How to stop being ghosted?

89% of professionals looking for their next career opportunity have been ghosted at least once — you can see the results of my recent poll in the screenshot below, it's not right.

We share six very tangible actionable steps you should adopt to stop being ghosted and maximize your chances of standing out so much so that you end up getting the job offer.

Don't accept 'ghosting' as the new reality that everyone faces at some point

If you rather consume this quickly, here's a summary of what we shared on the LinkedIn Live stream above; however, it's worth watching the recording if you have the time.

1. Be different

Unless you are different they will continue to compare you to every other candidate based on your knowledge, skills, experience, expertise, education, height, weight, accent, etc.

It is critical that you understand that in order to stand you must be different and if you continue to answer and behave like everyone else then... you will be like everyone else.

2. Make a personal connection

It is a given that we must conduct ourselves professionally at all times; however, who do you think they will remember and choose to work with when you close the door behind you?

Think about this: employers will choose someone they are aligned with in terms of values and journey, someone they believe they will enjoy working with every single day.

You are choosing each other

Don't think that 'chit-chat' is that, don't hurry to get to the 'interview' part of the interview yet — instead, make sure they get to know you for who you are and you get to know them, too.

3. Never assume the worst

Give people the benefit of the doubt — if recruiters, HR professionals or hiring managers don't get back to you within a week it doesn't necessarily mean that they are ghosting you.

People are busy and even when they have the best of intentions to get back to you by a certain date, we know most likely they won't... so just be patient (we know it's difficult).

Remember that they are not just working with you, they have a dozen candidates they might be working with, they may have taken time off, could have gotten sick, or any other reason.

4. Sometimes it's not your fault

Many organizations have a policy to not give feedback because there can be legal repercussions and just try to cover their backs, they know it can be taken the wrong way.

They may have ghosted you or gone with another candidate; however, if you were able to build a meaningful (i.e., personal) relationship with them they will not ignore you so easily.

Focus on what you can control — you can't change their company policies, and you can't force them to hire you either but you can and always should build a personal connection.

5. Know when and how to follow up

People know we are not fans of 'thank you' notes as most candidates use them incorrectly... they send these when they want to follow up and ask for an update with their job process.

When candidates send 'thank you' notes in the way described above they come across as disingenuous and desperate, which puts them in a negative light in front of the employer.

We don't mean you shouldn't be grateful, that's not what mean; however, there is a time and a place to say thank you — that is during the interview while you have them in front of you.

In fact, the very first thing we advise our mentees to do is to thank the interviewer for their time right showing true appreciation for the invitation after asking them how they are.

6. Never stop applying

Nobody likes to be perceived as desperate, we get it... that's why the best thing you can do to give your employer a sense of urgency is to keep interviewing and getting other job offers.

While most professionals focus on a single company or career opportunity at a time hoping that they are selected, we encourage you to follow a Job-Market-Driven strategy instead.

A what you might ask? A Job-Market-Driven strategy turns employers into candidates so you as a professional looking to advance in your career have more options to choose from.

We have a FREE Live Webclass coming up where we share the exact strategy to land more interviews, get more job offers, and negotiate a fair compensation to select the job you want.

Hundreds of professionals have followed the exact strategy and been able to advance in their careers, immigrate to new countries, get back on their feet after a long unemployment gap.

It's a free live webclass, if you decide to attend make sure you join on time and come with an open mind, ready to learn and leave behind the old ways of job searching that don't work.

After all, there is a reason why you decided to read this newsletter article, there must be something that you are doing that's preventing you from getting the job that you want.

And we get it, the traditional job search eventually works, if you are lucky, but it's unpredictable, slow, exhausting, and frustrating... so learn a new way of achieving your goal.

Grab a glass of water, pen and paper, and come ready to learn what other professionals in your same situation have done in order to get the job they want, we'll show you case studies.

You will walk away from our FREE Live Webclass empowered, inspired, with more insights and convinced that the Job-Market-Driven strategy is the only way to get the job you want.