Dan Schawbel* says the growing practice of ghosting — contacts suddenly broken off in the middle of a hiring process — needs to be addressed by both employers and job seekers.
If you haven’t heard of ‘ghosting’, I can tell you that it doesn’t have anything to do with the recent celebration of Halloween.
Ghosting refers to the practice of abruptly cutting off communication with someone, without any warning and with no apparent reason.
Although the term originated with online dating, it’s now found its way into other aspects of people’s lives, including the workplace.
In fact, we’ve heard a lot about job seekers ghosting employers.
Some candidates may disappear early on in the process, after an initial job screen or interview.
Others are taking it a step further — for example, accepting an offer and then never being heard from again, or even not showing up for their first day of work.
Although candidate ghosting is by no means a new phenomenon, it’s more common now than it was before the pandemic.
Job candidates are most likely to do it because they’ve received a more attractive job offer or they’ve heard negative feedback about their prospective employer.
Of course, part of this can be chalked up to the tight labour market, which means that employees have all the bargaining power.
Workers who feel they will just be cogs in a machine — a common sentiment among front-line staff and those in service industries — may not hesitate to disappear.
Many experts believe that the rise of ghosting is also linked to the increase in remote working brought on the pandemic.
For a remote applicant, it can feel easy to justify ghosting an employer when they’re unlikely to ever cross paths again with someone from the organisation.
It’s part of the much broader problems around disconnectedness and poor digital communication practices that are plaguing remote workplaces across the globe.
However, we have to remember that workplace ghosting is actually a two-way street as there are many examples of job seekers ghosted by a prospective employer since the onset of the pandemic.
Researchers in the United States report that 10 per cent of job seekers have been ghosted even after a verbal job offer was made.
More than 75 per cent of job seekers have been ghosted after an interview.
This is surprising given everything we’ve been hearing about how much organisations are struggling to fill roles.
It could be that fears of a possible recession have shifted some of the power back to employers, at least for the time being.
I know several people who’ve been ghosted by employers, and it’s discouraging no matter how far along you are in the hiring process.
However, I understand that candidate ghosting is immensely frustrating for employers too, especially amidst the ongoing talent shortage.
Thankfully, there are steps you can take to decrease this practice.
Here are three ideas to keep in mind.
Show genuine interest in candidates — and common courtesy.
Although it’s easy to think of people who ghost as rude and inconsiderate, an applicant’s decision to abruptly disappear might actually be because of their treatment during the hiring process.
Do your recruiters treat candidates as real people, or do they act like job seekers are dispensable?
Is there a spirit of transparency and openness, or are applicants left in the dark for the most part?
If candidate ghosting is a problem at your organisation, then it’s likely that workers aren’t getting that personal, human touch from your hiring team.
A new study has found that 60 per cent of job hunters are unimpressed with slow recruiter response times and follow-ups.
It’s critical HR teams are skilled at creating real connections with people and fostering a sense of trust and relatability.
Keep the lines of communication open.
If you want job candidates to stay engaged, it’s up to you to keep in contact with them about where they stand; how far along they are in the hiring process, and when they’ll hear from you next.
Whether you call, text, or send an e-mail, there’s simply no excuse for not following up with someone, especially if they are in the later stages of the hiring process.
It’s a good idea to put formal procedures in place around communication.
For example, you might decide to send a standard follow-up note to every applicant, a more personal letter after the first interview, and a detailed feedback note to candidates who make it farther along.
More than 70 per cent of job seekers say they want feedback on an interview.
Job hunters won’t wait long to hear from you.
Almost 58 per cent of people expect to hear back from organisations in one week or less regarding their initial application.
Keep in mind that the best candidates are usually pursuing multiple job leads.
Leverage technology to simplify your communications.
While technology has allowed employers to cast a much wider net during the hiring process, it’s also meant recruiters may need to sift through dozens of applicants for every role.
It can be overwhelming for recruiters to respond to everyone in these situations, but it’s important to remember that hearing something from an employer really does make a difference.
With all of the advanced technologies that are on the market now, there’s really no excuse to leave people hanging.
Today’s programs allow you personalise e-mails, and automatically follow-up with candidates at every step in the hiring process.
This can make things much easier for recruiters, especially in the early stages of communicating with multiple applicants.
Whether it’s employers or job seekers doing the ghosting, it’s an unpleasant practice, and one that we should all strive to do away with.
*Dan Schawbel is a bestselling author and Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, a research and advisory firm helping HR adapt to trends, drive performance and prepare for the future.
This article is part of his Workplace Intelligence Weekly series.
