<p><em>According to research from Indeed.com, 28% of candidates ghosted an employer during 2020, which is up from 18% in 2019.</em></p><p>In a tough hiring market, ghosting puts companies in a rough spot. More than two-thirds of hiring managers say that candidates dropping off during the application process is a problem for their company.</p>

Ghosted by a candidate

<p><strong>Two-thirds of candidates ghost potential employers because they found a job with higher wages or better benefits</strong>. This type of ghosting can even happen after someone accepts an offer.</p><p><strong>Another common cause of ghosting is poor communication: </strong><em>51% of workers are frustrated with the lack of information. In addition, 38% say that employers are leaving them in the dark about where they stand as a candidate, and 30% are disappointed that employers aren’t acknowledging receipt of their application.</em></p>

Why are the candidates ghosting potential employers

<p>Companie experiencing ghosting should consider it a red flag that they need to <strong>reevaluate their hiring process. </strong>Communication very regularly throughout the process with the candidate, including the post-offer stage, is very important.</p><p>They should also make sure their <strong>pay and benefits meet the market standards. </strong></p>

What companies can do

<figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 40em)"><img width="705" height="396" alt="This is why candidates are ghosting you" srcset="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_562, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/09/p-1-this-is-why-candidates-are-ghosting-you.jpg 562w, https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_937, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/09/p-1-this-is-why-candidates-are-ghosting-you.jpg 937w, https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_1153, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/ar_16:9, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/c_fill, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/g_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/f_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/q_auto, https://www.fastcompany.com/90676888/fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2021/09/p-1-this-is-why-candidates-are-ghosting-you.jpg 1153w"></picture></figure><p>You think you’ve found the perfect candidate to fill a vacancy. You scheduled the next interview, but they don’t show up. Your emails and voicemails are going unanswered, too. Sound familiar? You’ve probably been ghosted.</p><div>advertisement</div><p dir="ltr">It’s a growing phenomenon in the professional world. According to <a href="https://www.indeed.com/lead/impact-of-covid-19-on-job-seeker-employer-ghosting" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">research from Indeed.com</a>, 28% of candidates ghosted an employer during 2020, which is up from 18% in 2019.</p><p dir="ltr">In a tough hiring market, ghosting puts companies in a rough spot. More than two-thirds of hiring managers say that candidates dropping off during the application process is a problem for their company, according to <a href="https://resources.careerbuilder.com/i/1403321-careerbuilder-workforce-of-the-future-survey-white-paper-07-26-21/0?_ga=2.36560419.2072131612.1629736614-761046548.1604505775" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">research from CareerBuilder</a>.</p><p>“In the current market, candidates really have a lot of options,” says Liz Cannata, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “And I think they have very high standards for what they expect out of both the recruitment process and the company.”</p><div>advertisement</div><h2>Why they’re ghosting you</h2><p>According to the CareerBuilder study, two-thirds of candidates ghost potential employers because they found a job with higher wages or better benefits. This type of ghosting can even happen after someone accepts an offer.</p><p>“Often, they’re still actively interviewing elsewhere,” says Cannata. “More than likely, they’ve been offered more pay or better benefits.”</p><p>Another common cause of ghosting is poor communication, with the CareerBuilder survey finding that 51% of workers are frustrated with the lack of information. In addition, 38% say that employers are leaving them in the dark about where they stand as a candidate, and 30% are disappointed that employers aren’t acknowledging receipt of their application.</p><div>advertisement</div><p>“If the candidate doesn’t understand where they’re at in the process or how long the process will be, they can lose interest and become disengaged,” says Cannata. “Similarly, if the process is too long and feels like it’s dragging out because the employer keeps adding one more interview or they’re unsure of when they’ll have a decision, that can also lead to drop off.”</p><p>A third reason that a candidate ghosts an employer is that the recruiter didn’t do a good enough job describing their employee value proposition.</p><figure><picture><img alt="Fast Company announces details of seventh annual innovation festival" src="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/wp-cms/uploads/2021/07/poster-fast-company-innovation-festival-annoucement-2021.jpg"></picture></figure><p>“Why are they a great place to work? What makes them stand out? What is different about their culture?” says Cannata. “Those intangibles outside of just the pay and the benefits are what makes someone want to join a company. The candidate may feel more connected to another company because they’re more aligned to the culture or mission.”</p><div>advertisement</div><h2>What companies should do</h2><p>If you’ve experienced ghosting more than once, consider it a red flag that you need to reevaluate your hiring process. The CareerBuilder study found that 35% of hiring managers are increasing contact with the candidate between offer and start date to mitigate ghosting. Cannata suggests communicating very regularly throughout the process with the candidate, including the post-offer stage.</p><p>“That’s a really critical period where you want the person to feel really engaged and excited,” she says. “It’s helpful to have the manager they’re going to be working for engaged with them and communicating regularly.”</p><p>Also, take a step back and look at your recruitment process. Ask yourself, “Is it streamlined and efficient?”</p><div>advertisement</div><p>“You want to make sure there’s a thoughtful time periods,” says Cannata. “It has to be a fit on both sides. Look at how long it takes from the first time you contact a candidate to the point where you’re actually making an offer. If this process is too drawn out, especially in this market, find places where you can move more quickly.”</p><p>Make sure your pay and benefits meet the market standards. And Cannata says to pay attention to other factors as well.</p><p>“Pay and benefits are important, but candidates also really care about culture, flexibility, work life balance, and DEI initiatives,” she says. “Make sure that recruiters and the people doing the interviewing are really highlighting those as well, answering the question about way your company is a great place to work.”</p><div>advertisement</div><p>Recruiting in today’s market needs to be creative and strategic, says Cannata.</p><p>“Even when it’s a different market and there are tons of candidates, you should always be trying to have a really solid process where even if people don’t get a job, they leave thinking, ‘Wow, that was a really great experience,'” she says.</p><div>advertisement</div><h2>Rather than waiting in line at a food bank, someone can just text the word “HUNGRY” to Bento, choose a nearby restaurant, and pick up a meal.
</h2><figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 40em)"><img width="705" height="16" alt="This app lets hungry people secure their next meal with a text"></picture></figure><div class="caption" dir="ltr">[Photos: anunay rai/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Q82qYQfwsXQ" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a>, Spencer Davis/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/5UeN8VrCxvs" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a>]
</div><div>advertisement</div><p dir="ltr">What drives the team at <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Not Impossible Labs</a>, a tech incubator with the tagline “Nothing Is Impossible Forever,” is indignation at the “absurdities” in our society: those aspects of the world that just don’t make sense, and which leave certain groups of people excluded. “That feeling of revulsion and repulsion is what we call absurdities,” says CEO and cofounder Mick Ebeling, and those absurdities spur them to deploy “tech for the sake of humanity” to help build solutions. They’ve developed products to allow deaf people to <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/projects/music-not-impossible" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">experience music</a>, children in South Sudan to use <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/projects/project-daniel" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">prosthetic limbs</a>, and people with ALS to speak to loved ones using only <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/projects/dons-voice" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">eye movements</a>.</p><p>Another absurdity? Hunger in America. “Food insecurity is the poster child of what we refer to as an absurdity,” says COO and cofounder Adam Dole. “There’s 50 million people in our country that don’t know where their next meal is coming from. And yet, we’re the wealthiest country in the world.”</p><figure><img alt="" width="525" height="263" src="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_596,c_limit,q_auto:best,f_auto/wp-cms/uploads/2021/09/i-1-90673505-with-this-tech-hungry-people-can-secure-their-next-meal-with-a-text.jpg"><figcaption dir="auto">Mick Ebeling and Adam Dole [Photos: courtesy Not Impossible Labs]</figcaption></figure><div dir="ltr">On today’s episode of the World Changing Ideas podcast, Ebeling and Dole discuss the product they’ve built to address this monumental issue, and which has become such a focus for the lab that they’ve developed it into a spin-off company: <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/gallery/2021/2021-introducing-bento" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Bento, </a>a 2021 World Changing Ideas <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90652479/how-this-hunger-fighting-app-is-expanding-its-services-via-digital-transformation" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">honoree</a>.</div><div>advertisement</div><p dir="ltr">During the pandemic, as schools have shut down and people have lost incomes, more and more Americans are <a href="https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/54-million-people-america-face-food-insecurity-during-pandemic-it-could-have-dire-consequences-their" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">having to worry</a> about where their next meals will come from. But there’s plenty of food in America, so the Bento team contemplated how to get that food supply routed to the people who need it. And they wanted to make the process of getting that food easy to navigate, unlike applying for SNAP benefits or finding food banks to line up at. “How do you create something that requires the least amount of effort, for the most amount of impact?” Ebeling asks.</p><p>What emerged was an easy, text-based system. People in need of food are enrolled using databases from nonprofits and government agencies like the Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of America and L.A. Care, whose work is already dedicated to serving those populations. Individuals simply text “HUNGRY” to a number; during a five-step text process, they choose a local restaurant or grocery store and select a meal, and then pick it up when it’s ready. They can rely on the system for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner they need, for as long as they need.</p><figure><picture><img alt="Fast Company announces details of seventh annual innovation festival" src="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/wp-cms/uploads/2021/07/poster-fast-company-innovation-festival-annoucement-2021.jpg"></picture></figure>

In a tough hiring market, ghosting puts companies in a rough spot.


career

Career

humanresources

Human Resources

<p>You think you’ve found the perfect candidate to fill a vacancy. You scheduled the next interview, but they don’t show up. Your emails and voicemails are going unanswered, too. Sound familiar? You’ve probably been ghosted. </p>

<p>It’s a growing phenomenon in the professional world. According to <a href="https://www.indeed.com/lead/impact-of-covid-19-on-job-seeker-employer-ghosting">research from Indeed.com </a>, 28% of candidates ghosted an employer during 2020, which is up from 18% in 2019. </p>

<p>In a tough hiring market, ghosting puts companies in a rough spot. More than two-thirds of hiring managers say that candidates dropping off during the application process is a problem for their company, according to <a href="https://resources.careerbuilder.com/i/1403321-careerbuilder-workforce-of-the-future-survey-white-paper-07-26-21/0?_ga=2.36560419.2072131612.1629736614-761046548.1604505775">research from CareerBuilder </a>. </p>

<p>“In the current market, candidates really have a lot of options,” says Liz Cannata, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “And I think they have very high standards for what they expect out of both the recruitment process and the company.” </p>

<p>According to the CareerBuilder study, two-thirds of candidates ghost potential employers because they found a job with higher wages or better benefits. This type of ghosting can even happen after someone accepts an offer. </p>

<p>“Often, they’re still actively interviewing elsewhere,” says Cannata. “More than likely, they’ve been offered more pay or better benefits.” </p>

<p>Another common cause of ghosting is poor communication, with the CareerBuilder survey finding that 51% of workers are frustrated with the lack of information. In addition, 38% say that employers are leaving them in the dark about where they stand as a candidate, and 30% are disappointed that employers aren’t acknowledging receipt of their application. </p>

<p>“If the candidate doesn’t understand where they’re at in the process or how long the process will be, they can lose interest and become disengaged,” says Cannata. “Similarly, if the process is too long and feels like it’s dragging out because the employer keeps adding one more interview or they’re unsure of when they’ll have a decision, that can also lead to drop off.” </p>

<p>A third reason that a candidate ghosts an employer is that the recruiter didn’t do a good enough job describing their employee value proposition. </p>

<p>“Why are they a great place to work? What makes them stand out? What is different about their culture?” says Cannata. “Those intangibles outside of just the pay and the benefits are what makes someone want to join a company. The candidate may feel more connected to another company because they’re more aligned to the culture or mission.” </p>

<p>If you’ve experienced ghosting more than once, consider it a red flag that you need to reevaluate your hiring process. The CareerBuilder study found that 35% of hiring managers are increasing contact with the candidate between offer and start date to mitigate ghosting. Cannata suggests communicating very regularly throughout the process with the candidate, including the post-offer stage. </p>

<p>“That’s a really critical period where you want the person to feel really engaged and excited,” she says. “It’s helpful to have the manager they’re going to be working for engaged with them and communicating regularly.” </p>

<p>Also, take a step back and look at your recruitment process. Ask yourself, “Is it streamlined and efficient?” </p>

<p>“You want to make sure there’s a thoughtful time periods,” says Cannata. “It has to be a fit on both sides. Look at how long it takes from the first time you contact a candidate to the point where you’re actually making an offer. If this process is too drawn out, especially in this market, find places where you can move more quickly.” </p>

<p>Make sure your pay and benefits meet the market standards. And Cannata says to pay attention to other factors as well. </p>

<p>“Pay and benefits are important, but candidates also really care about culture, flexibility, work life balance, and DEI initiatives,” she says. “Make sure that recruiters and the people doing the interviewing are really highlighting those as well, answering the question about way your company is a great place to work.” </p>

<p>Recruiting in today’s market needs to be creative and strategic, says Cannata. </p>

<p>“Even when it’s a different market and there are tons of candidates, you should always be trying to have a really solid process where even if people don’t get a job, they leave thinking, ‘Wow, that was a really great experience,'” she says. </p>

Rather than waiting in line at a food bank, someone can just text the word “HUNGRY” to Bento, choose a nearby restaurant, and pick up a meal.

<p>What drives the team at <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/">Not Impossible Labs </a>, a tech incubator with the tagline “Nothing Is Impossible Forever,” is indignation at the “absurdities” in our society: those aspects of the world that just don’t make sense, and which leave certain groups of people excluded. “That feeling of revulsion and repulsion is what we call absurdities,” says CEO and cofounder Mick Ebeling, and those absurdities spur them to deploy “tech for the sake of humanity” to help build solutions. They’ve developed products to allow deaf people to <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/projects/music-not-impossible">experience music </a>, children in South Sudan to use <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/projects/project-daniel">prosthetic limbs </a>, and people with ALS to speak to loved ones using only <a href="https://www.notimpossible.com/projects/dons-voice">eye movements </a>. </p>

<p>Another absurdity? Hunger in America. “Food insecurity is the poster child of what we refer to as an absurdity,” says COO and cofounder Adam Dole. “There’s 50 million people in our country that don’t know where their next meal is coming from. And yet, we’re the wealthiest country in the world.” </p>

<p>During the pandemic, as schools have shut down and people have lost incomes, more and more Americans are <a href="https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/54-million-people-america-face-food-insecurity-during-pandemic-it-could-have-dire-consequences-their">having to worry </a>about where their next meals will come from. But there’s plenty of food in America, so the Bento team contemplated how to get that food supply routed to the people who need it. And they wanted to make the process of getting that food easy to navigate, unlike applying for SNAP benefits or finding food banks to line up at. “How do you create something that requires the least amount of effort, for the most amount of impact?” Ebeling asks. </p>

<p>What emerged was an easy, text-based system. People in need of food are enrolled using databases from nonprofits and government agencies like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and L.A. Care, whose work is already dedicated to serving those populations. Individuals simply text “HUNGRY” to a number; during a five-step text process, they choose a local restaurant or grocery store and select a meal, and then pick it up when it’s ready. They can rely on the system for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner they need, for as long as they need. </p>

This is why candidates are ghosting you

Ghosted by a candidate

Why are the candidates ghosting potential employers

What companies can do

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