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A recruiter reached out to me in September of 2023 to set up an interview for a startup company. I interview and they tell me they love me, but it will take about 2 weeks for HR to send me an offer letter.
2 weeks goes by and nothing. I email the recruiter, and she doesn't know either. She tells me they have a phone call with them every Friday and she will inquire on when the offer will come.
Another 2 weeks goes by and still nothing. At this point I figure they went with someone else. The recruiter hasn't reached back out to me or anything.

At the end of November of 2023, the recruiter calls and says, they want to hire me at the first of January 2024. Sounds great. Send me the offer letter and I'll sign it.
The week before Christmas, I still had not received anything. I emailed again and she says they are sending it now. Should have it within 2 days.
I wait till after Christmas and still did not get anything. The recruiter said that ADP was having issues sending it, but it will be soon.

January 3rd, I email once again to the recruiter and ask her what's going on. She then tells me that the start date has been pushed to February 2024 and that I should still get an offer letter any time now. She then proceeded to send me everything about the job. What salary they are offering, all the benefits, everything that would/should be in the offer letter.

It was till 1 week before February and I emailed her again asking about the offer letter because I had not received it yet. She says they have pushed it back till March.

It is now almost May and I have yet to receive anything. I emailed the recruiter ever 2 or 3 weeks since and I get the same email. That I'm on their radar and they haven't forgotten about me. But the company keeps pushing the start dates back and will not send an offer letter out until a final date is chosen. So, this whole thing has been going on over 6 months now.

Should I go around my recruiter and message someone on LinkedIn? Or should I just trust the process? I've never used a recruiter before, and I don't think I will again.

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  • I hope you continue to apply for jobs at other companies. You will have better chances elsewhere. Forget about this company and this recruiter.
    – Job_September_2020
    Commented Apr 24 at 5:33
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    Don't ever go around a recruiter. It could have unintended consequences. Let this company go. They're not serious. As someone who runs engineering for a startup, I don't have 6 months to waste on something like this. It's a killer.
    – Joel Etherton
    Commented Apr 25 at 17:27

2 Answers 2

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It sounds like the startup company is the one having the issues here. For whatever reason they don't have things in order. They obviously like you, but aren't completely ready to commit. There could be a multitude of reasons for this.

The recruiter seems to be relaying information when they have it, but the company is not providing much information. I can't think of a scenario where reaching out to the employer will get you an adequate response. The company hasn't been sitting on the position for 6 months trying to get the recruiter to follow up with you. If the recruiter has actually screwed up this opportunity, the company likely filled it with another candidate by now.

I'd recommend continuing your job search. Any company that is truly interested will keep the process moving and keep you informed.

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    One possibility is that the company is waiting for some venture capital funding that hasn't materialised (yet). So definitely continue your job search in the meantime.
    – mhwombat
    Commented Apr 22 at 23:10
  • Honestly, the employer and recruiter really should know what's happening. You don't string someone along for 6 months like this without a proper answer.
    – Nelson
    Commented Apr 24 at 2:27
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    @Nelson The employer knows what is going on, but isn't communicating it fully. The recruiter can only press so much for answers. The company isn't going to tell you that they don't have things in order, don't have funding, etc.
    – Steve
    Commented Apr 24 at 13:28
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If you don't think it isn't a little fishy, then go for it.

You don't owe the recruiter anything. You didn't sign an agreement with them. Somebody is either disorganized or poorly running some part of a business. If it is the recruiter, no harm no foul. If it is the startup, well then all the delays that they've been throwing at you are garbage.

Be careful that you aren't getting a case of "Happy Ears". Are you hearing positive things that just aren't really there while ignore the negatives?

Good luck.

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  • Jumping over the recruiter when the company has specifically chosen to use recruiters could actually hurt your chances. You may look pushy and aggressive which could turn them off. If you go against their way over doing this, what other protocols and procedures might you decide to ignore.
    – cdkMoose
    Commented Apr 23 at 17:29
  • @cdkMoose normally I agree with you. My point with the answer is the whole thing is a off. Either the company or the recruiter is quite right. If the problem is the recruiter, going around wouldn't hurt. If the problem is the company, nothing will help.
    – DogBoy37
    Commented Apr 23 at 17:33

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