[CM30]

The new normal? This has been the case for years for almost all job applications. Maybe if you're lucky and the company has put you through like 4 rounds of interviews you might get feedback, but the general rule seems to be that useful feedback for an interview is the exception rather than the norm.

And heck, even that isn't something you can rely on. I've had a fair few interviews get about 80% of the way through the recruitment process, then just ghost me without a trace. The main reason I have my current job is because the other company I was interviewing with just kinda faded away at the end of the application process.

If being ghosted is the new norm for you, you must be insanely lucky.

[rossdavidh]

This was my first thought; I've been working as a dev for almost 20 years, and "ghosting" is the norm.

Having seen it from the other side, one oddity I've noticed is that being "ghosted" usually means you were being considered; if they get back to you with a "no" it means they don't think the person would work out, and even if nobody else comes forward, they don't intend to hire that person. "Ghosting" is typically what happens when they are thinking "well, maybe", and they keep looking for an even better fit and then find one. Either it's been long enough that they've forgotten, or it's been long enough that they assume (usually correctly) that the person has figured it out by then.

I'm not saying it _should_ be that way, I'm just saying it's not "new". Letting this mess with your head is a bad situation, because it won't be that unusual. Just keep in mind that it typically means "near miss", and keep looking.

[piloto_ciego]

When I was a pilot just starting out, in 2007 I’d see a human response maybe 1/100 applications.

It’s pretty gross out there for people other than tech employees.

What’s pretty funny is now that I’m changing into this field it seems to be adjusting to treat people like crap. So, I guess you’re welcome guys and gals - it’s my fault.

[skeeter2020]

This isn't really about applications though - not getting a human response at the first step has always been common, especially with electronic postings. It's as easy to apply as post, so you do get a lot of spam applicants.

If you've had human contact and then radio silenc - IMO that's inexcusable.

[piloto_ciego]

Literally all the time in aviation. Now I’m just cynical and do a quantity over quality approach

[araes]

It was not that great in tech. I interviewed during the same time in tech and got limited responses even after what appeared to be positive interviews. There wasn't quite as much of "we completely do not respond", yet it still existed. Mostly a vacuum of rejections with no context. Very little other than "no" in most cases.

At least in my case though, it just got to "putting in 2-3 customized applications a day, can't really stop to worry about the type of response, unless its helpful. No's a no, next application."

Plus, 2007 was the era where Google's puzzles and homework assignments were what everybody was fighting about. Which company's got the craziest hiring homework and weirdest math puzzles that have almost nothing to do with your job?

[nradov]

With the higher market demand for pilots now I suspect that job applicants in that field are now being treated better than they were in 2007.

[piloto_ciego]

Yeah, it sucks lol, I can’t fly anymore due to illness, and the demand is crazy I still get called to this day. Now if you can finish fogging a partially fogged mirror you’re hired at a major.

[varispeed]

Also why would you need feedback?

Every company is different and will have different requirements and expectations.

Unless you are doing something universally bad (like didn't shower before going out), there is not much that feedback could help you with other than make you start acting like someone you are not.

If you acted on the interview and you got hired, you'll be expected to continue the act probably for as long as you work there. Which ultimately leads to quick burn out and self-hate.

[JohnFen]

Feedback can be very useful in order to let you see things you may be doing wrong in the interview process that you're unaware of. Perhaps you are emphasizing the wrong things, or failing to highlight the right things. Perhaps there are social aspects, customs, other norms that you're deviating too far from. Perhaps you go into an interview without a good knowledge of the company you're applying to, etc.

There are a million little things that can be easily adjusted to improve your chances, and feedback is the only way that you'll know which ones matter. The feedback from a single interview isn't helpful, but the feedback from many interviews lets you spot patterns.

> If you acted on the interview and you got hired, you'll be expected to continue the act probably for as long as you work there.

There is a small kernel of truth here, but this overstates it immensely. Firstly, you shouldn't ever "be someone you're not" -- but adjusting your tactics and adapting to your audience does not have to mean pretending you're somebody else. Second, interviews are performative and everyone knows it. In an interview, you're engaging in a sales presentation. Nobody expects that people will behave identically in everyday work as they did in the interview.

[doubleorseven]

Maybe only now it reached America? In Israel, for the last 13 years atleast, I don't think there was ever an alternative.

[ravenstine]

Worse yet - getting ghosted after submitting a take home assignment!

Has happened to me a couple of times.

Look, it's OK if you just found your dream candidate and the job is no longer available, but please tell me that and tell me whether the code I submitted is good or sucks.

[malfist]

The article is specifically talking about ghosting that happens after an interview.

[CM30]

That's also rather common. Happened to me with one of the jobs I was interviewing at in the early days of the pandemic, and a few more in the years before that. Sometimes it even gets to like, a telephone interview, take home test and 2 live interviews, and they still ghost you.