It didn’t take long before the practice of ghosting made its way from personal relationships to the hiring process. And, just like ghosting in personal relationships, ghosting in the job-seeking process can leave you second guessing the ‘why’ behind it and ruminating about what you could have done differently.
It didn’t take long before the practice of ghosting made its way from personal relationships to the hiring process. And, just like ghosting in personal relationships, ghosting in the job-seeking process can leave you second guessing the ‘why’ behind it and ruminating about what you could have done differently.
Why is Ghosting Happening? It Isn't You, It's Them
Perhaps this is just another symbol of the decline of common courtesy – like emojis replacing words. Recruiters will say it is due to low resource levels in HR departments while trying to fill the next position. We’re calling this BS.
Picture this: you’re navigating through life, job hunting, working, or just trying to figure out your next move. Suddenly, you’re stuck in the Bermuda Triangle of communication. You’ve aced interviews, put your best foot forward, and then? Silence. For days, then weeks. No closure, no updates—just the great void of the unknown.
Tales from friends, acquaintances, and seasoned executives paint a similar picture. Interviews went swimmingly well, callbacks were promised and then, poof! Vanished into thin air, leaving them hanging in bewildered silence.
But hey, maybe it’s not us; it’s them, right? In a world of lightning-fast communication methods—texts, calls, emails, DMs, carrier chickens (okay, maybe not those, that’s another story)—ghosting seems to have found its niche. It’s the Houdini act of the digital age, leaving us scratching our heads in confusion.
With ATS automation, there is absolutely, positively no reason for ghosting during any stage in the hiring process.
Application Stage
Most companies (but not all) get the first phase right – an email acknowledging that you have submitted your application. The best responses include something about the process, especially length of time. An incredibly hopeful sign of common decency was this recently received in an automated email after a submission of an application.
If your application seems like a good fit for the position, our team will reach out for an initial screening call. We take candidate experience very seriously here, so regardless we promise to have an update for you within the next 10-12 days.
And guess what, an update was provided. That wasn’t so hard! And it clearly illustrates the values of the company. Was there a personal touch? No, it is what we use to call a ‘form’ letter. However, it sure was helpful.
After First Screening Interview
Follow up after this phase seems like a no-brainer, but it is almost never done. An actual human talks to you. They may give you the process and the timing. How hard is it to have a pre-canned email that goes out afterwards saying ‘great talking to you, but you aren’t a fit’ or ‘great talking with you. I’ve pushed you through to the next level, you should hear back from us in X about of time’?
This would greatly reduce the pestering follow-up that job seekers do, and it allows everyone to get on with their life.
Final Candidate Stage Interview
This by far is the worst kind of ghosting in this whole process. Usually there are only 3 or 4 (sometimes less) people who go through to this stage. And, honestly this is really the task of the hiring manager, so we will take HR off of the hot seat. Especially if you had the job applicants prepare a project or plan as part of the hiring process (we will talk about how incredibly time-consuming and unfair this practice is later), you owe that individual some closure.
If you wind up going through the whole process and are never told you weren’t chosen, you’ve likely dodged a bullet. Again, company values shine through. However, if you’ve been in this situation you usually don’t feel that way, and are left with only justifiable anger for wasting your time and energy.
Advice to Hiring Managers from Job Seekers
How a company treats folks trying to come into a company is a reflection of the company itself and is one of the easiest ways to ensure positive feelings about the company.
For everyone who ghosts job seekers, just imagine this conversation.
Vs. This Conversation
Remember an unhappy person tells 10 people about their experience, and a happy person only tells 2.
Although it isn’t Halloween – do you have any ghosting stories? Share your scary stories below.
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