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Dear Casper, the friendly Recruiter

August 15, 2021 Equity, Human Resources

The reasons why I write this letter express my disappointment following my interview with you. I am not disappointed in whether I did well, as I had guessed I wasn’t shortlisted anytime between the 14 and 90 days of no contact from you.

Please be reassured that I harbour no hard feelings and that the content of this letter is to build awareness, which I hope can help you and other interviewers/interviewees.

Feedback is a gift and should be treated as thus by both the giver and the receiver. The giver should be thoughtful when choosing a gift and make it look presentable when you are presenting the gift. The receiver should be gracious, and if the gift is not to their liking, they must remember that the sentiments hold more value than the gift itself.

I have been ‘ghosted’ and have ‘ghosted’ during my online dating days, and I am sure I am not the only one. It is as normal as swiping left or right. But when you are ghosted by an interviewer, who also happens to be an HR ‘professional’  or a Recruitment Consultant, I have a more invested interest -as an HR professional, a job seeker, and a person.

Job hunting is not as easy as finding a match on Tinder-there are times where I wish it were! I have applied to over 500 jobs between May and July and have had about 20 interviews at different stages. It is emotionally, physically and mentally draining, and you are competing against hundreds of people. Job hunting is a sport.

I am not complaining as many people have not had any interviews and have been looking for employment much longer than I have (KEEP IT UP!!!)

Job hunting also requires an investment of time- the more stages you pass, the more time a job seeker invests, and the majority of that time is spent preparing for the interview itself.

 ‘On average, it takes about five to 10 hours to properly prepare for an interview’ (Indeed, 2021)

That doesn’t even include applying for the role itself and the interview.

I understand that you have also invested time to review applications, have an initial screening call, do another shortlisting and arrange interviews. Still, the difference is that you get paid for your time, and I do not.

Where you are in a monogamous, equal relationship with your job, I am in a loveless entanglement with bills, rent and making sure I have food. Some people have more complicated situations than I do. Biggie’s song should have been titled ‘No Money, Mo’ problems’ as you think about these issues constantly.

Ghosting a candidate after interviewing them is not big, it’s not clever, and it’s just bad manners.

So, be mindful of the time and effort that job seekers invest and as a small act of respect for that time spent, send a timely response- good or bad.

Kind regards

Cyreta (former jobseeker)

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