The Spooky Truth About ‘Ghosting’ in Recruitment:

Ghosting is not just for Halloween. Sadly it’s not even reserved for dating… it has crept into the recruitment world. Communication suddenly vanishes without a trace, leaving candidates and recruiters in a limbo.

Ghosting is basically rejection without the closure

As Halloween approaches with its eerie tales of ghosts and ghouls, I thought it would be the perfect time to shine a light on recruitments skeleton in the closet. In this post, I’ll explore the creepy occurrences of candidates disappearing, recruiters going dark, and how both sides can prevent these chilling interactions from haunting the hiring process in the future…

When the Haunting Began

Ghosting in recruitment seems to be everywhere now - but it wasn’t always this way. Before the age of online job applications, job seekers and recruiters communicated through formal letters, phone calls, and in-person meetings. It wasn’t perfect, but at least it was clear.

However, with the rise of digital platforms and the ‘ATS’, let's face it, for many the recruitment process became impersonal. It became all too easy for candidates and recruiters to disappear without warning.

Let's be clear, ghosting is a two-way street

This eerie silence leaves both sides stranded. For candidates, this can happen after initial communication with recruiters, after interviews or even job offers, when follow-ups are met with dead silence. For recruiters, candidates can disappear during the interview process, during the offer process or even failing to appear on their first day in a new job!

When Candidates Disappear

Recruiters often face their own ghost stories. They find a great candidate, go through rounds of interviews, and then, the candidate disappears. Emails and Whatapp msg’s go unanswered, phone calls are ignored, and suddenly, a once enthusiastic candidate is nowhere to be found.

This happens for several reasons. Some candidates are simply "trick-or-treating," applying to multiple jobs and jumping on the best offer. Often its simply that they are uncomfortable with rejecting offers and choose to vanish rather than deal with awkwardness. While ghosting might feel like an easy escape, it leaves recruiters in a lurch, delays the hiring process and in some cases can negatively impact professional relationships.

To help prevent this, recruiters need to develop stronger relationships with candidates by setting clear expectations and keeping communication lines open. Candidates are 100% more likely to ghost when they feel disconnected, so nurturing a transparent and honest relationship can help avoid these disappearing acts.

Recruiters Vanishing Without a Trace

The lack of feedback following an interview is one of the most unsettling parts of job hunting. Imagine acing an interview, only to wait weeks in silence, never receiving feedback or a final decision. Candidates are often left wondering what went wrong, like hearing strange footsteps in the dark but finding no one there.

Recruiters ghost for various reasons (none of them good): they may be juggling too many candidates (RocketPower can help here), the role might have been filled or maybe they didn't receive feedback to pass onto the candidate form the business. Whatever the reason, this silence can feel disrespectful to to the candidate, as they’ve invested time and effort into the process. Ghosting from recruiters not only frustrates job seekers but can also affect the company’s reputation.

Employer Branding: The Long-Lasting Haunt of Ghosting

Recruitment ghosting doesn’t just harm individuals, it casts a shadow over the company itself. In today’s world, every candidate interaction is a piece of the company’s employer branding. When candidates are ghosted, they’re likely to share their negative experiences, leading to a haunting effect on the company’s reputation.

This perception often has long-term consequences. Candidates talk, and bad experiences spread, making it harder for companies to attract talent in the future. Ghosting paints a company as unprofessional, disorganized, or uncaring, all of which can impact their ability to attract thew very best candidates.

Its good to talk!

To avoid being haunted by a poor reputation, organizations must prioritize communication throughout the hiring process. Timely feedback, transparency, and closing the loop with every candidate, even those who don’t get the job. These are crucial to maintaining a positive employer image. Companies that do this stand out as respectful and professional, which strengthens their brand and builds trust with future candidates.

Remember closure is all anybody wants!

The Pandemic’s Role in Fueling Ghosting

The COVID-19 pandemic added fuel to the ghosting fire. As companies shifted to remote work and faced economic uncertainty, many froze their hiring processes, often leaving candidates in the dark. Likewise, candidates, unsure of the stability of job offers, began ghosting recruiters more frequently.

This mutual ghosting became more prevalent during the pandemic, with the detachment of virtual interviews making it easier for both sides to disappear. The lack of personal interaction, combined with high levels of uncertainty, led to a surge in ghost stories throughout the recruitment world.

Exorcizing the Ghosts. How to reduce Ghosting

The great thing about Recruitment? It's about people - and because of that, we will never banish Ghosting. You can’t control what anyone else does, but you can put some things in place to ensure you're not the one responsible for ghosting…

For Recruiters:

👻 Set Clear Expectations

From the start, explain the timeline of the recruitment process to candidates. Let them know when they’ll hear back and what to expect at each stage.

👻 Provide Feedback

Even if the candidate didn’t get the job, send a rejection email. Closing the loop gives them closure and leaves a positive impression.

👻 Automate Follow-Ups

Use your applicant tracking systems (ATS) to automate rejection emails and updates, but ensure they feel personalized - Its not perfect but any comms is better than no comms!

👻 Check In Regularly

If the hiring process is delayed, update candidates. Keeping them informed helps prevent misunderstandings.

For Candidates:

🎃 Communicate Honestly

If you decide to take another job or are no longer interested in the role, inform the recruiter. Ghosting only burns bridges.

🎃 Follow Up After Interviews

A thank-you email after an interview not only shows appreciation but also keeps the conversation going.

🎃 Respect Your Reputation

Industries are often smaller than you think. Ghosting might seem like the easy way out, but it can hurt your reputation in the long run.

Will Ghosting ever end?

In an ideal world, ghosting would be as rare as seeing a vampire eating Escargot for lunch on a sunny Parisian terrace. But in reality, it’s likely that ghosting will remain a part of the recruitment process for the foreseeable future. As I mentioned, Recruitment is all about people. Elements like fear, uncertainty, and discomfort with confrontation will continue to fuel ghosting behaviors.

However, by focusing on better communication and empathy, both recruiters and candidates can work toward minimizing ghosting. When both sides are transparent and respectful, the recruitment process can become smoother and more successful! This makes it more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Let’s Keep Ghosts in the Halloween Stories

While ghosting might make for a good spooky tale, it has no place in recruitment. Whether you’re a recruiter or a candidate, treating the other party with respect is essential to creating a positive and professional hiring experience.

This Halloween (and beyond!), let’s focus on banishing the ghosts of recruitment and building stronger, more respectful relationships in the hiring process. 👻 🎃