From The Employer's Corner- Your worst recruiting nightmare: Ghosting

Ghosting is a term commonly used to describe a situation whereby someone suddenly cuts off all communication without explanation. It’s most often associated with dating, but it is now a commonly reported occurrence during job recruitment. It can happen with temps or perms who fail to show up at an interview, or who don’t respond to a job offer, or who fail to appear their first day on the job.

If you’re an employer, and this happens to you, you’ll rightfully feel dejected and upset. Fortune recently reported that Gen Z are treating employers like bad dates: 93% ghost interviews and 87% have not even shown up for their first day of work.

According to a survey by Randstad US, 50% of Millennials and 50% of Gen Zers said they had “ghosted” an employer in order to accept a job somewhere else that pays a higher salary. It goes without saying that these ghosting practices are a significant waste of an employer’s important commodity: time.

A recruiter can suffer reputational damage if its candidates follow this trend, so it behooves recruiters to set the record straight with their candidates before referring and marketing them to their clients.