The Impact of ‘Ghosting’ in Hiring on a Company’s Brand
In the past decade, businesses often neglected to manage their rejection process effectively, leaving job seekers in the dark about their applications or why they didn’t get the job. However, in today’s tight labour market, such practices can significantly harm a company’s reputation.
Imagine your team is ready to pitch for a multimillion-pound deal. You’ve fine-tuned your presentation, especially emphasising values and diversity to align with the potential client’s priorities. But during the pitch, the new CIO, who is particularly harsh about your company’s commitment to values and diversity, decides not to award you the job. Unbeknownst to you, this same CIO was ghosted by your CEO two years ago, and the damage still lingers.
Ghosting job seekers is increasingly common and can have severe consequences for candidates. However, the negative impact on businesses is often overlooked, especially in professional services.
The Impact on Value-Driven Organisations
Organisations prioritising diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) aim to attract and retain top talent and foster an environment where everyone can thrive. This commitment is also critical for staying aligned with client expectations. However, leaders often undermine their DEI efforts by ignoring the importance of seemingly small actions, such as ensuring recruiters and interviewers follow up with candidates.
The Dreadful Consequences of Ghosting
The stakes for ghosting have never been higher. Previously, an unhappy candidate might post a complaint on social media, but most stayed silent to avoid being labelled troublemakers. Today, companies are frequently named and shamed online. This can damage your reputation if potential clients find negative posts about your company’s hiring practices, overshadowing your well-crafted DEI policies.
Moreover, recruiters also experience ghosting from candidates who don’t return calls, prioritise other interviews, or decline job offers. Post-pandemic, with applicants having more job options, such occurrences have increased. While frustrating for recruiters, the impact on candidates is even more profound, fostering self-doubt and impostor syndrome.
Simple Solutions to Address Ghosting
Application ghosting is widespread, with many candidates receiving responses less than 5% of the time. Ghosting after interviews is even more damaging if the candidate has invested significant time in multiple rounds.
If a candidate has reached the interview stage, the least they deserve is feedback on their performance. This is crucial to prevent feelings of impostor syndrome and self-doubt, which can be particularly severe for diverse candidates.
Steps to Mitigate Ghosting
Leaders can take several straightforward steps to address ghosting:
- Accountability: Hold HR directors accountable to ensure company processes are followed.
- Consistent Communication: Ensure everyone involved in hiring follows a structured process, from sending proforma notes to all applicants to providing rejection letters after the first interview and feedback notes for those who progress further.
Ghosting can have catastrophic consequences for candidates and damage a company’s brand. The fallout might even affect business deals, as seen when a ghosted candidate is able to influence your company’s prospects. Implementing transparent communication processes can help mitigate these risks and uphold your company’s reputation.
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