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“Ghosting” isn’t just a dating phenomenon: It’s become common in the workplace, too. Career experts say this untrustworthy behavior damages the reputations of employers and job seekers.
The concept of ghosting – suddenly and unexpectedly ceasing communication with someone (i.e., disappearing) – originated around the time social media and dating apps gained prominence in the mid-2010s. Merriam-Webster added this New Age definition of “ghost” to the dictionary in 2017.
This practice has become common among both job applicants and employers during the hiring process.
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Nearly 78% of job seekers said they had an impression of a potential employer, according to a December report from job site Indeed, based on a survey conducted in the spring of 2023. This is up from last year, when 68% said they had gone AWOL during the hiring process during their career.
Indeed found that nearly 62% of job seekers said they plan to ghost during a future job search, up from 56% in 2022 and 37% in 2019.
But it’s not just applicants who disappear: 40% of job seekers said an employer had harassed them after a second or third round of interviews, up from 30% in 2022.
As Indeed reports, data shows that the ghosting trend is still growing and is not a “going fad.”
Why is job ghosting becoming common?
It is not that ghosts are a new phenomenon. There have always been job seekers and employers who have demonstrated poor communication during hiring, said Jill Eubanks, senior vice president of business professionals at Randstad, a recruiting firm.
Its prevalence in recent years is likely due to the hot job market leading into and then out of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Demand for labor surged in early 2021 as the U.S. economy reopened from its pandemic-related recession. The unemployment rate has been at a historic low for nearly two years, and layoffs have been rising for nearly three years. Job vacancies – a proxy for businesses’ need for workers – reached historic highs in the pandemic era; Similarly, job attrition is a barometer of workers’ ability or willingness to seek employment elsewhere.
Although the job market has gradually cooled, it is still strong, Eubanks said.
Job candidates likely felt they had abundant options and a high probability of success, he said, and ghosting increased as a result.
“They feel like they have options: ‘I don’t have to communicate because I can just go here. [for a job]Or I have this second chance,” Eubanks said.
Why has ghosting become a feedback loop?
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According to a 2023 survey by the Thriving Center of Psychology, nearly 1 in 6 Millennial and Generation Z workers have had a potential employer harass them during the interview process, primarily because they no longer wanted the job, offering them another job. Milli or had a bad interview experience. , a mental health platform.
According to a 2019 survey by Randstad, two-thirds – 66% – of workers have “intimidated” employers by accepting a job offer and then withdrawing it, or disappearing before their start date.
As a coach, I would never recommend that a job seeker cheat in front of an employer.
Clint Carens
Indeed Career Strategist
Additionally, according to the Thriving Center of Psychology, 35% of workers said they were ghosted by employers during the interview process.
The problem turns into a feedback loop, said Clint Carens, career strategist at Indeed Job Search Academy.
“Job seekers are realizing that employers are getting worse at ghosting,” Carens said. “Many people are taking the attitude that if employers consider it common courtesy, they will also engage in that behavior. It’s almost a cyclical problem.”
However, experts say ghosting creates risks for both parties through potential reputational damage.
“As a coach, I would never advise a job seeker to become an employer,” Carens said.
People who do so may be “red flagged” by the employer and may lose access to future job opportunities, he said.
Employers may find that ghosting gives them a short-term win by cutting down on time during the hiring process, Carens said, but it also hurts their brands in the long run, especially if job seekers leave behind negative reviews about their experience. Let’s talk about it online.
