Did You Recently Ghost an Interview?

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The economy is humming. Jobs are plentiful. Recruiters reach out to you every day. Times are good.

You’re not really thinking about a time when all of that will change- and trust me, it’s gonna change.

But you should be very conscious of the sure-to-come downtick in the economy and job market.

Why? Because the actions you take now will come back to haunt you. I'm talking about the selfish, disrespectful actions of ghosting a recruiter that scheduled a phone interview with you. Or maybe you ghosted an in-person interview. Even worse, you ghosted an employer on your first day.

Newsflash: You're Not Getting Younger (or Cheaper)

If you’re a Millennial, there’s going to be a time when you’re not as ‘affordable’ and in demand as you are now. You’ll turn 40 - hell, by the time you’re 35 the dynamic may have already shifted downward - and you’ll get passed over for interviews. Age discrimination is real. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Soon, the only messages you'll get on LinkedIn will be from the scumbags that are trying to sell you email lists or “lead” lists as I think they refer to them. You'll try to find ways to trick recruiters. Maybe you won't list your graduation date. Perhaps you'll cut out some irrelevant experience from 10 years ago. You know, those kinds of tricks. I have no idea who would do something like that. (That's a joke because I do it. I've recruited in the corporate world for a long time and know the ugly ins and outs.)

Elephants Never Forget - Neither Do Most Recruiters (It's Weird)

The thing about recruiters, or at least good ones, is they have a strange way of remembering people they’ve never met and have only seen on paper. It’s odd. I know because I used to be a recruiter. I see updates on LinkedIn pop up from people I engaged over 5 years ago about a role at Microsoft or Booking.com, and I remember my correspondence with them.

So, just remember, recruiters, like elephants, rarely forget.

Do you know what else definitely never forgets you ghosted a phone screen? The applicant tracking system (ATS) that recruiters live out of every day.

Payback's a Bitch

Should you ever find yourself in the position of applying to another role at the company you ghosted, the next recruiter working on that role will know what you did.

Another thing about recruiters. They don’t like to be embarrassed. Not in front of their managers and, most importantly, the hiring managers they partner with. If you’re a flight risk, you’re as good as dead to them.

I’m no longer a recruiter. However, I recently had an open marketing role on my team. I was amazed at how many no-shows happened - and I wasn’t even a recruiter. I was the f***ing hiring manager!

You Better Get Some F***ing Context In Your Life- Pronto

It seems, in the current job market, people have a lack of context and aren't thinking about the future.

There has been economic fear and uncertainty recently beaten to death by the media. As President Trump rachets up tariffs against China and threatens to bring our economy to a screeching halt by imposing them on Mexico, the talk of a recession is becoming more real.

Now's the time to reflect on your past selfish actions. It's time to get very interested in context. To understand the negative consequences your actions may have during the next economic downturn. That will inevitably happen. When the stakes for you may be a little higher.

Just remember that you’re dealing with other humans who won't easily forget - and if they do, their ATS surely won't.

You can thank me later.