You found your ideal candidate. Their resume and qualifications are what you are looking for, and they impressed you and your hiring managers during the initial or follow-up interviews.

They seemed equally enthused about the opportunity, and you follow up with them for the next steps and wait for their response. Days go by, no email responses, and they are not answering your calls.

What happened? You have been ghosted.

What is candidate ghosting?

In the recruiting process, ghosting happens when a candidate suddenly stops responding to communication without any explanation. Ghosting can be hard to understand and frustrating as it doesn’t provide closure. However, there are ways of dealing with candidate ghosting during a recruiting process.

According to people analytics company, Visier, 84% of candidates have ghosted an employer or potential employer in the past 18 months. Why do candidates ghost, and what can employers do to prevent this from happening in the future?

Why are candidates ghosting?

Candidates might ghost due to a variety of reasons. Data from Lighthouse Research & Advisory states the three main reasons candidate ghost employers are:

1. They were no longer interested in the role/company after learning more.
2. They accepted another job.
3. A complicated and long hiring process.

No matter the reason, candidate ghosting can be frustrating and time-consuming for employers. Recruiting and HR teams spend time and resources researching potential candidates, only to find out that those candidates have gone dark when it’s time to take the next step in the hiring process.

What can employers do to prevent candidate ghosting?

Employers can take steps to prevent candidate ghosting and ensure that their recruiting process runs smoothly.

1. Keep up with candidate communication:A study by greenhouse found that 58% of candidates expected to hear back from employers within 1 week or less after their initial application.

• • Respond promptly, within 24 hours of receiving an email or candidate call, as candidates who experience delays in communication may be more likely to become disengaged during the recruitment process.

2. Offer transparency: Provide clear information about the candidate’s job details, company culture, and expectations throughout the recruitment process so they know what to expect if hired.

• • Additionally, ensure your team communicates openly and honestly with candidates about any potential delays or changes in the timeline due to unforeseen circumstances such as onboarding freezes or internal hiring processes. This helps build trust between employers and job seekers.

3. Be flexible: Offer flexible candidate interview dates and times when possible so that candidates do not feel pressured to take time off from work or other commitments.
4. Streamline your hiring process: According to the 2022 talent access report from SHRM, it takes 54 days to fill non-executive roles on average. 45% of job seekers statedthat they have ghosted when the hiring process takes too long.

• • Employers need to focus on speeding up the candidate screening and interviewing process by avoiding unnecessary steps or tasks.

Candidate ghosting is common during the recruiting process, but it can be prevented with proper candidate communication and an efficient hiring process. Employers need to provide timely communication, transparency, and flexibility throughout the recruitment process to foster relationships with candidates and reduce candidate ghosting.

Key Takeaways:

• Candidate ghosting happens when a candidate suddenly stops responding to communication without any explanation.
• The three main reasons candidates ghost employers are: they were no longer interested in the role/company after learning more, they accepted another job, or a lengthy hiring process.
• Employers can prevent candidate ghosting by keeping up with candidate communication, offering transparency, being flexible, and streamlining the hiring process.
• Providing timely communication, transparency, and flexibility throughout the recruitment process will help foster relationships with candidates and reduce candidate ghosting.

Conclusion

The recruiting process can be complex, but candidate ghosting doesn’t have to be an issue. Employers should focus on making sure they provide timely communication, transparency, and flexibility during the recruitment process to build strong candidate relationships and prevent candidate ghosting. Your team should look for ways to make your job postings more attractive and streamline the hiring process so that it is quick and efficient for you and your potential candidate. With these measures implemented, employers can ensure an effective recruiting process without worrying about being ghosted.

About Astrix

Astrix is the unrivaled market leader in creating and delivering innovative strategies, solutions, and people to the life science community. Through world-class people, processes, and technology, we work with clients to fundamentally improve business and scientific outcomes and the quality of life everywhere.

Founded by scientists to solve the unique challenges of the life science community, Astrix offers a growing array of strategic, technical, and staffing services designed to deliver value to clients across their organizations.