How do you feel when you reach out to someone and they don’t respond? Perhaps you call, email or text. The more you try, with no luck, the more frustrated you feel.

Now, put yourself in a job candidate’s shoes. You’ve interviewed them, they’re reaching out to follow up, but alas, you don’t respond. You’re ghosting them.

Ghosting is a term that became popularized in the online dating world where someone, at first, appears interested and then, BOOM, stops responding . . . disappears into thin air. While you may have had job candidates ghost you, are you guilty of doing the same to them?

Surprisingly, a growing number of hiring managers and recruiters are ghosting job candidates.

Andrew Seaman, Senior Editor of Job Search and Careers at LinkedIn® News, posted this question on LinkedIn, “Have you been ‘ghosted’ by a potential employer after an interview or after they contacted you for more information?” Of those who responded to this informal query, 93% of said, ‘yes’ they had been ghosted.

One respondent posted this comment: “Yes, and it’s an awful feeling. I had an interview this summer that I thought went really well, and my interviewer said, “the next step is a conference call with the owner, early next week.” By Wednesday of ‘next week’ I had not heard back, so I sent a follow-up email reiterating my interest. Never heard back.”

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – Just a little bit

In an article he wrote for SHRM, Andrew Deichler said, “Ghosting is less prevalent at the second or third stage of the process, after a phone screen or an interview. But it still happens, and it can be incredibly frustrating for the job seeker. . . The crux of the ghosting problem is failure to communicate . . .”

From unexpected budget shifts to filling a position internally, you may have reasons that justify the lack of follow-through. However, one practice that is universal is that of treating others with respect, compassion, and professionalism.

Go back to the idea of putting yourself in a candidate’s shoes. How would you feel when your attempts to follow up are ignored? Then, how do you think a candidate feels when they’re left hanging in mid-air? It’s disheartening, to say the least.

Just a little bit of respect can go a long way.

Four Reasons Why Ghosting a Candidate Is Never a Good Idea

In the world of hiring and recruiting, follow through and ongoing communication are important because: 

1. Recruiting is about building relationships. While a candidate may not fit a current position you need to fill, they may in the future. Maintaining a relationship can keep your pipeline full so when an appropriate position opens up, you quickly know where to turn.
2. People talk. If candidates are referred to your company by a current employee and then they’re ignored or treated poorly, they tell their friends, family, etc. That employee may hesitate to refer anyone in the future. This may negatively affect your company’s reputation and your ability to attract talent in the future. Because remember, bad news travels faster than good!
3. It demonstrates integrity. Let the candidate know what to expect throughout the interview process. Set a timeline and follow through on it. This not only conveys your (and the company’s) professionalism but illustrates respect for the candidates. And, they feel that the time they’ve invested in applying for a position was valued.
4. You may lose an excellent candidate. Perhaps you’re actually considering hiring someone you interviewed, but you didn’t follow up quickly enough. They didn’t hear back from you, even in response to their inquiries, so they’re left second-guessing your decision and move on to greener pastures.

Going back to Andrew Seaman’s question on LinkedIn, another professional posted this response, “I have been ghosted by a recruiter and by a prospective employer. I had 2 interviews with the prospective employer both of which went well. They promised to let me know either way, and I’ve heard nothing. I followed up with my initial contact twice, and he has not replied to my emails. In the past, he was very responsive.

“I logged into the company’s job site and it still shows ‘applications are being reviewed,’ but I feel like there is more to the story. Maybe COVID changed their hiring plans, maybe I wasn’t a good fit…either way, after having such a positive experience, I’d love to know what changed, what I did wrong, or what I could have done differently if anything. It was incredibly discouraging.”

Don’t leave job candidates feeling discouraged and ignored. While there’s a lot to balance in the day-to-day of your job responsibilities, treating candidates with compassion and respect goes a long way. Your company maintains a positive reputation, you’ll feel good about being a person of integrity, and it’s possible that word-of-mouth referrals may bring highly qualified prospective candidates to your door in the future.