The Problem with Employers Ghosting Recruiters

The cost of leaving recruiters and candidates waiting...

If you've never watched Alone, it's a survival series where contestants are left in the wilderness with little more than their own instincts.

The drama unfolds as participants increasingly feel isolated, second-guess themselves, and push their mental reserves through long periods of uncertainty.

It’s gripping stuff.

Yet, deep down, we know it’s for entertainment.

None of us could possibly imagine a rational situation where anyone would be left waiting, with no updates, no direction and no way of knowing what happens next…

Could we?

Recruitment Ghosting

There’s a lot of talk about ghosting in recruitment.

Employer ghosting is when a company stops communicating with a candidate during the recruitment process. Candidate ghosting is the opposite; when somebody decides to disappear off the face of the earth, leaving an employer in the dark.

Most of the time, the conversation is reserved for employers leaving candidates without feedback.  

But there's another kind of ghosting that rarely gets airtime.

Employers ghosting recruiters

While much of ghosting in recruitment focuses on candidates left without answers, recruiters also experience communication breakdowns.

These delays may seem harmless, but it leaves recruiters in the unwanted position of not being able to provide timely feedback or clarity to candidates.

Common examples include not receiving feedback on resumes, no interview updates, delayed offers, or disappearing completely for a few weeks without explaining what's happening.

At the end of the problem is the candidate. If they’ve experienced employers ghosting them, they’re now experiencing recruiters being ghosted by employers. It’s not a great look.

There’s a common saying in recruitment: No news is still news to somebody looking for a job. But recruiters can only communicate what they know. If they're left waiting, so are candidates.

It’s frustrating for both parties.

Why don't employers respond?

Usually, it’s understandable.

Hiring priorities change. Budgets are reviewed. Key decision-makers go on leave. Projects are delayed. Sometimes employers haven't reached a decision.

None of these situations are unusual. Things change. No issues with that. The issue is when the communication stops.

A short message explaining that timelines have shifted gives recruiters something to share with candidates.

Without it, it doesn’t matter if you’re on a remote island or sat on your couch. Uncertainty will creep in.

Can employers damage their brands by ghosting recruiters?

Most organisations spend significant time and money building their brands. Some of them lean on their brand reputation to promote themselves as an employer of choice.

Yet poor communication undoes much of that work.

When candidates work with recruiters to find jobs, and they’re repeatedly hearing about an employer not getting back, they rarely blame the recruiter. More often, they associate that experience with an employer.

Employer branding isn't only shaped by career pages, social media posts or employee benefits. It's also shaped by every interaction somebody has with a company throughout the hiring process.

Strong recruitment communication underpins employer brand. Without it, an  employer’s reputation is impacted, making future hiring more difficult.

For example, experienced candidates can have a negative impression of the organisation. Many feel they waste significant time and effort.

Often, a hiring manager’s reputation can suffer, and they can be seen as unprofessional.

There’s also another scenario many employers don’t expect. Recruiters are unlikely to prioritise roles coming from employers or hiring managers who repeatedly leave recruiters and candidates in the dark.

Lengthy hiring processes and the candidate experience

According to Robert Half, it takes the average Australian employer more than 5-6 weeks to hire somebody. That figure is twice as long in mining. Sometimes longer.

One of the biggest causes of frustration is delayed hiring decisions, and candidate experience suffers as a result.

Perception is reality. For many candidates, their frustration comes from waiting weeks without knowing where they stand.

Australian employers are often taking three times longer than expected to make hiring decisions, leaving candidates to either wait in uncertainty or accept another opportunity.

Mining, engineering and many other industries remain highly competitive for skilled people. Good candidates aren’t waiting for employers to make decisions.

And there’s a growing trend of candidates accepting offers where the employer communicated clearly throughout the recruitment process.

Candidates don't expect every interview to result in an offer, but they do expect to know where they stand. Positive experiences encourage candidates to recommend an employer, reapply in the future, and speak positively about the business, even if they weren't successful.

Not that you've ever asked somebody why candidate experience matters, but now you know.

 

Why application and interview feedback matters

Few things frustrate candidates more than investing time applying for jobs or preparing for interviews, only to receive no outcome or explanation.

In recent years, six words at the end of job ads have worked tirelessly to drive talented people away. “Only shortlisted candidates will hear back” is about as ugly as it gets.   

Interview feedback remains one of the most valuable parts of any hiring process. Understanding why interview feedback matters helps candidates improve, gives them closure, and shows respect for the time they've invested.

When recruiters receive timely updates, they can keep candidates informed, protect relationships, and maintain confidence in the process.

Where an employer appears unresponsive or disinterested, people won’t hesitate to walk away.

Candidate experience best practices

It’s the small things that make the biggest differences.

If we’re talking candidate experience best practices,  we need to acknowledge delays, set realistic expectations, provide timely feedback, and keep recruiters informed throughout the hiring process.

Knowing how to improve candidate experience doesn't require complex technology, AI or expensive initiatives. Picking up the phone or replying to emails means recruiters can manage expectations.

Everybody has a shelf life. Without any communication, recruiters can’t keep candidates engaged for long.  And employers can't build strong reputations if ghosting becomes part of their hiring process.

If Alone has taught us anything, it's that uncertainty should be saved for reality TV.

 

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