Why Do Candidates Ghost?

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Candidate ghosting is becoming more and more of a problem. Your calls and emails are going unanswered, and the candidate may have even pulled a no-show on an interview or on the their first day on the job. 

Why do candidates do this? 

Is there a way to limit the behavior, or prevent it altogether?  

To understand why candidates ghost, you have to identify some of the reasons it might be happening and see if it’s possible to fix the root cause.  

Reason #1: A Bad Reputation 

This is why it is so important to address online comments and reviews about your organization. An interview might have gone great, but if the candidate is doing research on your company and finds some damning information – even if it isn’t true – that could cause them to second guess their application. People generally react more strongly to bad reviews than they do positive ones, so even if there is one bad comment to every 10 positive ones, it can influence candidates’ decisions.  

To fix it: 

Politely respond to comments and reviews about your organization; yes, even the negative ones. Simply acknowledging the complaint or allegation and showing that you are listening can go a long way to establishing trust and respect.  

Reason #2: A Better Offer 

Candidates are often interviewing with multiple organizations at the same time, so it shouldn’t be surprising that they may get more than one offer in a short time period. It’s not necessarily salary that can make one offer more attractive than another, it could be company culture, personal rapport, job title, benefits, etc. You could ask where else the candidate has been applying, but that could come across as rude or invasive, and they probably won’t list every single organization anyway.  

Your candidate might have accepted your offer, but if they receive a better proposition before their first day, they might just go with Option B and write you off completely. Is it rude to ghost someone expecting you to show up for work Monday? Of course. Does that matter? No. 

To fix it: 

You need to build a relationship with your strongest candidates. Get to know more than their interview answers, make them feel comfortable, and make sure the fit between candidate and company is a good one. Ensure your compensation and benefits packages are competitive and consider whether the job title and duties discussed are accurate and reflect the level of responsibility involved in the role.  

Also, maintain contact with your new team member until they start, ensuring that you are answering questions that may come up as well as making them feel part of the team.

Reason #3: A Confusing Process 

You’ve completed the first and second interview with your top candidate, she’s completed all the necessary tests and screenings, and after 9 days of communicating internally, you’ve decided she should move on to the final stage in the process. But she won’t return your calls and emails, and all that time spent with her has been seemingly wasted.  

If your hiring process is convoluted, confusing, or ambiguous, your applicants might not even know where they stand. The more interviews, people, screenings, and calls or emails you put between the candidate and the job, the more difficult it is for them to stay engaged in the process.  

To fix it:

Keep your interview and onboarding processes as simple as possible; don’t keep your candidates in limbo while you hem and haw. Keep your communication and decisions transparent and prompt, and your candidate won’t have to worry about where they are in the process and how long they have to play the waiting game. Even if you have nothing to update them on, email the candidate to let them know that, and they’ll appreciate the communication.  

Reason #4: They’re Uncomfortable 

Some people just hate confrontation, and telling someone you are no longer interested in their offer after they’ve spent time and money on sourcing and screening you can feel daunting.  

To fix it:

While you can’t fix someone’s discomfort with confrontation, you can make them feel more at ease when communicating with you and your team. Focus on the candidate, their goals and aspirations, and let them know that you understand if they need to act in their best interest. You might not snag the candidate, but you’ll keep communication open and hopefully not have to chase down an unresponsive applicant.  

Reason #5: Life Happened 

Sometimes the right answer is the simplest one. They forgot to hit ‘send’ on a reply, they were busy and overwhelmed with work or personal life and your opportunity got put on the back burner, or they wanted to put you on ice until they heard from another company.  

To fix it: 

Life happens, and beyond keeping an open line of transparent communication and a good rapport, there’s really no way to fix that. 

Ultimately, whether or not a candidate ghosts you is tied closely to the experience you provide. Creating a seamless and transparent experience from application to onboarding creates fewer experiences in which a candidate will become uncomfortable, or more interested in other opportunities. Take a look at your interview process and see if there is a trend of when candidates are ghosting. If you are having trouble sourcing or screening applicants for your open positions, we can help! Contact our team today to learn more about our on-demand, hourly recruiting model.  

This post was originally posted in June of 2021 and was reposted with updates.