Job interview: is “ghosting” becoming more and more widespread?

The expression “ghosting”, a phenomenon popularized through online dating platforms, means the fact of “disappearing” and not giving any more news. While there is currently a major labour shortage, candidates today are spoiled with the choice of positions. According to recruiting experts, this position of power encourages workers to disappear down a rabbit hole before potential employers they were to meet after accepting an interview. Is ghosting taking the world of work by storm? 

Candidates today have the “big end of the stick” when it comes to choosing a position from among those they are offered. Canadian employers and recruiters say they not only have difficulty filling vacancies, but also have to deal with the phenomenon of ghosting, which has reportedly become more and more frequent over the past two years. Statistics published by the Indeed job platform in mid-May revealed that more than 80% of employers have been deserted by a candidate. These people who become phantoms make an appointment for an interview, but ultimately never show up and cut off all communication. Some people even accept a position, but never show up on their first day on the job. 

But why use this disreputable behaviour? Isn’t it easier to begin by choosing interviews that really interest us or to quickly notify by email the person with whom we are in contact if we do not plan to go there? One thing is certain, this ghosting wastes a lot of time on both sides. Victims of these defections, employers in the restaurant industry, retail trade and many other fields of employment are wondering. It would seem that the range of possibilities available to potential candidates, their bargaining power and the anonymity of the virtual world are realities that currently favour this type of behaviour. Employers especially deplore the fact that they receive no explanation of the reason for refusing the position and have to start the hiring process over from the very beginning. 

Faced with this situation, recruitment specialists are unanimous: potential candidates who disappear in this way during a hiring process risk seeing their name tarnished and their careers suffer in the long term. If employers in the same industry talk to each other, the professional reputation of the person who “ghosts” can really suffer and, if a position becomes available later in the same company, see it slip through their fingers!

 

 

By Caroline Bouffard – 37e Avenue

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