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What to do when job seekers ghost you

Published on: Jul 15, 2019
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Ghosting is the millennial term for when someone you're interested in ceases all communication with you, without warning. It's a devastating move on the dating scene, and it's equally frustrating in the world of recruitment. In fact, the Washington Post reported that instances of job seekers who ghost recruiters increased by 10 to 20% in 2018.


Understand why job seekers disappear


One of the primary reasons that job seekers ghost recruiters is they are used to recruiters ghosting them. According to Wokopolis, 43% of job seekers never hear back from recruiters after applying to a position. This leaves them wondering what went wrong, only to never actually find out.

The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment's 2018 annual report revealed that the average time to fill a physician opening was 201 days. Considering the cost and time investment of such a lengthy process, the ability to engage candidates in the pipeline is essential to optimizing resource utilization.

Therefore, one of the most powerful ways to stop job seekers from disappearing from your recruitment pipeline is to respond to every application quickly. Even a simple note saying you've received the application is better than nothing at all. This sets the expectation that communication with you will be easy and straightforward.

Consistent communication keeps job seekers engaged.Consistent communication keeps job seekers engaged.




Be proactive in your engagement efforts


To better engage the candidates in your pipeline, you need to anticipate their needs. Think about the questions they might have about the position. For example, candidates are likely interested in aspects of the job such as:

  • Compensation and benefits package.

  • Flexibility of the position's schedule.

  • Details about the culture of the hiring organization.


You can develop messages and content around these needs to send to candidates while they're waiting. Doing so can keep them active and interested in the position - and prevent them from worrying that you've forgotten about them. Likewise, sending this information out ahead of speaking with candidates will weed out anyone who isn't really interested in the job.

The more transparency you can build into your recruitment process, the less likely candidates will be to ghost you. By showing a mutual respect for their time, you can keep candidates interested and active.

Finding qualified medical job seekers is the first step to filling positions at your organization. Post your next opening on myHealthTalent.com to gain access to engaged and active candidates today. Ghosting is the millennial term for when someone you’re interested in ceases all communication with you, without warning.