'We're Part Of The Problem': Recruiter Reveals Why They Ghost Job Applicants

Finding a job in the current market can be a brutal task. Most applicants have experienced applying to hundreds of roles only to be ghosted by the recruiters. In a viral Reddit post, a recruiter with six years of experience owned up to their industry's role in the problem, shedding light on why candidates get stuck in a soul-crushing loop of endless interviews, assignments, and rejections.

"I want to be honest about something from the other side. Most recruiters I know are not evil; we are just drowning. And when you are drowning, you make bad decisions that hurt candidates without meaning to," the user wrote in a Reddit post titled, 'I am a recruiter and I know we are part of the problem'.

The recruiter said they were inundated with a high number of applicants, which forced them to take certain actions, which meant missing out on potentially 'great' candidates.

"I scan fast, I try to use keywords and probably miss great people because I am moving too quickly. That is not fair to candidates. But I do not have a better system right now, guys."

As for ghosting the applicants, the recruiter argued that they were 'embarassed' to reach out to the candidates after the hiring process extended beyond the stipulated timeframe.

"I screen twenty people for a role. I send 10 to the hiring manager. The manager takes two weeks to decide who to interview. By then, five of those 10 have taken other jobs. I have to go back to the original twenty. But now I am embarrassed that it took so long, so I just freeze, really. And people never hear back. It is bad i know it is bad," the recruiter said.

"The whole process is broken from both sides. Candidates feel invisible, and recruiters feel overwhelmed. And nobody is winning. I have been trying to fix some of this on my end- better communication templates, scheduled times to send updates, blocking time on my calendar for candidate follow ups."

Check The Viral Post Here:

I am a recruiter and I know we are part of the problem. Let me explain guys.
by u/ElAndres33 in recruitinghell

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Mixed Social Media Reactions

As the post went viral, a section of users empathised with the recruiter, while others called them out for not reaching out to the candidates just because they were 'embarassed'.

"Please don't ghost applicants, especially after a first, second or third interview. I'd prefer a rejection letter asap rather than ghosting," said one user, while another added: "Not sending a rejection because you are embarrassed??? They all show up from a no-reply email, and you have about 5 flavours of messages to pick from. Get over it. Own your role in the process because you're part of the problem."

A third commented: "As a recruiter in biotech, there's no excuse to not properly disposition a candidate because you're embarrassed of the timeline."

A fourth said: "There is nothing you can do because you didn't cause this. Just be respectful to people. The cause is an economy that is broken and insolvent."