Business

Ghosting, Not Hearing Back is Your Answer

Published

2 years ago

September 23, 2022

Back in the day, maybe still today, at the end of an audition, Hollywood producers would say, “Don’t call us; we’ll call you.”

If you didn’t hear back, you didn’t get the gig.

Not hearing back was your answer.

Maybe hiring managers should end their interviews with, “If you don’t hear from us by Friday, presume we’ve moved on to other candidates.”

I’d prefer to know the interviewer’s communication context rather than assuming I’ll hear back either way or worse, being told I’ll hear back in a few days and not hearing anything.

The term ghosting—not hearing back from the company after an interview—was born in the dating world. Recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates are increasingly abruptly ending communication. (Ghosting is happening both ways.)

Even though ghosting is considered “unprofessional,” I believe it’ll eventually be integrated into our social norms, just as many other social norms we accept today were considered unacceptable just a few years ago.

Think about all that we accept or tolerate today that weren’t accepted or tolerated 20 years ago. I can’t recall the last time I wore a tie to an interview, funeral, as a keynote speaker, or meeting with “the powers that be.” Visible tattoos aren’t frowned upon, and the usage of profanity doesn’t raise eyebrows. Today, manners are less pronounced, and people are more prone to being offended, causing everyone to walk around on eggshells, which is why ghosting is increasing.

Additionally, a sense of entitlement is prevalent today. Many candidates raised on the idea that “everyone is a winner” react negatively when not chosen. Due to having been verbally bitten several times, it’s understandable that employers avoid reaching out to rejected candidates. More than one hiring manager has said to me, “It’s easier to not have the conversation than to have it.”

For better or worse, I’ll let you decide.

It can’t be expected that the downgrading (READ: becoming more casual) of our social mannerisms wouldn’t find its way into the workplace. The 20 or 30-something HR manager has an entirely different set of values and definition of what it means to be a professional than the 48-year-old job seeker. Generational clashes are happening.

Hiring managers are swamped with applications. Replying to everyone, aside from an automated “We’ve received your application and will contact you if we feel there’s a match,” would take more time than they have. Technology is one of the reasons recruitment is becoming increasingly discourteous.

Here’s some straightforward talk: Nobody wants to spend their lifeblood on someone else’s business. A person has a job to make a living. For most people, their job is purely transactional. Having a transactional mindset is why movements such as “quiet quitting” and the “F.I.R.E. movement” (Financial Independence, Retire Early), where Gen Z adults extreme save 50% to 75% of their income so they can retire by their 40s or 50s, exist. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise that social niceties are being dropped as employers and employees are rapidly moving towards a relationship where each party views the other as a means to an end.

Like every job seeker, I’ve been ghosted. Since I tend to keep my expectations low, sometimes having none, being ghosted has never really bothered me. I’m serious! I don’t feel a recruiter or hiring manager owes me a reply after an interview. When I get a follow-up call, which I usually do, it’s nice, but it’s not something I expect. I attribute my assumption that no one owes me, coupled with my belief that business is never personal, to why I’m motivated to energetically help myself. I believe having the expectation of “I’m owed” is why many job seekers are frustrated with how employers design their hiring process.

Most of your job search will involve dealing with strangers who, let’s face it, owe you nothing. A fact of life: You can’t control someone’s behaviour or actions, especially that of a stranger. Acknowledging this fact of life is how you “discipline your disappointment” when someone fails to meet your expectations.

Always end your interviews knowing the next step and when to expect to hear back if you’re green-lighted to move forward in the hiring process. (“I really enjoyed our conversation. What is the next step, and when can I expect to hear back if I’m selected to move forward?”) Once I’m told what to expect, I’ll say, “If I don’t hear back from you by the end of Friday, I’ll presume you’ve moved on to other candidates.”

If the get-back-to-you deadline passes, reach out once and then let it go. Some advice I learned in the job search trenches: Always have several pokers in the fire throughout your job search. Don’t become dependent on a particular employer offering you a job. Having other job opportunities in your pipeline will help you move on from being ghosted.

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Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send Nick your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Business

Roots sees room for expansion in activewear, reports $5.2M Q2 loss and sales drop

Published

10 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.

The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.

“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.

The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.

But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.

Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.

“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.

“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”

Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.

The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.

In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.

Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.

The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.

The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.

Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.

Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.

It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.

Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.

Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)

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Business

Talks on today over HandyDART strike affecting vulnerable people in Metro Vancouver

Published

2 days ago

September 12, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.

No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.

Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.

A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

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Business

Transat AT reports $39.9M Q3 loss compared with $57.3M profit a year earlier

Published

2 days ago

September 12, 2024

Anne Joseph

MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.

The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.

The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.

Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.

On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.

Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)

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