The Interview Is a Trap: How Companies Waste Your Time and Then Ghost You!

Come In, We Just Want to “Chat”

It always starts the same way: “We’d love to have a quick conversation about your background.” Sounds casual, right? But you quickly realize this isn’t a friendly coffee chat, it’s an unpaid strategy session.

Suddenly, you’re walking them through your best ideas, solving their pain points, and practically building their next quarterly plan… all before you’ve even met HR.

The reality? Many companies use interviews as reconnaissance. 

They’re shopping for ideas, benchmarking their pay ranges, or collecting intel to pass to the candidate they really want, the one who’s already internal or referred by the CEO’s golf buddy. You leave thinking you’ve impressed them. They leave with your best playbook, implemented by someone else.

The 5-Round Hostage Situation

One or two interviews? Sure, makes sense. By round three, you’re committed. But by the fifth round, you’re basically a part-time employee without a paycheck. You’ve met the hiring manager, the skip-level manager, the VP, the peer team, and someone from a department that doesn’t even touch the role.

This isn’t thoroughness. It’s indecision in business casual. Multiple rounds often mean they either don’t know what they’re looking for or they’re waiting for someone “better” to come along. Meanwhile, you’re burning PTO, rescheduling your life, and answering the same “Tell me about a time…” question over and over. By the end, you’re not excited about the job, you’re exhausted.

We’re Just Making Sure You’re the Right Fit

Ah, the dreaded “fit” conversation. Companies love to talk about culture fit, but it’s often a vague, moving target. You can have the skills, the experience, and the enthusiasm but if you’re not the “right vibe” for the team (read: not a clone of everyone already there), you’re out.

Sometimes “fit” is code for “we’ve already picked someone else, but HR won’t let us close the job posting yet.” Other times, it’s a stalling tactic while they hold out for a unicorn candidate. And here’s the kicker, you could be the exact fit they need, but because the role has been open so long, leadership has built up an impossible checklist in their heads. Now no human can pass.

Ghosting Isn’t Just for Dating Apps

The most infuriating interview outcome? Silence. You prep for hours, shuffle your schedule, maybe even buy a new blazer… and then nothing. No rejection email, no call, no feedback. Just corporate crickets.

Ghosting happens for a few reasons: they hired internally and didn’t want to tell you; the role got put on hold; or they simply didn’t prioritize giving closure. But here’s the truth, companies that ghost candidates are telling you exactly how they treat people: as disposable. If they can’t respect your time in the interview process, imagine what it’s like inside the building.

How to Tell if the Interview Is a Dead End

You don’t have to wait until you’re fully ghosted to spot the red flags. Here’s how to know the call is going nowhere:

• The process has more than 4 steps with no clear decision date.

• They dodge the pay conversation until the final stage.

• Nobody can explain why the last person left the role.

• Different interviewers give you conflicting visions for the job.

These are all signs the role is either under-resourced, over-sold, or flat-out undefined. Translation: you’re walking into chaos, and the interview process is just the warm-up.

Flip the Script

Job interviews aren’t just about proving you’re the right candidate, they’re about proving the company is the right employer. You’re not there to beg for a seat; you’re there to assess if their table is worth sitting at.

Ask the questions that make hiring managers sweat: “How do you measure success in this role?” “What’s your average turnover on this team?” “When’s the last time someone here was promoted?” Pay attention to how they answer. If they’re vague, defensive, or try to change the subject, that’s your cue to mentally end the call.

TL;DR:

Some interviews are just a slow “no” dressed up as opportunity. Don’t let them drain your time, steal your ideas, or string you along. The moment the process feels like an unpaid internship for a job you don’t even have yet? Stop!