Signs you just got professionally ghosted

Signs you just got professionally ghostedSigns you just got professionally ghostedHi again. Just circling back. Did you see my last emaille? I wanted to quickly follow up. Let me know when you have a chance.Most of us are all too familiar with ghosting in our personal lives, whether its the stereotypical Tinder connect who evaporates or a friend who never follows through with weekend plans. But then theres ghosting at work, a trend thats leid exactly new but thats uniquely annoying every time it happens.You know the drill. You need something from a colleague, and even though you know theyre on their computer all day, every day, somehow youre supposed to believe that they just havent read your email from three days ago yet?Here are a few of the most common ghosting situations, along with our best tips to finally get a response back- or at least try to.When youre interviewing for a jobSign Youve Been GhostedZero response to your thank-you note or second follow-up.How to Address ItIf yo uve only sent asingle thank-you note after your interview, you could give it one last shot with a follow-up note that expresses (again) how interested you are. They might still be interviewing and just havent gotten back.If youve already done that, its time to take a cue from standard dating advice move on. Theyre just not that into you, and thats OK. Theres another company out there that will punkt in love with you (and email you back).When someone owes you something for a projectSign Youve Been GhostedOne (or two or three) emails asking for something and still no response.How to Address ItIf youre in the same office, go see them and ask. Weve gotten pretty comfortable hiding behind computer screens, but its a lot harder to look someone in the eye when you owe them something and not feel motivated to give it to them. If thats not going to work in your situation, another good move (especially after a second or third email) is to CC a supervisor on the chain on another check-in. This is only a trick to be used in an incredibly flaky context- but trust us, people get back fast.When you ask the team for help - and no one volunteersSign Youve Been GhostedYou email a few coworkers asking if anyone can help you with a presentation, but absolutely no one responds.How to Address ItYou could send a follow-up email reminding everyone that youre still waiting for a volunteer, and you might hear back- but most likely someone will write back out of guilt only to give an excuse on why they cant help you.Skip the in-between step and go straight to the source. We like to email people individually (theyre more likely to get back to that than to the mass email) or, better yet, to stop by their desk and say, Hey, I know I sent an email the other day but didnt hear back from you. Either way, the best way to handle it is to acknowledge why they dont want to do it, e.g. I know that its not exactly a fun thing and Im sure youve got a ton of stuff on your plate, but Im really gettin g desperate. Could you help me? Ill owe you one. Everybody loves an office IOU.When you ask for a networking introductionSign Youve Been GhostedYou ask if your coworker/boss/friend can introduce you to someone in their network, they maybe even say, Sure, Ill look up their contact for you and then you never hear anything back.How to Address ItThis varies person-to-person but youve got two possibilities here one is that the person you asked is a capital F Flake, the other is that they dont want to do it. So which one are they?If shes a Flake, follow up again and one more time after that. Underscore how important it is to you and how much youd appreciate it. Sprinkle a lot of pleases and youre my hero statements in there. Hope for the best.If you suspect she doesnt want to do it, ask yourself honestly why. Is it awkward for her? In many cases, thats the most common answer- just because you want the contact information doesnt mean shes comfortable sharing it. If thats the case, follow u p one time and then drop it. Find another way to get introduced or try reaching out to the contact cold on LinkedIn. That might work just as well.When someones missed a deadlineSign Youve Been GhostedUm, the work they owe you isnt here.How to Address ItHead on. Email and say something like thisHi Name,Checking in on the status of The Late Project since I was hoping to have that by Insert the Missed Deadline. Could you give me an update on where youre at and when I can expect to have it by?If they still dont respond, try our favorite last-ditch effort solution cc your/their boss on another follow-up.When you do someone a favor and ask for a favor backSign Youve Been GhostedLets just use a Career Contessa example, shall we? You interview a woman from a big name brand, and you share that interview on all your social channels. You email her PR team asking them to share it with their network as well, and nothing.How to Address ItEven if you wish it worked differently, you do something f or someone just to do it. Unless you had an agreement that they would return the favor in a specific way at a specific time, the most you can do is email once more asking if they could help you with XYZ project. Tell them it would mean a lot to you without pointing fingers (I did this for you already). If they dont get back, remember that the next time they ask you for a favor.When someones doing bad workSign Youve Been GhostedYou give an employee or coworker feedback about some poor performance and suddenly, theyre phoning it in on their work. Barely.How to Address ItAgain, head on is best. (Seeing a pattern here?) Many a passive-aggressive battle is waged in the break room, but that doesnt mean you cant keep it classy. Ask them if you can chat for five minutes and point out that youve noticed things feel a bit strained. Use a specific example or two if you have them. Then ask for whatever it is that you need.By the way, if youre their boss and theyre now doing badlyandignoring you r requests and feedback, this is all documentation you can use if/when you let them go. Because lets be real, a professional ghoster who also does a bad job? Not exactly long-term employee material.This article was originally published on Career Contessa.