News has broken in recent months of a disturbing new career trend: “ghosting” prospective employers. This trend is not only unprofessional, it sets up a slippery slope for all people eager to enter the job search arena, including employers and potential employees. So, don’t ghost employers.
What is “Ghosting”?
According to Psychology Today, “ghosting is abruptly ending communication with someone without explanation.” This usually is done in reference to a romantic relationship, but it is not unheard of in other situations, either. As Newsweek reports, ghosting is becoming a bigger and bigger trend to enact on possible employers. This trend is especially prevalent among Gen Z.
Ghosting can leave many negative impacts on those ghosted, however. For instance, when a prospective employee ghosts a company, that leaves the employer searching for a replacement – delaying hiring dates, onboarding work, and more. The same can be said for an employer ghosting an applicant – getting their hopes up, only to let them down without another word is not the right way to behave.
Unfortunately, this behavior has become more common over the past few years. It is not uncommon to hear about applicants going through multiple rounds of interviews, questionnaires, and other processes only to not hear back from a job for months on end, if ever. In a way, this reversal of roles, where potential employees are ghosting employers, is seen as a bit of a comeuppance for companies with a history of ghosting applicants. But two wrongs don’t make a right. There are some ways ghosting an employer can negatively impact your standing in the workforce.
Don’t Be a Ghost to Employers
The Resume Rescue hammers home the importance of networking. The reason is that networking is one of the single most important tool job seekers have at their disposal. What is antithetical to networking? Ghosting people. If you have been treated poorly by a hiring manager, that tells a different story. You should know your rights as an applicant. But at the same time, when you spent their time, and yours, in the application process, never responding to a call, email, or offer is the last thing you want to do.
If offered the role, decline it with grace. Call the hiring manager up and tell them you cannot accept the opportunity as presented. Maybe that will bring up some negotiations, but, if not, don’t sweat it. Take the professional way out. If something else falls through, at least you have to connection, if not the job, to fall back on.
Take that the other way – if you are offered the role, but never respond, what impression does that leave? It indicates you do not respect the time of the company or hiring manager enough to even respond. That is not a professional line of thinking. If you have two conflicting offers, no one will blame you for the better of the two. Maybe it is more money, stock options in the company, or more aligned with your career aspirations. Whatever the case, while the disappointment might show through, the happiness will, too. You got the role! But if you ghost the other company, and the preferred choice falls flat, you have no back up plan. Essentially, don’t burn bridges by ghosting employers.
Overall, the concept is simple: don’t ghost employers. They might treat you badly or might not give you everything you want, but accept it with grace and dignity. Keep those bridges strong – you never know when you will have to cross them again.
