I recently met someone I considered an “A” prospect. We met, he heard me speak, we met again with his wife present, and I gave him a proposal on how we could work together. He sent me an email saying he’d, “…get back to you next week.”
When I didn’t hear from him I called and left a message. Two weeks later another message and finally an email saying I’d left two messages and the ball was in his court if he wanted to get back to me.
Assuming he’s alive and not severely disabled it means he disappeared on me. Not even the courtesy of an email saying he’s not interested.
And it’s not just him or me. Everybody I know in the employment field (applicants, coaches, recruiters, etc.) say this behavior is very common in the job industry. People at companies don’t reply, leave applicants hanging, etc.
It’s a form of passive aggressive behavior (and being in Seattle, the passive aggressive capital of the world, it’s not unusual). It’s also rude and unprofessional, and probably speaks to the self-esteem of many people as they can’t say no, even in writing (it’s called Minnesota Nice in that part of the country).
If you’re not interested, just say so.