What to do when a company ghosts you

You interviewed. They said they'd be in touch. Then nothing. Getting ghosted after an interview is the single most common complaint candidates file with us — and almost none of it is about you. Here's the seven-step playbook: what to send, how long to wait, and how to make the silence cost the employer something.

Seven steps after the silence starts

1. 01

   Wait out the stated timeline — then start the clock

   If they said 'we'll be in touch by Friday', give it until Monday. If they never gave a date, treat five business days after your last contact as day zero.

2. 02

   Send one short, specific follow-up

   Reference something concrete from the conversation, restate interest in one line, and ask a direct question with a date attached: 'Are you still moving candidates forward this week?'

3. 03

   Go around the recruiter — once

   If the recruiter is silent after seven days, email the hiring manager or the person who interviewed you. One message, polite, no guilt trip. Most silence is process failure, not rejection.

4. 04

   Set a hard cutoff at 14 days

   Two weeks of silence after an interview is a decision. Mark it closed in your own tracker and stop budgeting emotional energy for it.

5. 05

   Log the evidence while it's fresh

   Save the job link, the dates of each contact, the interviewer's name, and any promises about next steps. That record is what turns your experience into data.

6. 06

   Put the employer on the public record

   File a report on JobCop. You stay anonymous behind a per-case badge, Dep opens a case, contacts the employer, and the outcome lands on their transparency grade.

7. 07

   Keep your pipeline moving

   Never let one process become the pipeline. The candidates who recover fastest from ghosting are the ones with three other live conversations.

A follow-up email you can copy

Short beats clever. Give them one easy question to answer and an explicit permission to say no — that's what unsticks most stalled processes.

Subject: Following up — [Role] interview on [Date]

Hi [Name],

Thanks again for the conversation on [Date] about [Role]. I've been thinking about [specific thing discussed], and I'm still very interested.

Could you let me know where things stand, and whether you're moving candidates forward this week? A no is genuinely fine — I'd just like to plan around it.

Appreciate your time,
[Your name]

A timeline you can hold them to

• Day 0 — interview ends. Send a thank-you within 24 hours.
• Day 5-7 — first follow-up to the recruiter.
• Day 10 — one message to the hiring manager or interviewer.
• Day 14 — call it. Silence at two weeks is an answer.
• Day 14+ — file the report and let the record do the rest.

Check the employer's record on the Live Transparency Ledger

Ghosting is measurable. The Live Transparency Ledger grades US employers on ghost rate, median response time, candidate sentiment, listing hygiene, and posting freshness — so you can see whether the silence you got is a one-off or this company's standard operating procedure. Browse every graded employer on the company index, or read the scoring methodology to see how each grade is built. If the role looked suspect from the start, our guide to spotting ghost jobs covers the warning signs before you apply.

Ghosted after interview FAQ

How long should I wait before assuming I've been ghosted?

Fourteen days of silence after a completed interview, with at least one follow-up sent, is a reasonable cutoff. If the employer gave a specific timeline, start counting from three business days after that date.

How many times should I follow up after an interview?

Two messages maximum: one to the recruiter around day five to seven, and one to the hiring manager around day ten. More than that costs you leverage and rarely changes the outcome.

Why do employers ghost candidates after interviews?

Most ghosting is systemic, not personal: the requisition gets frozen, an internal candidate wins, the recruiter leaves, or the ATS has no rejection step. That's why it's worth measuring at the company level rather than blaming yourself.

Should I leave a public review after being ghosted?

Yes, if it's factual and anonymous. On JobCop every report is filed under a per-case badge, so your name never attaches to it, and the report feeds the employer's ghost rate and transparency grade.

Can I reapply to a company that ghosted me?

You can, and it's often worth it once the team or recruiter changes. Check the employer's grade and median response time on the ledger first so you know what you're walking back into.