There are few things worse than feeling like you’ve finally found the right role and expect to receive an offer any day, only to be met with silence from the recruiter. Unfortunately, ghosting is an unprofessional practice many job seekers have experienced.

While a ghost-free job hunt may never be guaranteed, here are a few things a job seeker can do:

Hold the Recruiter Accountable

Proactively communicate throughout your interview process. At every step, be sure to ask the recruiter what's next and for exact dates on when you can expect to hear back. It may feel uncomfortable to ask for specificity but it’s fair and reasonable to set expectations early and develop a clear timeline with the recruiter.

Follow up, Follow up, Follow up

Don't be afraid to check in. If you don’t hear back from a recruiter by an agreed-upon date, reach out. You should not be penalized for being persistent and on top of deadlines. Also, sending thank you messages to every interviewer is a great way to stay top of mind and differentiate yourself from other candidates.

Treat Rejection as Redirection

Despite a job seeker’s best efforts, ghosting can still happen. And as tempting as it might be to take to LinkedIn and write an unfiltered post about your experience, marketing and advertising is a small, interconnected world. A better use of time could be to shift your energy into moving forward. A professional, positive outlook is one of the best assets in a job search.

On the job hunt and looking for a marketing or creative role? Get in touch.