Candidate Ghosting - A Scary Truth

Have you ever experienced waiting to hear back from a candidate?

Do rejected calls, unopened emails and interview no-shows sound familiar?

Or imagine receiving a signed offer letter from a candidate, you’re filled with excitement to welcome your newest member to the team, only to find an empty desk on their first day... chances are you may have been ghosted. 

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83% of employers have been ghosted by a candidate, says Human Resources Director America

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Today, the rise of candidate ghosting continues and has become a scary and (un)acceptable trend in the recruitment process.

So, what is Ghosting?‍

By definition, to cut off all contact and communication with someone without explanation. Essentially vanishing - resembling a ghost!

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Why Ghosting Happens?

A survey conducted by Indeed for more than 4,000 job seekers reveals some interesting results, indicating why candidates are likely to ghost.

• 40% received a better offer
• 22% said the salary wasn’t up to par
• 15% were unhappy with the benefits package
• 13% mentioned poor communication with the recruiter

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Our Findings

Our research findings suggest that the following factors significantly contribute to candidate ghosting.

• No third-party visibility - Signed offer letters are a two-party document (Employer-Employee), with no third-party visibility. This lack of transparency leads to limited or no accountability from either party.
• Weak employer branding - Candidates are unaware about life at the company. i.e what would a typical day be like working in the team, ethos, work environment and culture
• Bad recruiting experiences and lengthy interview processes.
• Lack of pre-onboarding engagement -  Best practices and frameworks to engage the candidate before joining the organization.

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Today, talent acquisition is not just the responsibility of the hiring team, rather an organization's entire leadership team is seen to have equal responsibility to build their team, develop a roadmap and successfully execute their talent strategy - together.

Ghosting has a huge impact on your brand and reputation. Find out more about the Impact of Candidate Ghosting and how we aim to reduce the continuous loop of ghosting, in our next blog.

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