O how we forget. But I remember.

Just as covid hit, I remember how hard it was to get a candidate on the phone regarding a position they were a match for. They never returned my calls and the few that did, ghosted after the first call or would ghost the hiring manager.

Flashback 2022 and I am trying my hardest to hire a java god. This developer knew strategy, tactical, had built new software development infrastructures from the ground up and was beyond a perfect fit for the position. Ghosted at the offer stage. After a week, I received a terse message saying she accepted another position 😐

This went on for some time and at the end of 2022, the company I worked for went on a hiring freeze. This went into 2023 and, needless to say, the shenanigans began but on the company side.

Hiring teams started asking for "examples" of work but were really business problems in disguise. An opening for an entry level candidate, which usually took two interviews, now required five (5) people to meet and sign off. And forget about mid-career and senior management smmfh These roles now stretch into months to fill and there are hundreds of candidates that apply.

So, while this market is soul crushing, I remember how candidates shit on the companies (I have no problem with it) and how ghosting got its origin story.

Turnabout and all that