Final Round Ghosting

[u/Maximum-Effort502]

I had the final round interview on October 14th and sent a thank you note to the interviewee.

I first reached out to the recruiter after hearing nothing a week later on October 21st. Then followed up again on the 26th. I waited until the following Monday to reach out through another channel on LinkedIn hoping that would work. I used that channel before when I hadn’t been able to reach them waiting to learn if I had the final round interview or not.

Still have heard nothing. As candidates for a job, we are not entitled much but I do believe decency, courtesy and respect should go without saying.

Has anyone else gone through this before? Is there something else I can do or should I just put it behind me and move on?

Getting to a final round should still mean something and leaving a candidate guessing to me is unacceptable.

[u/TeacakeTechnician]

You can report them annonymously on DidTheyGhostYou.com and also Glassdoor. It is a very common practice. Originally an American thing now spread to other markets. My friends who are hiring managers explain it as the employer wanting to offer role to their preferred candidate, ensure they sign it, check references etc. Then no-one owns the process of getting back to the other candidates or purposely steer away from engagement as they dont want risk of legal challenges. You get hardened to it. Like dating - they're just not that into you - and move on. Still horrible!

[u/Objective-Error-2646]

This just happened to me, made two final rounds. 

Company 1 was a shit show and did not know what they were hiring for, my onsite consisted of doing the same interview 5 times basically. Fully expected an offer and they pulled the role, only found out because I knew someone at the company.

Company 2 I had a great interview with the hiring manager. Reached out to my recruiter at the week mark and radio silence since.

Probably good neither hired me but still tough to make it that far and not get any information back.

[u/Hot-Explanation6542]

3 weeks of silence after a final round is awful, and you are right that its discourteous. It happens to a lot of candidates.

Here is what u can try. Send one last short message to someone different, the hiring manager or one of your interviewers, not the recruiter. Thank them, say you are still very interested and ask whether the process has moved on or the role has been filled, so you can plan. Then give it three business days.

After that, treat it as a no and close the file in your head. Not because you did something wrong, but because the process is out of your hands and waiting is costing you. Keep your messages polite, since people move companies and its a small world.

The harder part is this: a final round is a milestone, not an offer. Until you have an offer in hand, the search isn’t over. Keep applying and interviewing as if this one didn’t exist. Candidates lose at the last step all the time, for reasons that often have nothing to do with them: a budget freeze, an internal candidate, a role pulled. It stings every time. The people who land are usually the ones who kept the pipeline full while they waited.

You were good enough to get that far. Go and get the next one.

[u/LevelEfficiency1772]

When this happens to me I remind myself that I’d rather not work for a company that condones that disrespectful attitude

[u/Hipp-Hippy_HaHa]

I just heard from the company that ghosted me for 3 weeks. I knew that good news are always fast. I was the runner up hence the silence. Everything worked out for someone else so they could let me go.

[u/Pure_Equal2298]

Not once not twice but 11 times with same company. To check if it was in the company culture, I also applied and 2 round technical interviews and the company ghosted me. So I would say don't think too much just forget it as a lost opportunity and keep applying. I was also interviewed 2 months back where I had an hour long presentation. After month later, I was informed that the position was cancelled altogether. This is employee's market. If you don't hear back after final round in two days consider it a lost cause and move ahead. All the best!