The Recruiter Nightmare: ‘Ghosted’ By a Candidate

Ghosted, by definition, is to end a personal relationship with (someone) by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication. If you are in the recruiting industry, this has probably happened to you while working with a candidate at one time or another.

You find the perfect candidate, spark up a wonderful conversation and submit them to a position that they ‘seem’ interested in. A few weeks go by and you finally hear the news you’ve been waiting for from your client…’We would love to have your candidate in for an interview!’

Filled with excitement you make the call to your candidate only to repeatedly receive their voicemail. This goes on for an entire week before you give up and never hear from your candidate again. The recruiter nightmare, you’ve just been ghosted! Unfortunately, you’ll never get an explanation from your candidate as to why they never returned your call, but we have a few tips to provide you with to help you sleep better at night knowing you did everything you could to salvage the candidate relationship.

Keep them updated with the process

After you submit your candidate to a position, make sure that you keep them updated on the process. Your communication with the candidate does not end after you submit them. If a candidate does not hear from you for an entire week without a word of feedback, they might assume that the client was interested and seek positions elsewhere. Even if you don’t have feedback from the client, let your candidate know that.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

When following-up with your candidate, see what else they have going on in the loop. Do they have other interviews? Have they been applying to other opportunities? The more you can find out about what your candidate has going on, the more information you can provide to your client.

Find out the best way to get in touch ahead of time

Depending on their current employment status, some people may be more accessible via e-mail rather than phone. Ask your candidate ahead of time the best way to get in touch with them along with the best time to get in touch with them.

Be respectful

If people don’t feel like they had a positive candidate experience with you, they may be more inclined to never return your call again. Be respectful and provide a positive experience.

Always keep them in mind for new opportunities

If another position comes available that your candidate might be good fit for, let them know! This will show that they have been in the forefront of your mind and that you haven’t forgotten about them.

Will all of these tips save you from being ‘ghosted’ in the future? No. You don’t have control over other peoples actions, but you do have control over your own. Give your candidates the best experience possible and your chances of being ghosted will be less than likely.