New report reveals one in four jobseekers have ghosted an employer in the past
Consistent communication has emerged as the top measure to maintain engagement with jobseekers during the hiring process, according to a new report, as candidate ghosting becomes a problem during recruitment.
Findings from a new LiveCareer poll revealed that 25% of jobseekers had ghosted an employer at some point during the hiring process in the past.
Some 15% said they stopped responding after submitting an application, according to the findings.
Another 13% stopped communicating after a screening call or interview, while eight per cent stopped responding even after receiving a job offer.
"Employers cannot assume candidate engagement is secure simply because a candidate has progressed to later stages," the report read.
"Ghosting can occur at any point in the hiring process, not just during the early application stage."
Preventing candidate ghosting
Avoiding candidate ghosting during the hiring process will be dependent on different factors, according to the report.
Consistent communication and timely updates at each stage of the hiring process emerged as the top factor to prevent the situation. Other measures include:
- Transparency around salary, expectations, and hiring timelines (25%)
- Clear timelines for next steps and expected response windows (23%)
- Accurate job descriptions that reflect the role (16%)
- Meaningful feedback after interviews (13%)
- Reducing automation and increasing human interaction (13%)
"Candidate engagement depends heavily on consistent communication, clear expectations, and transparency throughout the hiring process. Employers who prioritise this are less likely to see candidates vanish," the report read.
Why does ghosting happen?
These recommendations to avoid candidate ghosting come in the wake of a competitive job market, where it is highly likely for employers to lose talent to other recruiting companies.
In fact, 51% of jobseekers who said they ghosted an employer cited accepting another job offer as the reason for stopping communication.
Almost a third (32%) said they lost interest in the role or company, while 23% said the pay and benefits were not competitive.
Meanwhile, a share of employees said a negative experience in the hiring process could turn them off.
Nearly a quarter (23%) said a negative interview experience or poor communication made them disengage with a recruiter. Another 39% said experiencing a bad or unfair hiring experience would make them consider ghosting an employer.
"Today's job hunt is exhausting, with jobseekers often submitting hundreds of applications to land a new role," said Jasmine Escalera, career expert at LiveCareer, in a statement.
"When candidates encounter long periods of silence, unclear timelines, misleading job descriptions, or overly automated processes, they naturally shift their attention to more promising opportunities. Applying to a high volume of roles also increases the likelihood that a candidate could vanish once they receive an offer elsewhere."
Is AI a factor in candidate ghosting?
The report also found that 12% of the respondents stopped communicating because they felt the process was "overly automated or impersonal."
It comes in the wake of the growing implementation of AI tools in the hiring process.
LiveCareer's findings suggested that reducing automation and increasing real human interaction can prevent candidate ghosting.
However, it noted that automation tools only have a "limited" impact on the overall hiring process.
Only 34% of the respondents said they use AI tools to apply for jobs, but only eight per cent of them said the technology made them less responsive.
"AI plays only a limited role in candidate ghosting, with little evidence that it is causing a significant drop-off. Among jobseekers who use AI tools in their job search, only a small minority report that it negatively affects their responsiveness," the report read.
