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'Trust keeps getting abused': Startup founder says 'hiring feels broken', sparks discussion
A startup founder's post on candidates ghosting after offer letters has sparked a discussion on trust, professionalism and hiring practices.
A startup founder’s candid post on hiring challenges has triggered a discussion on trust, professionalism and ghosting in recruitment. In a post shared on X, Pritesh Lakhani, co-founder of B2B marketplace Pneucons, detailed a series of recent hiring setbacks that led him to question why the recruitment process feels increasingly dysfunctional.
Lakhani wrote that two new recruits joined and quit within just 2 days of receiving their offer letters, while another candidate accepted an offer last month but never showed up. “No drama. No explanation. Just wasted time,” he said.
In response, Lakhani said that his company altered its hiring process, deciding to issue offer letters only after candidates formally joined. “We decided to share offer letters only after people joined. Not to control anyone. Just to protect ourselves from repeat no-shows,” he wrote. However, he added that even this change failed to solve the problem.
“This is why hiring feels broken. Not because companies are heartless, but because trust keeps getting abused. Every ‘rigid policy’ is usually a response to something that already went wrong,” Lakhani wrote. He concluded by saying that trust erodes gradually. “People say companies don’t trust candidates anymore. True. But trust isn’t lost randomly. It’s lost one offer letter at a time,” he said.
How did social media react?
The post struck a chord with several users, many of whom echoed similar frustrations in the comments.
“Offer letters are often used by the candidates to negotiate a higher salary from another employer ...in that process they will try to secure as many offers as possible and eventually ghost all those companies ...what a waste of everyone's time,” one user wrote.
“I am into Recruitment. In the recruitment business, we can't trust even a single candidate fully—even after they join. Every month, around 10 of our candidates back out just days before their joining date, despite the lengthy and effort-intensive hiring process that candidates often fail to appreciate,” shared another.
However, not everyone agreed with Lakhani’s assessment.
“Every man for itself. Where is this professionalism when MD buys an audi and offers 1% increment. When people lay off workers instead of reducing management perks and bonuses.
If u value US professionalism so much Google Verizon and see the belt treatment they are receiving,” wrote one user.
“What a big load of shit! Pay the candidates for what they are worth instead of low-balling them and they will never leave you like this. And not sharing offer letter before joining? That’s just pathetic! Who will ever join like this? Would you? Stop being greedy and pay your employees their worth, or else someone else will and you will end up with just the core team,” commented another.
