Imagine this: You’re offered a dream job—better pay, bigger title, exciting growth. The recruiter sounds convincing, the hiring manager is enthusiastic, and everything feels right. But there’s one catch: “We need you to resign from your current role before we can issue the offer letter.” You hesitate. They reassure you. You resign. And then… silence.

This isn’t fiction. It’s a growing reality in today’s recruitment landscape. And it’s leaving candidates jobless, betrayed, and emotionally wrecked.

The Rise of the “Verbal Offer Trap”

Across Reddit threads, LinkedIn posts, and HR forums, stories are piling up. Candidates are being asked to resign based on verbal offers or vague email promises—only to be ghosted or told the role was “put on hold” due to budget cuts or internal reshuffling.

In one viral post, a software engineer shared how a unicorn startup in Bengaluru asked him to resign before sending the offer letter. He complied. Days later, the company went silent. No offer. No apology. Just a polite “we’re reevaluating headcount.”

This isn’t just unethical—it’s exploitative. And it’s happening more often than HR leaders care to admit.

Why Is This Happening?

• Desperation for Talent: In a hyper-competitive market, companies rush to lock in candidates before rivals do.
• Broken Internal Processes: Some firms lack proper approval workflows, issuing verbal offers prematurely.
• Power Imbalance: Candidates, especially those from vulnerable backgrounds, feel pressured to comply or risk losing the opportunity.
• Ghost Hiring: Roles are posted to gauge market interest, not to actually hire—leaving candidates in limbo.

According to a study by IJLR, coercive recruitment tactics—including misleading promises and forced resignations—are part of a broader pattern of labor exploitation, especially in tech, retail, and gig sectors.

The Psychological Toll

This isn’t just a career hiccup—it’s trauma. Candidates report anxiety, depression, and loss of trust in the hiring system. Some are forced to take up lower-paying jobs or remain unemployed for months.

And let’s not forget the reputational damage. Companies that engage in these tactics are being called out publicly. Screenshots of recruiter messages, email chains, and ghosted threads are going viral. The backlash is real—and it’s growing.

What HR Leaders Must Do—Now

• Ban Verbal Offers Without Written Confirmation: No candidate should be asked to resign without a signed offer letter.
• Audit Recruitment Ethics: Companies must review hiring practices and hold recruiters accountable.
• Empower Candidates: Educate job seekers on their rights. Encourage them to demand written proof before making life-altering decisions.
• Create Safe Channels: Anonymous reporting mechanisms can help expose unethical hiring behavior internally.

As Forbes notes, recruitment strategies in 2025 must prioritize transparency, candidate wellbeing, and ethical conduct—not just speed and scale.

Conclusion: The Human Cost of a Broken Promise

Behind every forced resignation is a person who trusted too soon, hoped too much, and paid the price. This isn’t just a recruitment issue—it’s a moral one.

If you’re a candidate, remember: your livelihood is not negotiable. Demand clarity. Protect yourself. And if you’ve been burned, speak up. The more we expose these practices, the harder it becomes for companies to hide behind silence.

References

• Economic Times: Hiring Trick or Job Scam
• Indian Journal of Legal Review: Exploitative Employment Practices
• Forbes: HR and Recruitment Trends for 2025
• Testlify: Unfair Hiring Practices
• Intervue: Combating Unfair Hiring