For more than a year, Hamid Ali has devoted himself to an all‑consuming job search, sending out multiple applications every single day with the persistence and discipline of someone determined to reclaim professional stability. He has methodically experimented with every available tactic to increase his chances of receiving a response from employers. In doing so, he has resorted to subtle but telling adjustments: removing his age from his résumé and strategically truncating parts of his extensive employment history so that the full weight of his twenty‑five years of industry experience appears less conspicuous. These modifications, though undertaken reluctantly, reflect the realism and urgency of a fifty‑two‑year‑old job seeker attempting to navigate a market that increasingly rewards youth and novelty over longevity and accrued expertise.
Ali explained that during this arduous year, he has managed to land several interviews for a variety of technology‑oriented business‑services positions. Yet, almost every one of those promising encounters has concluded in the same dispiriting way: complete and unexplained silence. After each interview, he waits, hopeful for feedback or next steps, only to realize that the employers have disappeared without acknowledgment. This pattern has led him to the painful conclusion that hiring managers may be politely avoiding rejection emails once they uncover his age, perceiving him as a potential financial burden or an overqualified candidate with a salary expectation beyond their budget. While rejection, in itself, is always disappointing, Ali told *Business Insider* that what has eroded his morale most profoundly is not the “no,” but the absence of any communication at all—the feeling of being ignored, or “ghosted,” after investing time, energy, and optimism into each opportunity.
“If my background does not align with your criteria,” he pleads, “at least have the courtesy to let me know. Silence is far harder to bear than rejection.” His sentiment resonates with many professionals of his generation, for whom courtesy and closure were once integral parts of the recruitment process.
Although ghosting has become an unpleasant norm for job seekers of all ages, its impact can feel particularly acute among Generation X candidates—those who forged their careers long before the dynamics of digital hiring, automated résumé filters, and AI‑driven application systems became ubiquitous. *Business Insider* interviewed seven Gen X professionals who described the same bewildering experience of being left in limbo, and how such dismissive treatment has reshaped their perceptions of both employers and their own professional worth.
For younger candidates, many of whom matured during an era dominated by online interaction, the phenomenon of ghosting—whether in romantic relationships, friendships, or career pursuits—feels almost routine. They scarcely recall a time when such abrupt silence was not the norm. A December 2024 analysis by the hiring platform Greenhouse revealed that sixty‑one percent of job seekers had been ghosted after completing at least one interview, marking a nine‑percent increase from earlier that same year. The reasons for this troubling trend, according to the report, stem largely from the overwhelming influx of applications—fueled by both a challenging economic climate and the unprecedented ease with which job seekers can submit mass applications in the age of artificial intelligence.
However, for Gen X professionals—many of whom began their working lives before email replaced phone calls and before algorithms dictated hiring decisions—the lack of acknowledgment after an interview represents not only frustration but also alienation. The silence underscores a widening generational divide between the professional world they once understood and the disembodied, automated labor market that now governs opportunity.
The experience of Christian Maiberger, age fifty‑four, reflects this dissonance. After losing his job in January, he accepted a new position roughly five months later that paid only half of his previous salary. Despite his efforts to remain competitive—including commissioning multiple professional revisions of his résumé—he continues to struggle with a system he describes as impersonal and opaque. “There was a time when you could look someone in the eye and make a direct impression,” Maiberger lamented. “Today, you’re reduced to a data point—a number inside a system.”
Career coach Colleen Paulson, founder of Ageless Careers, who specializes in advising Gen X and baby boom–aged clients, elaborates on this sense of displacement. She explains that seasoned professionals were accustomed to clear follow‑up, whether positive or negative, soon after applying for a position. Now, many experienced workers find themselves submitting applications online into what feels like a “black hole,” uncertain whether their résumés are ever reviewed by a human being or when, if ever, a response will arrive.
For others, such as fifty‑five‑year‑old Tina Wise, the experience of modern job seeking has taken an even darker turn. She reports that roughly one in four recruiters who initially express enthusiasm about her candidacy vanish without explanation. Compounding this disappointment is the proliferation of fraudulent job postings and recruitment scams. Wise receives so many deceptive calls each day that she has stopped answering unfamiliar phone numbers altogether, describing the constant vigilance and emotional drain as “devastating.”
The emotional toll of ghosting becomes especially personal for individuals like Bob Barton. At sixty years old, Barton was laid off in November 2023 after a long and stable career as a sales engineer. The job search that followed lasted nearly a year, ultimately concluding with a part‑time customer service position that gradually evolved into full‑time work in IT administration. While he expresses sincere gratitude for the opportunity, the position pays less than one‑third of what he previously earned and offers far fewer vacation benefits. For someone who has dedicated more than four decades to professional growth, this represents a profound shift in both identity and value.
In earlier years, Barton would secure a new position within a few months, but the recent experience has felt fundamentally different. “It shakes your confidence,” he confessed. “I believed I was good at what I did. I trusted that I brought genuine value, and my résumé reflected that.” The repeated silences from employers have made him question whether the skills and dedication developed over decades still hold weight. “When no response comes,” he said quietly, “you start to wonder—did I somehow lose relevance?”
For many Gen X job seekers, that haunting question lies at the heart of modern unemployment: not simply whether they can find work, but whether the market still recognizes who they are and what they have spent a lifetime building.
*If you’re a Gen Xer currently struggling to find employment and want to share your experience, reach out to the reporter at aaltchek@insider.com or contact securely via Signal at aalt.19.*
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-xers-job-hunt-getting-ghosted-hurts-2025-10
