Why Have You Been Ghosted? And How To Prevent It.

Candidate communication seems like it is at its worst. According to Indeed, 83% of employers have been ghosted by a candidate during the interview process. This could mean anything from not showing up for an interview or responding to a job offer to not showing up to their first day of work after an accepted offer. The recent ghosting phenomenon just began about 2 years ago, when the job market was at its peak for candidates. So why have candidates changed the way they communicate or don’t communicate and what can you do to keep the lines of communication open to try and prevent this from happening to you? 

1. Hot job market

Today’s job market is extremely hot and candidate driven. Last time we saw the ghosting issue, it was on the part of employers, when the unemployment rate was high. With unemployment rates low, and the most qualified candidates interviewing with multiple companies, they don’t feel obligated to respond to everyone, especially if they are not going to take the job. 

          How to Combat it?

Ensuring your job stands out from the crowd is just the beginning. You need to sell your opportunity, company and culture. You can not just assume you are the front runner, ask where you stand compared to other opportunities they are considering. You want to keep the lines of communication open in order to help the candidate feel comfortable telling you the truth (good or bad). This will help them not to ghost you as you go further down the interview process. 

2. No Process or Old Process

Candidates are interviewing at multiple places and if you think your opportunity is the best thing since sliced bread, you have probably already been ghosted by a candidate. As candidates interview with multiple companies they look for feedback, communication and speed. If your process is not clear or is old and too lengthy, you are giving the best candidates an easy reason and opportunity to ghost you. 

          How to Combat it? 

You need to continue to sell! It is a different market out there than it has been in the past. Great candidates expect to be wooed and if you want them, you need to make it clear why. Don’t be afraid to use text, email and phone calls to move through your interview process efficiently. Be sure to communicate your process with the candidate early and often. If you let them know how quickly you move and then act with that same sense of urgency, you will set yourself up for success and lower the likelihood of being ghosted. 

3. Expectations

Once you get a qualified candidate in the pipeline, how are you handling the expectations of each person? Your process needs to be efficient, you need to move with a sense of urgency and you need to set clear expectations. The expectation setting does not just involve candidates but also every person who is involved in the interview and hiring process; from sales managers, colleagues and the human resource department signing off on their compensation.

          How to Combat it?

Before you even start the recruiting process, you need to get buy in from every member of your team. They need to be aware of and committed to the process of hiring. Once you are interviewing candidates, continuously check in with them. Lastly, constantly set expectations and ensure that you follow through with those expectations.

Summary

Being ghosted is something every employer needs to be aware of in this job market. Assuming or hoping it will never happen to you is not a strategy. Take these three market trends and suggestions on how to combat them into your own process. The job market is a candidate market for now and you need to continue to fight for the top sales talent that you want! If you need advice or help recruiting and hiring top sales talent, reach out to Treeline today. We are the nation’s top sales recruiting firm in the country and have options to serve every budget.