Dolphin Group

Perhaps you’ve been in one of the following situations: candidates agree to job interviews and fail to show up, never saying more. Or some accept jobs, only to not appear for the first day of work with no reason given. Instead of formally quitting and enduring a potentially awkward conversation with a manager, some employees simply leave and never return. Bosses realize they’ve quit only after a series of unsuccessful attempts to reach them and, for the boss, the hiring process begins anew.

What used to be exclusive to the dating world has now made its way into the professional one as well – ghosting. With the job market looking better for employees than it has in years comes the inevitability of candidates dropping out of the application process without saying a word as they have their pick of job offers to choose from. So how to navigate this new world of being ghosted as an employer? Below are a few tips to help stave off the feelings of disappointment when a candidate disappears on you.

1. First things first, keep in mind that this type of behavior from potential employees may not be born out of malice, but rather inexperience. Professionals who entered the workforce a decade ago, during the height of the Great Recession, have never encountered a job market this strong as the unemployment rate is at an 18-year low. More open jobs exist than unemployed workers, the first time that’s happened since the U.S. Labor Department began keeping such records in 2000. The rate of professionals quitting their jobs hit a record level in March; among those who left their companies, almost two thirds voluntarily quit. Presented with multiple opportunities professionals face a task some have rarely practiced, saying no to jobs; and because most people just inherently don’t like conflict or disappointing people, ghosting has become the unfortunate side-effect.

    

2. Anticipate this happening and learn to adjust. Some recruiters have started to borrow from the airline industry and copy its approach to selling more tickets than seats. At Hollywood Casino in Baton Rouge, La., VP of HR, Robin Schooling, advises her hiring managers to interview continuously since it’s unclear when someone may abruptly drop out of the process.

    

3. Take a hard look at what your competitors offer. Use this time to review your benefits package and salary ranges as an employer and see how it stacks up with your competitors. Are you simply not at the top of your game in your industry with what you have to offer? Now is the time to separate yourselves from the rest of the pack in terms of what you can offer potential employees. There’s a reason candidates are choosing other companies or competitors over you and it’s your job to dig deep and find out why. Determine where your job benefits are lacking, then follow-through and implement changes to remain competitive in this new job market. 

Overall, it’s time to accept this practice may become a mainstay in the job hiring process moving forward, and although it’s not the most professional practice, understanding how you can make changes as a company to mitigate this issue will get you much farther ahead in the long run.