We know we’re not the first to write about it, and we won’t be the last, but we need to talk about ghosting.

The realities of recruiting are sometimes less than ideal. Candidates shouldn't ghost you, but it does happen, especially in a market where professionals have such leverage. 

But we’re not here to talk about candidates ghosting recruiters. We’ve written about the negative perception of the industry before, but it seems that some in the industry just aren’t taking our advice (and we have, like, so many good things to say).

So, let me lay it out clearly: stop ghosting candidates.

What is ghosting?

For those of you who don’t know, ghosting is when one party ceases all communication with another. No warning, no follow-up, nothing. It’d be like if I just stopped writing this piece.

Obviously, that can’t happen. And, if that’s unacceptable for a blog post on a website that you can ultimately exit out of without consequence, why should it at all be acceptable when dealing with someone’s livelihood? 

So, why does ghosting keep happening?

There are two common rationales for ghosting: time and money. The idea is that responding to someone who isn’t a fit or wasn’t selected by the client is a waste of time. Why continue working with a candidate who doesn’t fit the role?

However, that way of thinking doesn’t align with the recruiting industry in 2022. 

Candidates have been a hot commodity for some time (see: candidate-driven hiring market), and they’re vital to you and your client’s success. Treating them in a less than professional manner, intentionally or unintentionally, will only hurt your firm.

I’m busy. I can’t respond to everyone. What should I do instead?

I get it. We’re all very busy, and sometimes we slip up. Most recruiters are dedicated to helping both clients and candidates grow, and the occasional ghosting isn’t carried out with malice.

As an industry, however, more work needs to be done to limit and effectively end the practice of ghosting. There are strategies to help with this and most don’t require the kind of time, energy or work that will pull you away from actually recruiting.

Consider establishing a nurture campaign for candidates who don’t quite work out. A series of email automations can keep you top of mind with these professionals, allowing you to grow your network without much active work. Plus, as candidates turn into clients and back again, you’ll have the ability to potentially bring in new business.

You don’t need to carefully craft a long-winded response to everybody—nobody has time for that—but you should take a moment to respond or take advantage of current technologies and best practices to help automate those responses in a kind, thoughtful way.

Remember: even accidental ghosting limits your success and hurts your reputation.

Ghosting alienates potential candidates, thus hurting your chances of future success. Most of the recruiters we’ve worked with avoid these pitfalls, but even the occasional ghosting can harm your reputation (and your reputation matters).

Reviews and social media are extremely impactful—one negative interaction can quickly be amplified to almost the entire Internet. Think about it: when was the last time you intentionally went to a restaurant with two out of five stars? Or purchased an item with overwhelmingly negative reviews? Chances are rare, if never.

If a firm has two out of five stars on Google or is featured on anti-recruiting social media channels, chances are people will be put off by that. I know I would be.

Thankfully, solutions like the one we laid out above can easily help you avoid even the most accidental ghosting mishaps. It’s not about re-inventing your process but building solutions within how you work to create a system where success and communication go hand-in-hand.

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Setting up, planning, implementing and tracking a nurture campaign can be a lot, especially when you’re already busy and an expert in a different field. Our team is full of experts who can help you with every step of the process, improving your recruitment and building your network. Reach out to learn more about how Recruiters Websites can help.