This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jenna Hoffman, a 28-year-old communications professional, graduate-school student, and entrepreneur in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
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Late last year, I applied for a communications and event manager position at a local nonprofit. What happened afterward drove me to quit job hunting.
I had been on the market for nearly two years by that point, while pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. Since my classes are online, I knew I could do a 9-to-5 job during the week and then do school at night and on weekends.
The nonprofit invited me to do a phone interview in late November. They said they expected to fill the role by the start of 2026, but then I was invited to go on two in-person interviews, one in December and the other in early January. The meetings took about five hours in total, and I met with several employees.
I had all the experience necessary for the job. I felt like I was in alignment with the place, and since they interviewed me three times, I thought they must like me and that I was on the right track.
I went to Iowa State for my undergrad, and it was drilled into us that, no matter what, you must send a thank-you note immediately after an interview, so I did. I copied all five people who interviewed me. Their emails were available online, and a few replied saying it was great to meet me.
After about a week of silence, I sent another email asking for a status update. They said that they still hadn’t made their determination. Two more weeks passed, and I didn’t hear anything. Then I checked their Facebook page since I knew that’s where they’re most active online, and where their target audience is.
That’s when I found out I didn’t get the job. The nonprofit had put up a post a few days earlier announcing that they’d hired someone for the position, along with a photo of the person.
At first, I thought I must be confused. Was I looking at the right organization’s Facebook page? I was. Then I thought, oh no, did I miss a phone call or an email? I’m sure that I would have heard something. Yet I couldn’t find any evidence of being contacted.
If the expectation is that I should send a thank-you note after a job interview, I should anticipate the courtesy of hearing, “No, thank you, we’re not interested.” I decided to email everyone whom I interviewed with to let them know how I felt. Here’s what I wrote:
Hello,I am following up after learning — through social media — that the Communications and Events Manager position has been filled, as I was not otherwise notified. I appreciated the opportunity to interview and the time your team invested in speaking with me throughout the process.Given the level of interest and time commitment involved, I want to share direct feedback. The extended lack of communication following my application and interviews was disappointing and made it difficult to assess the role and organization in good faith. While I understand that timelines can shift, especially around the holidays, clearer and more consistent updates would have demonstrated respect for candidates’ time and maintained transparency throughout the process.I hope this perspective is helpful as you evaluate your hiring and communication practices moving forward. Thank you for your consideration, and I wish you continued success.
I sent the email because I’m in the communications profession. People in my industry are supposed to be able to have hard conversations. If this is the person I want to be, this is the message I should be sharing, and if I have an opportunity to create change, I’m going to. That’s just the kind of person I am.
Two of the nonprofit’s leaders wrote back, saying they were sorry about what happened and that they would make changes. I don’t know if they have yet or ever will, but at least they’re aware.
This experience happened after I’d spent most of 2024 and 2025 applying to jobs — an average of 25 a week — and going on countless interviews without success. I think employers saw my pending graduate degree as a problem. They couldn’t understand how someone could do grad school and have a full-time job.
I’m a busy person. In addition to school, I’m flipping a house and building a philanthropy-based housecleaning business to help domestic-abuse survivors earn a living wage. I wear all these different hats because I have high-functioning ADHD. I have no chill. I am go-go-go all the time.
I think most people are afraid to use their voice as I did, but I see that as a strength and a sign of leadership. I’m now done with job hunting. I graduate in May, and my plan is to transition into private practice. I’ll serve clients with supervision until I meet the necessary requirements to strike out on my own.
