Job recruiter approaches prospective candidate to attend an interview and then ghosts them, accuses them of having an attitude when they try to follow up: 'I waited for a full 20 minutes, thinking maybe there was a technical issue or something'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 24, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Being ghosted for an interview you didn't even ask for is one heck of a situation to find yourself in. Sure, the balance of power is almost always squarely on the side of the interviewer, so they might get away with it, but they approached you, so what was the point anyway?

It's one thing if they're just running late or made an honest mistake, but to no show, no email, no call is unprofessional. Following that up with an air of superiority and acting like the candidate was in the wrong simply for pointing out that they made a mistake is downright absurd.

The recruiter should be on the back foot here since it is their mistake. They should be approaching the situation apologetically. Instead, they doubled down on their ego, refusing to accept they had made a mistake and making it seem as if the candidate shouldn't even be reminding them that they had missed a scheduled appointment.

That's one thing in any normal situation, but because of the aforementioned massive power imbalance when it comes to the interview process, even if their complaint came from some genuine place (it didn't), it's impossible to properly 

The lack of professionalism on display here is startling. And you have to wonder just why they haven't managed to fill that role yet.

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  • 01
    A man attends a virtual job interview with a woman on his computer
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    "The recruiter stood me up for the interview, then got offended by my 'tone' when I followed up."

    Honestly, I thought I'd seen everything from recruiters, but what happened to me a few weeks ago was unbelievable.
    via driver31flak
  • 03
    To give you some context, I'm not desperate for a new job, but I'm keeping my eyes open for a better opportunity.
    via driver31flak
  • 04
    Anyway, a recruiter contacted me on LinkedIn, told me about an 'amazing job, and asked if I was free for a quick call.
    via driver31flak
  • 05
    I told her I was interested, so she sent me a few available time slots to choose from.
    via driver31flak
  • 06
    I chose a time that worked for me, and she then told me that someone else from her team would actually be the one calling me.
    via driver31flak
  • 07
    No big deal, that happens a lot. The interview time came, and I was sitting at my desk waiting for the Teams call...
    via driver31flak
  • 08
    and nothing. I waited for a full 20 minutes, thinking maybe there was a technical issue or something.
    via driver31flak
  • 09
    Still, absolutely nothing. So I sent her a polite message on LinkedIn, just letting her know that the scheduled time had passed and no one had called me, and asked if we needed to reschedule.
    via driver31flak
  • 10
    Her response left me stunned. She wrote back saying that there was 'definitely a mix- up on their end,' but then added that she 'didn't like my tone' and was ending the entire process right then and there.
    via driver31flak
  • 11
    To this day, I'm still trying to understand how she could possibly determine a 'tone' from a written message.
    via driver31flak
  • 12
    Seriously, what a joke.
    via driver31flak
  • 13
    View from above of a man working on his computer
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 14
    TNC-ME Bullet dodged and then some. It was a test to see if you're able to be abused or not, and you failed by their metrics. You politely yet firmly let them know what happened instead of groveling and asking if you were the problem. Consider it a blessing in disguise.
    via driver31flak
  • 15
    Basic85 I wouldn't even follow up to be honest with you, I might send a message saying how unprofessional that was and that I withdraw myself from candidacy.
    via driver31flak

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