Help! I've been ghosted. Now what?

“Ghosting” was not a term widely associated with the recruitment industry until relatively recently.

However, research published recently in HR Magazine found that just under half (45%) of job candidates have been ghosted after an initial conversation with a recruiter. And whilst it may not be quite as prevalent (or perhaps just less reported), the reverse practice of a candidate ghosting a potential employer is also on the rise.

This blog is all about candidate ghosting – why it happens and how you, the candidate, can deal with it and move on.

What is Ghosting?

You’ve made initial contact, perhaps had an initial call or interview, maybe even reached the second stage, and then... nothing. Your calls go unanswered, emails unread, and you’ve even tried sliding into LinkedIn DMs to no avail.

We know the toll that ghosting takes on a candidate can be really damaging. Your confidence may be severely knocked, and you might even feel you should pause or halt your job hunt altogether.

Like many damaging behaviours, understanding why they occur will help you move past the initial disappointment and then onwards to your next opportunity.

It’s not you, it’s them.

In some instances, ghosting may be an entirely (unintentional) internal issue. A communication breakdown may occur simply due to poor training or siloed departments assuming someone else was reaching out. Or it could even be down to straightforward overwhelm – a deluge of CVs, contacts and calls, and you’ve slipped through the cracks. Ouch. Not nice. But not malicious.

Shifting sands (otherwise known as moving the goalposts!)

With recruitment processes taking longer and with more stages, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the recruitment landscape within a business can change over this period.

Every business loves to be described as “agile,” but the flipside of this can be an unexpected recruitment freeze or a change in organisational structure. The role itself may morph over time into something quite different from the original spec, leaving the recruiter in the uncomfortable position of trying to explain what has happened to the candidates.

?Analysis Paralysis.

And talking of discomfort… Nobody likes giving bad news. But nearly 90% of applicants* would rather hear back and be told no than hear nothing at all.?The headline here? We’d rather have bad news than no news!

Still, recruiters are retreating to silence rather than rocking the boat. Maybe they fear they’ll say the wrong thing and open themselves up to accusations of unfair treatment or, worse, discrimination. All of this can lead to a self-perpetuating cycle of overthinking and inaction.

Ghosts be gone!

See anything in common with these scenarios?

Not one is about the candidates themselves.

Not one situation where the candidate was so awful that the recruiter just couldn’t bring themselves to pick up the phone and speak to them again. OK – so I’m joking a bit here, but the serious point I’m making is that ghosting is NEVER about you, the candidate.

Except to say that if you’ve been ghosted – you’ve probably had a lucky escape. If this is how a company treats people, would you really want to work there?

At Matchking, we work closely with a wide range of businesses, and we guarantee you know exactly where you stand in the recruitment process – no guesswork required! Just straightforward, honest communication.

Want to find out more? Pick up the phone and give me a call on 01932 829 999, or drop me a DM!

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