We have all read them – or worse, been there. These are accounts of people who had a job interview set up and the interviewer failed to show up to the initial telephone or video interview, dropped off the radar mid-process or when a recruiter went AWOL and didn’t provide any feedback at the end of the process.
I was reminded of this conundrum upon coming across an article about a new website called Ghostedd. Visitors are invited to “share a ghost story.” The merits and trustworthiness of the service aside, the question for me was why such a service is needed in the first place? This Guardian article, which was printed the same week as the aforementioned one, fuels the conversation by reminding readers of fake jobs (as much as 40%), which sadly remains an ongoing issue.

Call me naive, but why can’t we have a process where we respect one another’s time, humanity and need for feedback and information? Recently, I came across a LinkedIn post where a recruiter was empathizing with someone who, having been ghosted by a company during her interview process, was expressing frustration about the system. Ironically, the same recruiter had tried to recruit me some ten years ago and then failed to follow up, update or give feedback after executing a disappearing act. The rub? He had called me and insisted what a great fit it was and how the hiring vice-president was eager to meet. The follow-up and meeting he’d promised a week later never materialised. To be fair, the recruiter may have evolved over the past decade, but if not, then his comment highlights a need for greater honesty in addition to propriety.

The flip side, which is not a mystery to most, is that recruiters and hiring managers often feel hesitant. Short on time and also facing potential blowback or litigation if they were to speak their minds and give actual feedback, they take the easy and safe way out. Yet, surely, there is a fine line between ghosting someone, placing yourself in a compromising position or ignoring someone you’ve put in a pipeline process. Moreover, if candidates reciprocate the courtesy and consideration expected in the process and given to them then interviewers should feel more assured in giving feedback and not rudely abandoning those they have engaged. For now the Internet is doing what it was supposed to do by crowdsourcing information, but could we all agree that when we are more courteous and considerate of our fellow humans and make their journey better, everyone benefits and is in a better position? This should not be a revolutionary concept. After all, if nothing else, we may be the ones looking for proper etiquette or propriety next time.

Things That Need To Go Away: Decenit a.k.a. Lack Of Mutual Respect, Lack of Feedback, Lack Of Explanation, Lack Of Follow-up And Fake Job Postings