Did they ghost you?
A new site that publicly tracks companies for “ghosting” job applicants is resonating with people frustrated by unacknowledged applications and vanishing recruiters. Commenters trade stories of lengthy interview processes ending in silence, debate whether ghost job ads and systematic non-responses should be regulated as fraud, and suggest tying postings to verifiable hires or state-level reporting. Others argue that poor hiring processes, layoffs, and overloaded recruiters explain much of the behavior, and warn that any legal fix would be expensive, hard to enforce, and easy for companies to game.
Site & Design Feedback
- Some expected a simple static page; instead it’s a styled, “vibe‑coded” front end with modern typography and UI.
- A specific company page linking through a Google ad URL raised suspicion about moderation and possible ad/affiliate behavior.
- Multiple people note similar “AI vibe” designs they’ve seen from code-generation tools.
Scope & Data Quality Concerns
- Current sample sizes are tiny; several say recommendations like “1 of 1 would interview again” are meaningless until there’s much more data.
- Leaderboard will naturally favor large, high-volume employers unless normalized.
- Suggestions: track stage of ghosting (application vs post‑interview), add “declined but gave feedback” category, include positive behavior.
Experiences with Ghosting
- Many report being ghosted at all stages: initial application, after screens, after full loops, even after verbal offers or “offer coming soon.”
- Some describe extreme delays (months to years) between application and rejection, occasionally clearly tied to layoffs or organizational chaos.
- Others note regions or companies where post‑interview ghosting is rare and rejections are at least formally communicated.
Why Ghosting Happens (Per Thread)
- Recruiters leaving abruptly, layoffs, hiring freezes, or headcount changes often break pipelines with no one owning candidate follow‑up.
- Internal politics and badly managed processes create long limbo periods where no one is willing or able to give a clear “no.”
- Some argue companies simply don’t prioritize candidate experience, especially in an oversupplied market.
Norms, Ethics, and Law
- Strong sentiment that ghosting after meaningful interaction is unprofessional and disrespectful.
- Disagreement on whether law should require reasons for rejection; some favor regulation and strong labor protections, others see enforcement as impractical.
- Several propose treating fraudulent/never‑intended job ads as fraud, with ideas like mandatory job‑posting registries, audit trails, and reporting hires/withdrawals.
Candidate Strategies & Power Imbalance
- Advice ranges from always following up and sending thank‑you notes to avoiding thank‑you emails as pointless or mildly annoying.
- There’s debate on the cultural appropriateness of thank‑you notes and whether they actually affect hiring.
- References are contentious: some want them curtailed, others view difficulty obtaining references as a red flag, constrained by company liability policies.
Extensions & Risks for the Site
- Some want per‑recruiter or per‑HR tracking, even LinkedIn links, plus an API and possibly an .onion mirror.
- Others anticipate legal threats (defamation/cease‑and‑desist) and worry about fairness when ghosting is due to internal dysfunction rather than malice.