Has basic communication with candidates just disappeared from interviews?
I have been interviewing for senior operations and leadership roles recently, and some of the experiences have genuinely made me question what is considered acceptable in recruitment now.
In one case, I completed an interview and waited almost a month before receiving a rejection. There was virtually no communication during that period.
With another company, I actually withdrew midway through the process because the interview itself was so poorly conducted that I could not imagine wanting to work there.
The most recent one was stranger. A recruiter called me about a senior leadership position and told me that an interview with the panel would be scheduled. Several business days passed without an update. I sent a follow up email and received no response to that either.
I eventually emailed to withdraw.
That triggered a phone call.
Instead of acknowledging the communication gap, I was told that the recruiter receives hundreds of applications every day, has around 1,500 unread emails, manages multiple positions, and that as a job seeker I should have been more patient.
I completely understand workload. I have spent 17 years in operations and have managed large teams myself. I understand competing priorities better than most.
What I don't understand is why internal workload becomes the candidate's problem.
I was never upset that the interview had not been scheduled. Senior panel availability can take time. A simple message saying, “We are still coordinating with the panel and will get back to you once we have a slot” would have been perfectly fine.
Without that communication, how exactly is a candidate supposed to know whether things are being coordinated internally or whether they have simply been ghosted?
I am genuinely curious how others see this, especially recruiters and hiring managers.
Are my expectations unreasonable, or has basic candidate communication become optional because companies receive so many applications?