Ghosting is on the rise

Ghosting — the act of disappearing without warning — has become increasingly common during the hiring process since the onset of the pandemic.

Alarmingly, only 27% of employers say they haven’t ghosted a job seeker in the past year. It’s another sign that ghosting has become standard practice in the hiring process — even though it creates a terrible candidate experience and can threaten a company’s employer brand.

But while the uptick seemed tied to coronavirus’ arrival, few respondents identified the pandemic’s effects as their reason for ghosting. Job seekers did, however, point to the pandemic as a likely cause of employers’ ghosting. This is certainly possible after all, soaring unemployment and the subsequent economic fallout upended a previously tight labor market.

Employers may want to address both candidate ghosting and their own applicant follow-up as the former creates a hiring hurdle and the latter offers a poor candidate experience.

To avoid such issues employers should focus on strong communication.

For example, hiring  managers should follow up with job seekers as much as possible, give them a timeline on when you expect to fill the role and the negative consequences for the enterprise if it is not filled in a timely fashion.

Employers should aim to speak to each person interviewed Such things will reach social media, reflect well on your employer brand and make it easier to attract people who will show up for work.

Recent research agrees that social media reputation plays an important role in an employer’s ability to attract candidates.

Brian Torchin / CEO

HCRC Staffing