Status Jet interview questions

The interview was fine, with no complaints. However, the owner asked for references on an entry level sales job, which seemed strange. Regardless, I provided the references, and never heard from him again. I followed up a couple times, but all my followups were ignored. I would have appreciated a small update as to the status of my application, but never got one. It's been months at this point, and I've yet to hear a word back. I'm not sure if this practice of employers ghosting candidates is the new trend, or just an excuse for the employer to repeat the tired line, "no one is willing to work" and "there's a worker shortage."