Ghosted After a Job Offer? Here’s What to Do Next

There’s no one good answer to this question, since your individual circumstances are going to impact how you approach the situation. If your heart’s set on the job you’re certainly going to make more of an effort to get clarification, which might include reaching out to other relevant individuals in the organization beyond the one you expected to hear from – perhaps a line manager rather than someone in HR, or a recruiter with whom you may have developed a relationship. Nonetheless, in general, an employer who ghosts you after offering you a job is exhibiting unprofessional behavior, behavior that should serve as a red flag. That said, though, there could be truly extenuating circumstances that led to you being ghosted after a job offer: some kind of personal crisis in the life of the individual tasked with handling your offer, some kind of an electronic snafu, or in a start-up or new enterprise a lack of procedures that can allow something like this to fall though the cracks. On the assumption that the ghosting traces to one of those factors, it would make sense to follow up twice within the next week, asking for clarification. If, after that, you continue to hear crickets, it is time to move on.

If you’ve been ghosted after a job offer and need help navigating your next steps, I’m here to help. Learn more about my career counseling services.