This is what to do if you experience professional ghosting

"A little while ago, I'd submitted my article to a well-respected publication that I'd done a lot of research for. I was beyond excited and delighted when, following an encouraging meeting with a senior editor, I'd heard that they accepted it for publication. It had taken months to get the article to this point, many previous failed submission attempts, and over a decade of expertise and experience-but I'd finally done it! And it was going to be career-changing. Unfortunately, what happened next was anything but."

"After an initial follow-up email from the editor, I was informed that the article was under revision and would be sent for review shortly. Weeks went by, and I politely followed up and heard nothing back. A month passed, and another polite follow-up resulted in silence. Another month passed, and then another. Over a period of six months, my follow-ups resulted in total silence. Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that I'd been professionally ghosted."

""Ghosting" is a term that originally stemmed from internet culture, and people use it to describe when one party abruptly ceases communication without explanation. People often talk about it in the context of online dating, but it has made its way to the professional context. Now, it's a description for a job interview you never hear back from, clients pulling contracts abruptly and ceasing all contact, or a colleague simply ignoring email after email."

"I'd expect this from a Tinder date, but not from an editor of a prestigious journal. I felt shocked, confused, and disappointed. When I confided in a close colleague, they shared a recent experience of being ghosted for a promotion. A senior manager had made that promise but never spoke about it again. That made me wonder: Is professional ghosting becoming the norm rather than the exception?"

An accepted submission to a well-respected publication initially received encouraging feedback, then months of silence followed despite polite follow-ups. Repeated monthly inquiries over a six-month period produced no response, leading to resignation that the contributor had been professionally ghosted. The experience caused shock, confusion, and disappointment, and a colleague reported a similar situation involving a promised promotion that never materialized. "Ghosting" originally referred to abrupt cessation of communication in internet dating but has entered professional contexts, including unanswered job interviews, clients terminating contracts without notice, and colleagues ignoring repeated emails. Being ghosted can be confusing and can severely undermine confidence.

Read at Fast Company