Job ghosting refers to the practice of suddenly ceasing all communication with a candidate, in hopes ... [+]
Ghosting has unfortunately become commonplace in the hiring process, and one of the biggest pain points for job seekers in today’s labor market. Job ghosting refers to the practice of suddenly ceasing all communication with a candidate, in hopes that the applicant will get the hint that they are no longer being considered for the position, as opposed to the human resources professional or hiring manager simply telling them they’re out of the running.
An applicant will submit their résumé to an employer, be called for an interview and go through the process of meeting with about three to six or more people over the course of a number of months. The candidate is excited about the opportunity, but their enthusiasm wanes when there’s a deafening silence from the hiring team’s side. They fail to return your calls, texts, emails and LinkedIn messages. The sudden halt in communication is meant to connote that you did not get the job.
This cold avoidance of sharing feedback is disorienting and discouraging for candidates. They feel taken advantage of, as they put in a lot of time and effort interviewing, and held certain expectations for the outcome as they moved further into the process. What’s worse, without any constructive criticism, the job hunter doesn’t know what they did wrong and is unaware of how to improve their interviewing skills for the next opportunity.
Common Reasons For Employer Ghosting
Employers sometimes ghost candidates if they have locked in on a new hire for the position, went with an internal employee or altered priorities due to internal changes, financial roadblocks or the deployment of artificial intelligence. Ghosting can be a sign that the organization demonstrates unethical hiring practices or has a toxic company culture with a lack of respect for its workers.
Additionally, with the proliferation of online job boards and the easy-apply button, internal recruiters, talent acquisition professionals and human resources get inundated with résumés. The sheer volume of applicants can make it difficult for them to keep up with personalized responses.
Some recruiters and hiring managers, while well-intentioned, find it challenging to deliver rejection or provide negative feedback to candidates. They are uncomfortable or afraid to tell the applicant that they won’t be moving forward with them. It’s easy for them to hide behind technologies and hope that the applicant just goes away without making a big fuss. Also, the company may not have strong policies of how to effectively communicate information to the interviewees throughout the hiring process.
The Fear Factor
There is an underlying fear that a recruiter, hiring manager or HR representative may inadvertently say something that can be misconstrued as sexist, racist or any other form of discrimination. No one wants to ruin their career or get “canceled,” so they feel safer to just not say anything. After weighing the pros and cons, they decide that it’s not worth risking their livelihood to engage in a conversation that could come back to haunt them.
On the other side of the equation, job seekers may ghost a potential employer because they got another job offer, didn’t feel comfortable with the interviewers or seek to earn more money with a higher corporate title elsewhere. They’ll go as far as signing the offer letter, but fail to show up to work on their start date. They may even begin their employment and then quit without formally resigning or even informing the company. The employee does a no-call, no-show indefinitely.
How To Get Your Confidence Back After Being Ghosted
It is important to note that ghosting practices are not just happening to you. This doesn’t make it right, but at least you’re now aware that there isn’t a dark cloud over your head or people are conspiring against you to sabotage your employment. The reality is that ghosting has become unofficial standard operating procedures.
Hopefully, after enough people complain and share their ire and displeasure, one day, the job interview process will become more humane and transparent.
Until then, recognize that no response means you are most likely not a front-runner for the role. Try not to take this personally, as there are dozens — if not, hundreds or thousands — of résumés that could have been submitted for this opportunity and many candidates are in the running.
Although easier said than done, try to remain upbeat and optimistic when getting back into the interviewing process. If you interview at another company feeling angry, resentful and carrying baggage from your previous ghosting and rejection, the hiring manager will notice.
Employers want to hire people who are happy, upbeat, likable and motivated, in addition to possessing the requisite skills and experience to succeed in the role. If you come across as jaded and beaten down, the hiring manager will take a hard pass and move onto someone else. Although it sounds cold, that’s the reality.
After being ghosted and not getting the job you wanted, it’s okay to take some time for yourself to recalibrate. Do something positive and uplifting to boost your morale. Keep your mind busy. If you enjoy a hobby or sport, do it so you’ll feel better and regain your self-confidence. Remind yourself of all of your positive qualities and all of your previous wins.
Before you go into the next interview, conduct due diligence on the company’s hiring process to discern if the firm has a reputation for ghosting. If it does, you can decide to either pull out of the running or go ahead with the knowledge that there’s a high likelihood of getting ghosted.
