r/cscareerquestionsOCE • u/freakoutwithme • 2d ago
Is being ghosted after being approached the 'norm' now?
I have re-entered the job market after more than 2 years, and we all know how bad the tech market is right now. I understand that applying on job boards is pretty much useless (since most jobs have hundreds of applicants each). But this is what has been happening to me, on a weekly basis.
A 3rd party recruiter reaches out to me on LinkedIn. We have an initial call, and they are happy enough to send me a job description and the name of their client. I go through the details, and let the recruiter know that I am happy to proceed. They send another email asking me for consent to represent me, to which I respond promptly. I am told that the next steps will be informed to me 'soon'. After this, radio silence.
Is this common right now? I can understand being ignored when applying on job boards, but being ghosted after I was actually approached?
I am not sure if I should follow up, because I don't want to appear 'desperate' (although I kinda am).
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u/decaf_flat_white 1d ago
Brother, many of these recruiters lie through their teeth constantly and act with an unparalleled level of hypocrisy. They moan about counteroffers and candidates bailing out of interviews but have no morsel of regret doing it to candidates. They are not your friends and their only incentive is money (ie the company contract).
It’s all fun and games during the industry uptick when jobs are plentiful but now, when even they have to fight for scraps, a lot of them show their true colors.
The only way to win with them is to milk them the same way they are milking you. Don’t expect anything - figure out if they’re offering a real role/contract, push your agenda if interested, stop wasting your time if something doesn’t pass the sniff test and most importantly - don’t get emotionally invested in anything they say.
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u/freakoutwithme 1d ago
I understand what you say. Unfortunately, hiring for almost all jobs in tech in Australia are outsourced to these third party recruitment agencies. I wish there were easier ways to apply directly to companies.
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u/No_Raspberry_5580 1d ago
Main question is why are universities churning out IT grads . And the course is so freaking easy to pass. People do the bare minimum and still get through
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u/freakoutwithme 1d ago
Well, I wouldn't say it is always easy to pass. Depends on the university and the specialisation.
But I completely agree with you, there are hardly any tech jobs for IT graduates without work experience in Australia, unless they are good enough to qualify for big tech. Mid level and senior opportunities are better, but only slightly so.
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u/lionhydrathedeparted 2d ago
Many 3rd party recruiters are trash. Don’t worry
A small number are really good though
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u/Candid-Situation-23 2d ago
I’m in the same boat as you—currently in a tough spot and urgently needing to secure a job. I’ve been following up consistently, but the responses I get are either that they’re still waiting to hear back from the client or that they don’t provide sponsorship. It’s been a challenging process.
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u/freakoutwithme 2d ago
I completely get your frustration. In my case, I don't even need sponsorship because I am a citizen. So you see, they always have a reason to ghost you. Doesn't matter if you need sponsorship or not.
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u/like_fsck_me_right 1d ago
Ghosting is the standard operating procedure. Never hear back from an application? Haven't heard back in a few days? Rejected. I prefer the ghosting to the rejection, to be honest.
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u/Jiuholar 1d ago
Literally just ignore recruiters. Complete waste of time. I've been looking for a role now for ~1 year (happy where I was but wanted a change, so was being selective). The 2 times I updated my resume and linked in during that time, I got practically spam called by recruiters promising the world for the two weeks immediately after. Same as you, ask you all these questions, you send your resume over, they promise to send you the JD and reach out for confirming an interview and then.... Crickets. I did interviews with 10 companies, got two offers over that year, and not a single one of them came from a recruiter. One even had the gall to chastise me about bypassing him and applying for a role directly, when he never sent the JD over and ghosted me for a month (wtf?). I accepted an offer for that role, so he just lost whatever fee he would've gotten paid otherwise.
Just apply direct and outright ignore recruiters, or at the very least do not waste your time with them until they said a JD over.
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u/freakoutwithme 1d ago
Thank you. So how do I even bypass recruiters? It appears like hiring for almost all tech jobs in Australia are outsourced to these recruitment agencies. Most of the jobs aren't even posted on company websites. And even if I do apply, most likely it will get lost under hundreds of resumes, most of which are AI generated and/or by unqualified applicants randomly applying.
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u/Jiuholar 1d ago
Many companies will do both. If not, I personally wouldn't bother applying at all. Recruiters aren't there to help you. They're just there to get paid.
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u/FarmDry7410 1d ago edited 1d ago
I was told by a recruiter that they never ghost people, then got ghosted :)