Boo! The Scary, Frustrating Reality of Candidate Ghosting

• Ghosting used to be a complaint of job searchers, but now it seems candidates are ghosting prospective employers, too.  
• According to a survey by Indeed, 28% of job seekers have ghosted an employer — up from only 18% in 2019.  
• Renae Murphy, SVP Employee Experience at Xplor Technologies, explained to Allwork.Space just how employers can avoid being ghosted by potential employees to remain strong in the future of work.

The term “ghosting” refers to when someone ends all communication and contact with another person without any apparent warning or justification, and they vanish without a word — like a ghost.   

Ghosting used to be a complaint of job searchers, and although the labor shortage is lessening, it seems candidates are also ghosting prospective employers now.  

According to a survey by Indeed, 28% of job seekers have ghosted an employer — up from only 18% in 2019. This is most likely a trend we will continue to see for a while, but how can employers ensure new hires don’t go MIA before they show up for their first day of work?  

Renae Murphy, SVP Employee Experience at Xplor Technologies, explained to Allwork.Space just how employers can avoid being ghosted by potential employees.    

Allwork.Space: Why are job seekers and newly hired employees ghosting employers? 

Renae Murphy: There are a few reasons for this: A tight labor market means there are more job opportunities available — we’re in one of the most competitive talent marketplaces in decades. What does this mean for companies? It’s vital to have a compelling employee value proposition, alongside flexible working and competitive benefits. 

To attract and retain diverse talent in today’s competitive climate and in the future, it’s important to understand what matters most to your people and then deliver on it. Part of this is recognizing that people both need and want more from their roles than they used to — whether it’s balancing work and home with more flexible working, having the ability to do work that will help them reach their potential, or the freedom to make a difference in their local community.   

And finally, they may have found the recruitment process did not provide a positive candidate experience, in terms of regular, clear communication and their time being valued. Interviewing is a critical step for both employers and candidates, which means an investment of time. While interviewing can be daunting for candidates, a thorough interview process ensures there is a good understanding of the job, what is expected, and that a candidate’s experience and skills align with the role.  

Investing time upfront typically results in more candidates being successful in their position and satisfied with their role when selected — it’s also an opportunity to get to know a company better.  

Allwork.Space: Are employers also ghosting job seekers?

Renae Murphy: In this tight labor market, there’s a strong demand and fierce competition for talent, so I’d be surprised to hear of companies that aren’t doing everything they can trying to hire quality employees for their business.   

There’s nothing worse than not hearing back from a company about a role you’ve applied for. It takes courage and patience, but you should keep following up with the recruiting team to get feedback on your application.  

There could be several reasons for a delayed response: they may have a lot of roles to fill, or be short-staffed, or they may be still deliberating on candidates to short-list. Try not to take it personally. And remember that a recruitment process is an invaluable first impression of a company; companies who keep you regularly updated during their recruitment processes are ones that truly care about their culture and people. 

Allwork.Space: How can employers avoid being ghosted by employees? 

Renae Murphy: It’s pretty simple really, it comes down to: 

• Making a great first impression by keeping candidates informed during the recruitment process and providing an inclusive, positive candidate experience.  
• Living your company purpose and brand values to build trust with employees. Our employee promise is “Reach your full potential, power others to reach their own,” so we encourage Xplorers to spend 10% of their time on growth and development. By making it easier for our people to carve out the time they need for personal growth, they know that we truly want them to succeed with us. 
• Creating an environment where people can be their whole, authentic selves at work. Unlike other companies that have tried to retrofit their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) program into their overall business strategy, inclusion is foremost in everything we do. Whether working on products or with customers, our teams know to take an equity pause to ensure their decisions support the communities, customers, and consumers we serve. All companies should be doing this to demonstrate real commitment to DE&I.    

Allwork.Space: Is the tight labor market making candidate ghosting worse?   

Renae Murphy: There’s no denying it’s an employee’s market at the moment, which means companies face a hiring crunch. With so many options available to candidates, it may be tempting to ghost a company in favor of a better offer — but candidates should remember not to burn bridges. The relationships they establish during a recruitment process, even if unsuccessful in securing the role, could still prove very valuable in the future of their career.