4 Reasons Recruits and New Hires Ghost Employers

This is the fourth article in our series on ghosting in the hiring landscape. Catch up on parts one, two, and three to learn about the prevalence of ghosting in the current job market and how employers can combat the trend.

While ghosting has persisted for decades on the employer side, a new trend is occurring in which job applicants and new hires go missing, failing to return phone calls and emails. The trend can be attributed to very low unemployment and more open roles than qualified candidates to fill them. Many sought after marketers are being actively recruited from multiple companies. As a result of the cocktail of high demand combined with bad habits of an increasingly digital society, many candidates are not getting back to hiring managers when they are offered a new job.

But what makes a recruit or a new hire decide to “ghost”? If you’ve been ghosted by a recruit recently, one of these scenarios is probably why. 

4 Reasons Recruits and New Hires Ghost Employers

1. They were entertaining multiple offers. “There are ghosters who are shoppers,” notes Susan Aubuchon, Senior Vice President, Client Services at McKinley Marketing Partners, “and through our 25 years of experience in the marketing recruitment sphere, we have learned the behaviors that can identify when a candidate is only shopping and may end up ghosting from interviews or offers.”
   
   
2. The job changed after they started. This is why it’s important to clearly outline an accurate job description before finalizing a hiring decision. Both the management team and the new hire need to be crystal clear on what they are agreeing to or you might find yourself getting ghosted by a new hire.
   
   
3. The position was not what they expected in terms of pay structure, management style, or the vision of the company. When a candidate is being recruited by multiple organizations and is not happy with their new setup within the first 60 days, they may decide to jump ship. Though bad behavior like that is risky for a professional (the world is smaller than it seems and reputations stick), the stakes for doing such a thing are lower in a candidate’s market.
   
   
4. They have more options and technology makes it easy to disappear. Technology has had a massive impact on culturally acceptable communication styles. According to Inc. columnist Justin Bariso, “Social media and messaging apps have helped persons establish relationships quicker, but a lack of face-to-face conversation and personal contact often make for relationships that lack depth…many feel no need to have an awkward conversation with a recruiter or manager if they can take the easy way out and ghost them.”

Ghosting is occurring more and more in the hiring landscape. Having clarity around why candidates ghost can help you make sure you are doing all you can to make candidates feel motivated to keep you in the loop and to make sure you hire professionals who are committed to following through.