Why Ghosting a Potential Employer is Never a Good Idea
Have you ever heard of “ghosting”? The term originates from the world of online dating — used to describe the faux-pas act of an individual abruptly ending all communication with someone with no provided explanation, effectively abandoning the individual on the other end. Since the term (and the social phenomenon) has spread across dating apps, the behavior of ghosting has been noted across a variety of different avenues — including but not limited to job applications.
As the Great Resignation continues to roil across the United States, job seekers overall have collective power in the situation, as they are currently spoiled for choice in a tight labor market. With several options to choose from, several job seekers may be struggling with “the paradox of choice”; overwhelmed by the sheer number of different routes to pick from and/or are paranoid about the chance of a better option coming along (not unlike the world of online dating). Also, some job seekers abandon applying to a job midway due to complicated application procedures, such as a confusing online job application site.
This much having been said, it is not a good idea for job seekers to abandon communication with a company or organization after having applied/partially applied to a job as it can lead to confusion/delays on account of the job poster, in addition to being generally bad etiquette that can reflect negatively on yourself as a potential hire. While it is true that some employers end up ghosting job applicants themselves during the hiring process, it is an impolite and just plain bad practice overall, and two wrongs don’t make a right. Effective communication and transparency are the cornerstones of a successful relationship between job applicants and employers. Maintaining this balance between both affected parties is crucial.
For example, if you have decided that you are unlikely to proceed with a job that you’ve already applied to — say if you’ve reached advanced discussions with another employer — it’s better to (politely) inform the employer you aren’t interested in as much that you no longer want to proceed, as opposed to leaving them hanging. While it might seem advantageous to keep your options open as a job seeker, it can be frustrating for an employer to be unsure whether an applicant wishes to proceed with a job application. An employer and/or recruiter doesn’t need an exhaustive account of why you intend to leave a job application, a brief but civil email, phone call, or LinkedIn InMail message to a hiring manager or recruiter explaining your wishes to no longer proceed with the application process is widely preferable to an employer receiving a deafening silence of no response after having reached out to a candidate.
If you’re currently searching for a different job, the skilled recruiters at New York Technology Partners are ready and waiting to help you find your next new role. Feel free to give one of our recruiters a call at (585) 300–4720 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, or check out our current openings on Indeed.
