# Marked as 'fired' for a job he was never offered

**[TRUE STORY]** — by Job seeker · via r/recruitinghell

A job seeker completed three interview rounds with a company, received positive signals, then heard nothing. Weeks later, checking the company's application portal, he found his status updated to "Not Retained" — human-resources terminology for terminated. For a position he was never offered. The role was subsequently reposted with a lower salary. The post on r/recruitinghell drew hundreds of comments, many from candidates who had discovered similar phantom statuses in applicant tracking systems: hired-without-hired, rejected-without-rejection, and in this case, fired without ever being employed.

*Source: [r/recruitinghell · TwistedSifter](https://www.twistedsifter.com/2026/01/job-seeker-went-through-three-interview-rounds-and-was-ghosted-without-an-offer-but-later-discovered-the-company-marked-him-as-fired-from-a-job-he-never-held/)*
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