Ghosting in recruitment
Ghosting candidates has unfortunately become all too common. It is a bad practice that has detrimental effects on both the individuals and the organization.
More and more people tell me they’re being ghosted by recruiters. This is a “process” - actually more of a maneuver, by which a recruiter has lost interest in the candidate and is not interested to pursue the interaction anymore. So they turn off the conversation spigot all together, throwing away along with it the basic decency of informing the candidate of the decision.
Luckily, I’ve never had to experience that… until I did. Funny enough, the contact had been initiated by the recruiter herself, and since I’m always down for a chat, we went ahead and scheduled it. “Hey, I’ll get back to you asap with next steps” she said after we met. One week later still got nothing, so I made an inquiry: “are you still interested to talk?”. Two more weeks had passed and I got no answer whatsoever. I’ve just been ghosted!
Now, I’ve developed a tough skin over time for stuff like this, so I couldn’t give a rat’s ass on the matter. But I imagine this is not at all a pleasant experience for many candidates out there, like those looking for their first job, or maybe trying to bounce back after a recent layoff. Especially the ones who really need a job so they can support their family. I mean it is tough enough when you are straight-on rejected, but at least you know the matter is closed, and you can take your mind away from it. Maybe you even get to understand why you’ve been rejected, since there are still recruiters kind enough to explain the reasons for rejection - no matter how wishy-washy they seem to sound sometimes. All that’s fine and we all know what to do: you just pick yourself up, and keep moving forward.
Being ghosted though, that’s really bad. All of us humans have an innate desire for being accepted, acknowledged, and appreciated. Many animals feel the same: it’s primeval. So, I’d be hard-pressed to imagine something more demoralizing than being ignored, especially after contact. Candidates feel confused, betrayed, undervalued, tricked or hurt. Being ghosted most probably eats away at their confidence in their own abilities, their trust in the process, or their drive to keep knocking at doors looking for a job (possibly all of these). They lose a bit of hope every time this happens.
I know ghosting exists in people personal lives, in romantic or interpersonal relationships, and many people bear the scars of such behavior. But really, should this occur during a recruiting process with an organization? Aren’t recruiters supposed to act decent and professional for the sake of their own and company’s reputation? They absolutely should, but unfortunately, ghosting candidates has become all too common.
I can see 3 types of problems for organizations resulting from this practice:
Damage to the organization's reputation. Candidates are likely to share their negative experiences with others, potentially deterring top talent from applying to future job openings or even influencing customers from engaging with the company's products or services.
Missed opportunities for both the candidate and the organization. Candidates who are left in the dark may accept offers from competing companies, while the organization loses out on potentially valuable hires who may have contributed to its success.
An increased risk for being ghosted by candidates as well. Candidates may take the same approach if the company considers it normal etiquette. For instance, accepting a job offer and then retracting it, because they got a better offer elsewhere.
None of these are desirable for an organization, and recruiters are supposed to be their flag bearers. So, I’ve tried to imagine why some recruiters would behave like this:
maybe it just fell off through the cracks (yeah, but shouldn’t they answer if you, the candidate, ping them for a status?)
maybe it’s just taking too long on their side (right, but shouldn’t they give you an update at some point though?)
maybe they are sick and took a leave of absence (you should get back an OOO message, shouldn’t you?)
maybe something came up and they simply forgot (yeah, right, something came up alright: a “better” candidate!)
maybe they don’t really know how to let someone down nicely (say what?! nah..)
maybe they are just assholes (hmm, well, that’s more likely)
The more I thought, the more I realized that being assholes is in fact the right reason. That’s because one thing that an asshole lacks completely is empathy. They care less for the candidates or their circumstances. Many times they don’t understand some of the skills they are looking for in the candidates, especially in tech: they just match keywords to resumes. All that matters is themselves and their quota - or bonus, if headhunter. A word which literally means “a member of a society that collects the heads of dead enemies as trophies”. Well, I rest my case.
A recruiter without empathy is just a tool, and the world would be better if they’re just replaced by AI. At least you’d know you deal with a soulless thing. Till then though, organizations should be on the lookout and strive to mitigate the risk of ghosting by creating a more positive and inclusive recruitment experience for all parties involved.
I reckon any of the following would work:
setting clear expectations for both recruiters and candidates regarding communication norms and response times
leveraging technology (eg ATS) to ensure that no candidate falls through the cracks
humanizing the process by treating candidates with empathy and respect
soliciting feedback
Or just fire the asshole(s).