Wednesday, February 19, 2020

This Is the Email You Desperately Wanted to Send to That Recruiter Who Ghosted You

I’m reprinting the below post, which I received from a ListServ I’m a member of.

Dear [Name of Your Contact],

[The Name of the Employer]’s mission involves fighting for equality for all. That movement starts and ends with how we treat people every day. [Name of Recipient], you promised you would respond to me whether or not I got the job. I did not hear from you and my emails were not returned.

It has never been easier to deliver an uncomfortable message. It takes under a minute to send a form email to an applicant. Between the three phases of the interview process (my original application/essay questions, the assignment, and prepping and participating in a panel interview), I’ve invested at least six hours in this opportunity.

In contrast, you did not muster one moment to get back to me. You appear to hold a belief that your time is more valuable than that of other people, and too valuable to courteously close the loop on a professional interaction with a hopeful candidate.

If you want to truly make a difference in this world and dedicate your professional life to making it a better place, then please consider starting with the basics: By keeping your word and treating others the way you would like to be treated. That’s decency. That will improve the world.

I realized I didn’t get the job some time ago, yet I emailed again in hopes of the acknowledgement I deserve. Just as I aim to professionally advocate for others, so I believe it’s equally important to advocate for myself. Self-advocacy means speaking up when I’m mistreated, just as I do for underrepresented communities. Now I’ve done that.