Remember Respect while Recruiting in a Recession: My plea to tech hirers for an ounce of decorum

Since 2023 started, the world has been gradually steeping deeper into a recession that some are saying may be worse than the 2008 crash. Layoffs started to hit major tech companies since the last half of 2022 and has already impacted thousands of people. Many experienced employees have lost their job overnight, only being notified via a random last-minute meeting or being booted from their online work systems with no prior warning.

On the other side of the coin, recent college graduates such as myself are facing a different challenge. Most of us are 20-somethings who majored in tech-related studies with minimal industry experience outside of intern or fellowships, and are now facing an uphill battle to find our first full time jobs while opportunities are currently sparse and highly competitive. For me, I find it even harder as a junior UX Researcher whose academic and work experiences are not typically what you’d expect on a UXR portfolio.

Anyway, it’s easy to see that it’s hard for everyone working or trying to break into tech right now, but recession or not, there always has to be some level of empathy that recruiters and hiring managers need to have for their applicants. I have received probably a hundred email rejections within the last year, but that’s not the problem. The problem is how and when that rejection is communicated.

I won’t sugar coat it. The following screenshots are perfect examples of what inconsiderate, time-wasting hirers look like (that I personally received in the same week of this year):

After 3 rounds of interviews, was praised for my “diverse portfolio”, and was invited by one the interviewees to “hang out sometime”, this was the response I received after I took the initiative to follow up over a week later despite being promised I would hear some sort of decision from them in the next 5 days.

A recruiter emailed me back 15 minutes after my scheduled last-round interview (that I could never access due to a broken Zoom link).

I understand that sometimes there are just unprecedented things that happen behind the scenes with hiring processes and systems, and sometimes you just need to suck it up and deal with it. However, I stand by the argument that miscommunication is something that can always be avoided. I have gained enough interviewing experience to know when I am and am not being treated correctly. And while my initial frustration, sadness, and confusion have already dissipated since receiving these poorly-worded rejections, my intolerance for this kind of treatment is still strong and relevant.

Receiving a rejection from a job is already disappointing enough, but to be further disregarded as clearly an after thought or just a name on file is unnecessary. To be honest, after receiving the first email, I built up a level of distrust with certain companies, regardless of how “well” I’ve been told I’m doing. There was an overwhelming sense of self doubt in my abilities, and I had (and admittedly sometimes still have to) combat that while also fighting off the pressing dread of interview burnout…and I know I am not alone in this feeling.

On the other hand, I am actively practicing gratitude for everything I’ve learned about myself and the industry I’m trying to enter. I take all the experiences I’ve had along the way of my job hunting journey and make it into something that I can build into my expectations and boundaries. So I wrote this article not just to blindly rant and condemn this kind of communication by hirers, but to share my perspective of hope with others who may also be dealing with these kinds of messages: rejection is redirection. As long as you prepare to the best of your ability, you will find a job that checks all your boxes and feels fulfilling. Bring your best self and the rest will follow. 🌱