Ghosting in the recruitment process is a long-standing phenomenon that we see on the part of employers as well as job seekers. As someone who has worked in human resources for many years, I look at this situation from both perspectives – from the side of companies and job seekers. On the one hand, there are companies that often desperately fight for talent, and on the other hand, there are candidates who try to impress a new employer. As in most cases, this situation is not black and white either. Ghosting works on both the employer and employee side.
If we look at the reasons why employees currently don't get a callback even though they meet the requirements, there could be several factors. A very common reason is that even if an employee is fully qualified for the position, they fail to present it correctly in their resume, thereby becoming uninteresting to the employer.
- Resumes are still considered an unpleasant chore by applicants, not as a basic tool that can get them an interview. In most cases, the applicant does not describe their experience sufficiently and relies on describing it in the interview. But this way, they might not get an interview at all.
- The candidate uses the title of the position they held in the organization and does not explain what they specifically did. Different companies have different job titles for identical job responsibilities. If a manager or HR employee doesn't understand the job title an applicant held, they will deem them unsuitable.
- Candidates send the same CV for different job positions.
In today's extremely fast-paced world, a recruiter has, at best, a few minutes to assess whether to move a resume to the „suitable,“ „maybe,“ or „unsuitable“ pile. Often, resumes are read by bots searching for keyword matches. And if a candidate doesn't tailor their resume according to the job posting, they often won't make it to the "invite for an interview" column.
At the same time, many candidates are applying for positions for which they have no qualifications or education at all. Even though the advertisement clearly defines the type of candidate the company is looking for. They want to give it a try.
From a company perspective, there can be many reasons for „ghosting.“ HR departments are overloaded and often understaffed. Small companies do not have HR departments and they lack a clearly defined recruitment and selection process – they carry out these tasks more or less intuitively. In the vast majority of cases, this is not necessarily intentional ghosting of candidates. Unfortunately, companies don't realize that by not communicating, they are creating very negative publicity for themselves. They fail to see that today's applicant could be their customer or business partner tomorrow.
A separate topic is the fact that many companies still write very Short ads, which contain only a few items from the job description. The job position is defined very broadly, and then a large number of irrelevant candidates apply. The overwhelmed HR person or manager will only respond to a small group from this large number.
Many companies advertise that they will only contact shortlisted candidates whom they deem suitable for the position, and they consider this disclaimer a sufficient response to candidates.
I don't want to excuse companies at all. If a company wants to build a good reputation and brand awareness, It is necessary to communicate with all candidates, whether suitable or unsuitable for the position, as it is a demonstration of the company culture, which is visible even outside your company. Nowadays, when AI helps us in various other spheres of life, it should not be a problem to set up an agent that prepares responses for applicants.
What should a candidate do to increase their chances of getting a response?
The applicant must first Read advertisements with understanding. The submitted documents – resume, cover letter, and email correspondence – should be enough to impress. Adjust the CV according to what the company expects (without being misleading, but rephrasing experiences in the new employer's language).
What does that mean in practice:
Translate acquired experiences and practices into the language of the company the candidate is applying to. For example, if the company is looking for someone who can „optimize processes,“ the resume must state „process optimization,“ not „streamlining departmental operations.“.
Put a nice photo on your resume. This detail greatly humanizes and evokes emotion, which can be very helpful.
Show a potential employer the actual value you bring. Example: Instead of „I was in charge of all marketing activities,“ it’s better to say: „I increased website traffic by 25% and reduced costs by 15%.“.
Dare to follow up. For example, after 2 weeks, send a polite reminder email or call to inquire about the status of the selection process. Many candidates do not do this, yet this very activity can determine their success.
Leverage the power of LinkedIn to be seen by HR teams. Build your personal brand because many positions are filled through the so-called hidden job market; these positions are not advertised anywhere. Connect with HR professionals from companies where you would like to work in the future on LinkedIn. Comment on their posts and engage in discussions. When you send them your resume one day, you will no longer be an anonymous applicant.
In conclusion, I would like to add that ghosting is a sign of unprofessionalism. Applicants do not have a direct impact on companies' behavior, but they do have control over their job search strategy. Furthermore, being proactive can only help the entire process. It is important not to get discouraged.
I believe that many managers and HR employees don't perceive the effort and stress involved for a candidate in a job search. The anonymity of a resume (especially one without a photo) creates an opportunity to evaluate it solely as a document without a story. I believe it would be enough to just have that space and perceive the person behind the resume, and we could send ghosting into oblivion.
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