I recently read an article in HR Dive magazine which talked about this dreaded word…GHOSTING. The author uncovered ghosting by both the Employer and the Job Seeker has increased since March 2020.
Here are some quick stats from a survey conducted (500 job seekers and 500 employers) for the article:
- 77% of job seekers say they’ve been ghosted by a prospective employer
- 28% of job seekers stated they have ghosted a prospective employer
- Only 27% of employers stated they HAVEN’T ghosted a job seeker (Yikes)
Obviously, the unfortunate takeaway is that this practice is becoming normalized within the hiring process. In this first post I’m going to discuss ghosting from the perspective of being a job seeker.
If you’re a job seeker here are usually the reasons you’re being ghosted by an employer:
- Filled the position internally
- Decided to not hire the position
- Overwhelmed with candidates and don’t want to cut you loose yet
- The interviewer is too afraid to relay bad news about going in a different direction
- Fear of being accused of discrimination and would rather stay silent (unfortunately there are no laws in place for private companies to force them to respond)
Here are some tips you can employ to eliminate this becoming a common occurrence:
- Remember, there is a strong chance this has nothing to do with you. It is easy to take this abandonment personally and it can really have a negative effect on your future job search efforts. However, you have to understand the onus lies with the employer and how they want to be viewed in the industry.
- Have a structured follow up plan in place after then interview. Continue to be “pleasantly persistent” till you get an answer either way. A “NO” might not be the answer you’re looking for but at least it will allow you to move on. Also, depending on your approach, being persistent might position you as a candidate in the future at this company or within their network.
- Have multiple channels identified to gain information. If you’re main point of contact has not gotten back to you then try other avenues to find out if the role has been filled.
- Set a limit on the times (no more then 3 or 4 times within a month time frame) you will follow up with a company and then move on. If they follow up with you after...great but you need to focus on the next opportunity.
- Lastly, if all else fails, take a hard look internally at your interview preparation and make sure you are coming off the best way possible during your conversation.