Hiring & Recruiting

Management & Leadership

Ghosting in Hiring: How to Handle Candidates Who Vanish

The relationship between a candidate and a recruiter or hiring manager is often a delicate one that requires clear communication and mutual respect. Ideally, you’ll be able to build a good rapport with candidates, set expectations and communicate regularly. However, when a candidate seems to simply vanish at some point during the process – or “ghost” you – it’s not a win for anyone involved. 

“Ghosting” occurs when a candidate suddenly stops responding to a recruiter’s or hiring manager’s messages and calls without any explanation. This can be a major setback for anyone looking to hire for a critical role: wasted time and resources and a lost opportunity. Therefore, it’s essential to be able to manage a “ghosting” situation and try to prevent it from happening in the future. 

Reasons Candidates Ghost  

Some of the reasons candidates may ghost you include: 

  • They found a better job offer – There’s no doubt that candidates apply to multiple jobs and may work with multiple recruiters. Sometimes, the explanation is as simple as the candidate finding a job offer that fits and they don’t want to engage with you anymore. 
  • They had a negative interview experience – If candidates go through a negative experience, they will likely not want to come back and continue to engage because they have lost interest in working with you. 
  • They experienced a major life change – Life is unpredictable and sometimes challenges may lead a candidate to deprioritize their job search. 

Tips to Prevent Candidate Ghosting 

You may not be able to stop candidates from ghosting you completely, but you can take proactive steps to minimize this behavior in the future. 

Tip #1: Maintain open communication channels 

When working with candidates, you have to ensure they are involved in the process and have all the information they need including the estimated timeline and what to expect during the process.

Even if you haven’t heard from other stakeholders in the process, keep candidates in the loop. Inform them of the next steps and let them know they are on your radar. You need to keep them engaged and make them feel like they are a priority for you.  

Tip #2: Create a positive candidate experience 

Candidates who experience a positive hiring process – including a good interview, being treated with respect, and being regularly updated – will feel valued and will likely stay engaged throughout the process.

Make sure you lay out clear expectations, show interest in their background and experience, and ensure the environment is welcoming and friendly.  

Tip #3: Streamline the hiring process 

No one wants to spend weeks or months waiting for an offer. A lagging interview process and extended time frames are recipes for ghosting.

Try to provide consistent communication and updates on next steps and reduce the time between interviews if possible. Feedback should be given promptly and decisions should be made within reasonable timeframes. 

Tip #4: Engage and follow up consistently 

Even if you don’t hear back from a candidate immediately, make sure you do your due diligence and follow up through multiple channels – emails, calls, or texts – before stopping communication.

It could be a possibility that the candidate simply missed your messages. However, if silence persists for too long, it might be time to move on to other candidates and avoid further delay. 

Don’t take it personally 

Being ghosted is not a nice feeling; however, it’s important to maintain professionalism and move on as quickly as possible. Try not to take it personally and try to keep the door open in case they are open to working with you again.

Use it as a learning experience to determine if there are areas where your interviewing process could improve. Have backup candidates for roles to keep the hiring process moving smoothly. Creating a positive experience for your candidates is the best way to keep them engaged and minimize the occurrences of ghosting.