By Carol A. Tiernan
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𝗜’𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹, 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜’𝗺 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁—𝗜’𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁.
Months ago, I applied for a leadership role that felt like the perfect fit. It was the work I’ve been doing (and excelling at) for over a decade. I passed the HR screening, aced a panel interview, and left feeling confident about my chances.
Then—silence.
Weeks later, I received a generic rejection email: “𝘈𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦.” Disappointed but professional, I followed up, asking for feedback—anything to help me grow or understand why I wasn’t the right fit.
Nothing, of course.
But it felt different this time. This wasn’t just any role; it was exactly what I’d been doing for 10 years at competitors of this organization. That rejection shook my confidence in ways I didn’t expect. I started questioning everything:
• Do I no longer have the skills?
• Am I too old?
• Did I come across poorly in the interview?
• What’s wrong with me?
It took time to rebuild my confidence and remind myself of my worth. Then, this week, I learned the truth: the role was never filled. That email claiming the position had been offered to someone else wasn’t true. The requisition had been closed due to “internal issues.”
When the position reopened, I reached out to express my continued interest. I highlighted my qualifications again, only to receive a curt dismissal: the hiring team “will not be considering anyone who previously interviewed.” No answer when I asked why.
As someone who has done a lot of hiring in my career, I’ve never seen anything like this. Candidates are expected to show up as their best selves—polished, prepared, vulnerable, and invested. But hiring teams? They can ghost you, mislead you, and reject you with sweeping decisions that feel arbitrary.
Yes, they get to make the decision as to who they’ll hire, but does that give them the right to treat candidates with such disregard? This isn’t just unprofessional—it’s dehumanizing. It erodes trust. It undermines confidence. And it sends a clear message: 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.
I know I’m not alone in this experience, and I want to say this: 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆.
Hiring teams, you can do better. You must do better. Transparency, respect, and honesty should be the baseline—not the exception.
To those still searching, remember this: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. Together, let’s demand a system that treats people with the dignity they deserve.
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You can reach Ms. Tiernan directly at www.caroltiernan.com.