You have been through two interviews, everything went well, the recruiter said they would "get back to you within two weeks"… and then nothing. Three weeks of silence. This scenario, known as ghosting, affects candidates at every level, including in banking, audit and consulting. Here is how to explain it, anticipate it, follow up without ruffling feathers and bounce back.
Why ghosting exists
Ghosting means communication stops abruptly, with no explanation. It is tempting to read it as disrespect. The French employment agency Apec's guide on the subject, "Candidature : comment gérer le ghosting des entreprises ?" 🔗 (in French), points out that the phenomenon usually stems from structural causes rather than a deliberate choice. The most common reasons:
- The process is on hold. A frozen budget, a reorganisation, a manager leaving: the role is no longer a priority, but nobody takes the time to tell candidates.
- The recruiter is overwhelmed. During peak hiring (summer internships, September), a recruiter handles dozens of files. Rejections come after urgent matters.
- Another candidate was chosen, often internally or through a referral, and the rejection message was never sent.
- Many people are involved. In investment banking or large firms, a green light needs several approvals (manager, HR, committee). Each link adds days.
- Discomfort. Announcing a rejection after several interviews is unpleasant, and some postpone until they forget.
Note that the phenomenon also affects recruiters, who sometimes see candidates vanish mid-process. Several industry surveys, with varying methodologies, indicate that a majority of candidates and recruiters say they have practised or experienced it. Exact figures should be taken with caution, but the finding is shared: you are not alone.
💡 Learn more: silence is sometimes the logical follow-up to a rejection. Our guide on bouncing back after a job rejection helps you make the most of it.
Warning signs
Without reading minds, some signals suggest a risk of silence:
- No clear timeline. The recruiter stays vague about next steps ("we'll be in touch soon") instead of giving a date.
- Lengthening delays. The first exchanges were quick, then replies get further and further apart.
- A single contact. If everything depends on one person and they are away, the file stalls.
- A role open for a long time or reposted several times: a sign of a hesitant process.
- Interviews that follow one another without a decision, with changing interviewers.
Conversely, some companies publish their pace. Qonto, for example, details on its candidate journey 🔗 page (in French) feedback within 48 hours at each stage. This kind of commitment is a good indicator: do not hesitate to ask at the end of an interview, "What are the next steps and by when can I expect to hear back?"
Following up properly
Silence is not a rejection. Following up is legitimate, provided you do it with method.
The right timing
- After an interview: wait for the announced delay. With no specific delay, count about a week.
- First follow-up: a short, polite and positive message.
- Second follow-up: ten days to two weeks later, through another channel (phone or LinkedIn if the first was by email).
- Third attempt: only one, to close the matter. Beyond that, you risk annoying them.
A sample message
Subject: Following our interview on [date] – [Position]
Hello [First name],
I am following up on the [title] position. Our conversation on [date] confirmed my wish to join [company], especially regarding [specific point discussed].
I remain available for any additional information and would be glad to hear where the process stands.
Kind regards, [First name Last name]
Good practices
- Keep it short: five lines at most.
- Do not reproach. Avoid "I haven't heard back" in an irritated tone.
- Bring something: a relevant article, a clarification about your profile, an availability.
- Go through another contact if the recruiter stays silent: the hiring manager or someone you met.
📊 Go deeper: our article on how to follow up on an unanswered application details these follow-ups step by step, with more templates.
Protecting yourself
Waiting for an answer can weigh on your morale and your search. A few habits to limit the impact:
- Never put all your eggs in one basket. Keep applying and interviewing elsewhere until you sign a contract.
- Set a deadline. If you have no answer after two follow-ups, consider the file closed and move on.
- Keep a tracking table: company, role, dates sent, interviews, follow-ups, replies. You keep an overview and do not leave a file unattended by oversight.
- Do not take silence as a judgement. Your skills are not in question: in most cases the reason is organisational.
- Maintain your network. An internal contact often tells you more than a silent recruiter. Our guide on networking in finance shows how to build it without waiting to be in an active search.
- Manage your energy. Alternate applications, interview preparation, training and rest. A job search is played over the long run.
Learning from it
Ghosting is frustrating, but it can also improve your approach:
- Always ask for the timeline at the end of an interview, and write it down.
- Ask about feedback. "If my application is not selected, could I get feedback to improve?" This question shows maturity and encourages the recruiter to answer.
- Analyse your funnel. If you are regularly ghosted after sending your resume, it does not grab attention; if it is after an interview, work on your preparation. Our guide on preparing for an investment banking interview can serve as a base.
- Do not return the favour. If you drop out of a process, tell the recruiter with a short, courteous message. In a sector where everyone meets again, reputation counts.
Finally, check that your resume does its job before the first conversation. A poorly formatted document can be discarded in seconds by screening software before reaching a human, which looks a lot like ghosting. With FinanceCV, you focus on content: the tool handles the layout and produces an ATS-compatible resume that reaches the recruiter readable.
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