As a father of 4 children, I guide my kids with a gentle hand and encourage each of them to explore life on their terms. My 21 yr old son is very focused on starting his career and has a huge drive to succeed. I have given advice (as needed) around his career search and navigating the application process when asked — so much of his pursuit of employment is his to own.
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He recently was in an interview process with a sizeable financial employer here in Boston and was out of his mind with excitement. He had completed several interviews, taken a skills test, and received feedback that employment was close. This had a massive positive impact on his psyche, and I was happy to see him so excited about work.

And then the recruiting black hole came in…
My son’s first issue was an interview appointment that was not kept — with no communication from the employer. Then came a very vague email with no explanation, and finally — the deafening silence all applicants fear most.

The impact of this silence was taken very personally — I found my son sitting early one morning very sad and deeply thought about what was wrong with him — what did he do wrong, what skill is he missing — in a nutshell — why he was being ghosted.

As a person who has been in Recruiting and HR Tech for a long time (I am not stating how long on purpose!!) I sat with him and tried to explain that the role he was applying for, while very critical, was a junior role — and often hired at volume.

I explained that recruiters are often moving fast, understaffed, and focused on the task at hand. He was probably in a funnel for several positions that had been filled before he could be hired. Meaning there might have been ten seats, and they hired ten people — and unfortunately, he was applicant 11+, and once the role was filled — the team moved on.

We reviewed his background — how strong it is and how well he would do in a similar role. He slowly lifted his head from the pain he was in and thanked me for help — and then he smiled and said, “Dad, this is what your new company fixes!!!!’ He is right — game-changing candidate experience is the goal of Greetr.

Now — while he moved past the emotional impact of how he was treated, let me tell you that impact was not forgotten. I walked by my son’s hacking command center while he was in a large group of his friends (20+), and all of them were tearing this employer to shreds — not only don’t try and work there but to never invest with them and to tell every friend they have to never apply.