Entry Level Software Developer

Candidate completed screening and technical challenge, then was pressured into a 2-year employment contract containing a $20,000 liquidated damages clause for early departure. Upon finishing the required 8 weeks of intensive training with promises of immediate deployment to Fortune 500 tech clients, candidate was placed in an unpaid 'staging pool' for 90 days. Recruiter ignored all deployment update requests while continuing to enroll fresh cohorts. 📋 Uncompensated Assessment Details: Pre-employment coding evaluation and 8-week uncompensated training commitment with $20k liquidated damages clause ⭐ Ghost Severity Rating: 4.15 / 5.0 Rating Analysis: High severity rating reflecting 90 days of complete post-training abandonment (5.0), predatory contractual lock-ins (4.2), continuous recruitment during client dry spells (4.5), and extensive community documentation (4.6). Rubric Breakdown: Silence: 5.0/5.0 | Rounds: 2.8/5.0 | Take-Home: 4.2/5.0 | Reposting: 4.5/5.0 | Consensus: 4.6/5.0 🔗 Community Discussion & Evidence: Reddit (915 upvotes, 312 comments) — https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/14p6r9d/revature_staging_pool_ghosting_nightmare/ 🔍 Glassdoor Footprint: Perpetually Reposted (6+ months). Continuous mass postings targeting college grads on Glassdoor, Indeed, and university Handshake boards. Glassdoor reviews feature dozens of warnings regarding indefinite bench time and complete communication freezes.