SINGAPORE: A job seeker shared on social media that four different recruiters ghosted her within just two weeks. In her post on r/askSingapore, she said the recruiters reached out to her with offers for contract-to-full-time positions from their clients.
“They were quite detailed about understanding my employer history compensation package and even conducted a mini interview/call, informing me they will give an update within a week,” she said. Still, after that deadline passed, there was no follow-up. When she tried checking in, none of them replied.
“I have already moved on, but this repeated experience has left a sour taste in my mouth,” she continued. “So, I’m just wondering, is this a common trait for recruiters?”
“If they want to contact you, they will find a way to do that…”
In the comments section, a former recruitment agency intern confirmed this happens often. He said, “Unfortunately, this is quite common. It might be because they have found another more suitable candidate for the position, but since you’ve probed with no response, it’s likely the client is taking longer than expected, too.
From my experience, I did try to keep the candidate as updated as possible, but sometimes, the client is unresponsive, and so, we have to play a balancing game of encouraging the candidate while pushing the client for an answer.”
Meanwhile, others shared that they’ve experienced the same thing as well. One user recalled how a recruiter seemed eager at first, arranged an interview, and then completely disappeared. After two weeks of silence, he followed up and found out the company wasn’t moving forward because of salary expectations.
He added, “The recruiter told me the company didn’t want to proceed due to my asking salary. Like, tell me! Not like I’m going to blame you for the company’s decision, right!?”
A third user compared job hunting to dating, saying if a recruiter is interested, they’ll find a way to reach out. She said, “If they want to contact you, they will find a way to do that. If there’s no news or interest, they won’t.
I have experienced excellent recruiters who kept me updated at each stage of the process, but that was only when I was a shortlisted candidate. They called for (debriefing) immediately after the interviews, etc. They even accompanied me (on) the first day!”
75% of job seekers have been ghosted
A study by software company Greenhouse found that 75% of job seekers have been ghosted by a recruiter or employer after an interview. According to Forbes, this can happen for several reasons, such as the company finding a more qualified candidate, internal delays in the hiring process, or ongoing negotiations with top choices. Recruiters may also ghost candidates due to being overwhelmed with work, poor time management, or personal setbacks like illness or even layoffs.
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