The ghosting, hitherto used in the context of romantic encounters, has become involved in the world of work. Instead of sending a rejection email after one or more interviews, recruiters, like candidates, simply cut off contact without explanation during the recruitment phase. The BBC tried to explain this phenomenon.
Laura is one of many candidates to have experienced “ghosting”, having applied to an international music company based in London. A phone interview, then one in person, and more news. Yet Laura was confident: “I was told I got the job”, she says. But she was simply ignored despite her reminders.
The practice is common. According to the results of a study of 1,500 workers in 2022 by Greenhouse Software, an American company that offers recruitment software for companies, 75% of candidates have already been “ghosted” after an interview. Moreover, it is assumed: in 2021, only 27% of American employers say they have not “ghosted” a candidate during the past year, according to a survey conducted by Indeed, a job offer platform. They are not the only ones to do it because the candidates are also getting into it more and more. They were 28% to have already “ghosted” recruiters in 2021, i.e. 9% more than in 2019.
A practice accentuated by the pandemic
Yuletta Pringle, human resources consultant and member of the American association Society for Human Resource Management, attributes this increase to “the great resignation”. “With the labor shortage, employers are looking to recruit at all costs which means they have to post a ton of job postings online and can’t always cater to everyone,” she explains. Naturally on the side of the candidates, with this strong demand, it is possible to seek the “ideal position” and do the same.
Another reason may explain the phenomenon: the digitization of the recruitment process. “Before the pandemic, only a small portion of job interviews were done online. Now 99% of first interviews are done through Zoom calls”, underlines Craig Freedberg, regional director of human resources for the consulting firm Robert Half, in London. “It can sometimes be harder to bond with someone virtually”, he adds. Without this human contact, and with the influx of offers and candidates, employers and their potential future employees therefore find it easier to ignore each other during recruitment, without giving the slightest explanation.
This lack of response can leave a bad impression, “like ending a professional relationship before it has even started”specifies the BBC. Some employers are therefore fighting against the trend, such as Christoph Hardt, co-founder of the consulting firm CoMatch, who considers being “clairement anti-ghosting”.
Indeed, without explanations, silence can do damage. For some candidates, the fact of having been ignored can cause a professional questioning that had no reason to be. As was the case for Laura.