As I am currently searching for new remote job opportunities in content marketing, the process has been a bit frustrating. Despite a long, impressive career, a Master’s Degree, awards for my work, and several strong recommendations, I have been met with too many cold, overly templated and robotic responses (or even straight up ghosting) after an interview process has taken place. This type of treatment from the companies I’m interviewing with seems to be par for the course. So, this post serves as a bit of a rant, and I know that I’m not alone in my experiences from the countless number of complaints I’m seeing online from others also going through the job search process.

It’s funny that at a time when organizations are complaining about struggles to find qualified candidates, labor dropouts, and employees “quietly quitting” – or what we once called mailing it in – that so many in HR and other leadership positions don’t understand that the hiring process is also a demonstration of who you are as a company, how you treat potential employees, and your overall value system. The hiring and onboarding process is an individual’s first exposure to your business and if your processes and communications strategies are sloppy or even non-existent, this could have a very deleterious impact on your reputation and brand.

Even if a potential candidate is not THE candidate you have chosen, there needs to be a level of respect provided, and I truly believe that the way an organization treats individuals who are seeking a position at that company is a reflection on how they will also treat you as an employee.

A recent blog titled, Why Job Ghosting Candidates is Bad for Business, from Monster, a recruiting company that helps connect qualified candidates with the right job openings, states, “Your [an organization’s] hiring process is a reflection on your company culture, and perceived discourtesy can be downright dangerous for your brand. Embracing a culture of clear communication at every stage of the hiring process can improve your rate of accepted offers and minimize the possibility of applicants complaining about being ignored on social media.” And the blog even goes on to mention that “…77 percent of applicants believe there’s a correlation between how they are treated as job applicants and how they would likely be treated on the job.”

I’ll provide one of many examples from my own recent experience…remember I did mention that this blog serves as part reflection, part rant. I recently interviewed for a small, start-up company. Despite some misgivings about the seeming lack of organization in the role, I enthusiastically went through a very lengthy interview process for a marketing lead position. I went through six interviews total with almost 10 different people. During the final interview, the hiring manager mentioned that they weren’t even sure if the position that I was interviewing for was going to remain open as they were still figuring out their business needs – not something a candidate wants to hear after all the time spent researching the company and the people whom I was interviewing with, preparing answers to possible questions, and the actual interview time itself.

As suspected, I was ghosted for almost a month to finally discover a very cold, very templated rejection letter in my inbox with no real explanation as to why I was being so unceremoniously turned down after so many conversations. This let down made me feel extremely annoyed, leaving a very bitter taste in my mouth for that company in question. In fact, all the apparent “messiness” I worried about when interviewing for the position and company (as described by the interviewers) was even more underscored in my mind with the, frankly, crappy and disrespectful communication and the utter disregard for my wasted time.

And it’s not just hiring managers – recruiters have a lot to answer for as well. I have responded to many headhunter calls, only to never hear back about positions I was “perfect for” and which they were so desperate to get filled.

So, for those involved in the hiring process – whether you are in HR, the hiring manager, or a headhunter – note that when a candidate is interviewing for a particular role, they have not just spent time interviewing, they have also spent time preparing, researching, and yes, even dressing, to make a good impression. The respect they provide you as an interviewee should be reciprocated.

Think of your hiring process as the first impression provided to what may be potential customers, partners, and employees. Therefore, it is so important to develop proper pathways of communication during all stages of this process. If not, you don’t just suffer the loss of strong future candidates, you could also suffer a real dent in your reputation – something that can be quite injurious during a time when candidates are more empowered than ever to seek the right fit.