A whopping 93 percent of respondents to a recent LinkedIn poll said they had by ghosted by a potential employer during the interview process. Ghosting—the phenomenon of dropping all communication without any warning or reason—is also now being exhibited by job applicants themselves. In this episode, Kelly explains why ghosting is not a sensible career strategy, especially for applicants, and shares three ways to keep communication lines open when you have the sense an employer might be ghosting you.
Key takeaways:
- Ghosting is a sudden stop in communication without advanced warning and for no apparent reason
- Ghosting an employer is really bad networking form
- If an employer is seemingly ghosting you, keep it in perspective
- Politely reach back out if you are still interested
What to listen for:
- 00:50 Ghosting is a sudden stop in communication without any advanced warning and for no apparent or obvious reason
- 02:40 Ghosting is a really bad networking form
- 03:07 Rather than ghosting, make a decision to be transparent and polite and provide the recruiter with an answer
- 03:47 Ghosting an employer eliminates any prospect for future opportunity with them
- 04:27 If you are ghosted, do not name names, post about it on social media, or send an “I’m better off without you” email
- 04:49 Keep the ghosting in perspective
- 05:16 Polite follow up to let the employer know you remain interested
- 05:28 Reach out with updated information on your application if applicable
- 05:56 Watch for updates on the company itself and reach out exhibiting empathy and understanding when necessary
Quotes:
“If you’re no longer interested in a networking opportunity, be professional, be polite, be honest.” [02:45]
“By keeping perspective, don’t become paranoid the next time you apply for a job and the interviewer says, ‘I’ll get back to you.’”
Note: according to a poll I conducted on LinkedIn (subsequent to recording this podcast) 40% of respondents have ghosted a potential employer in the job search process! Yikes!
