I was contacted by a recruiter at DraftKings about a role I had applied for. They seemed interested and asked to schedule a call.

I quickly shared my availability, had an initial conversation with the recruiter, and then moved on to an interview with the hiring manager. During that call, I was told the recruiter would reach out regarding next steps. However, I never received any updates. I even followed up with the recruiter to ask for feedback but received no response.

In today’s job market, where candidates are already facing significant challenges, this kind of communication breakdown is unacceptable. If the role was filled or the company chose to move in another direction, a simple update would have been sufficient. Ghosting a candidate you initially approached is not only unprofessional but also damaging to the company’s brand. Recruiters have a responsibility to maintain communication, and I’m sharing this experience so that other candidates are aware. We need to normalize calling out these poor practices to encourage a more transparent and respectful hiring process.

The hiring manager mainly asked a mix of technical and behavioral questions, reading from a list he had prepared.

Throughout the conversation, he appeared disinterested. If they weren’t genuinely interested in my profile, it would have been better not to move me forward in the process.