates. They can get so busy that they honestly just don't have the time to email or call you personally to explain why you were rejected. Also, if you felt like you connected with the recruiter, there's a good chance the recruiter felt the same way. It's why they don't want to be the one to deliver the bad news to you.

Finally, consider that sometimes it's more work in the long run for the recruiter to respond. Especially when the candidate starts asking all sorts of questions the recruiter can't answer. Such as, "What could I have done differently?" Or, "What did the other candidates have that I didn't?" This can make a recruiter want to put a note on your file that says, "do not call."

Though it may not feel like it, you're lucky if you get a response from a recruiter informing you that you're not moving forward in the hiring process. Simply thank them for their response and let them know you'd love to be considered for future opportunities.

A Rejection Doesn't Mean It's Time To Give Up

I get it. It can be incredibly hard to stay positive when you've been rejected or ghosted, but it's not personal. You have to think of yourself as a salesperson. Today every job is temporary. This means you need to sell yourself and your services to your future employer.

Not sure where to start? My team over at Work It Daily and I'd love to help you with this. We offer a few different membership options, but every single one of them offers unlimited resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile reviews by trained career support specialists. In addition, and for no added cost, it also includes 1-1 career coaching, unlimited networking opportunities, and a collection of exclusive online training materials.

Interested? Take advantage of this limited-time discount and get complete access to our services!

I'd love for you to share your thoughts in the comments. Be sure to use the hashtags #JTTalkJobs & #LookingForJob so we can all join in the conversation.

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P.S.S. If you don't think a membership to my company's career coaching service is for you (yet).

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