Why do recruiters ghost candidates?

17 Comments

1. AnonymousJuly 12,2024 at 2:51AM UTC

   I think it’s a numbers game. They are taking the first to respond…not the best candidates. I have had the same thing happen to me multiple times.

2. AnonymousJuly 12,2024 at 9:47PM UTC

   Take it as a sign to find a new strategy in your job hunt without relying on recruiters. What I mean by that is when they reach out just ignore them. They are useless! Let your job search be in your hands?

3. AnonymousJuly 13,2024 at 2:35PM UTC

   The recruiting industry has taken such a downturn in their skills and lack of common recruiting steps. I’ve had many recruiters send me roles for jobs I’m so not qualified for or they take my resume and alter them without my permission to make me seem like a great candidate. Like everything else it’s a numbers game to place and that’s it. Became a sad ruination of a onetime great role.

4. AnonymousJuly 13,2024 at 3:15PM UTC

   I disagree having been in the field for over 20 years, BUT if you are speaking about agency recruiters they are paid by the company to fill orders that they get and work on commission. When you send a resume to them if you choose to have them represent your search remember their allegiance is to that company NOT you. So if you do not want your resume/CV redone be specific and let them know. They are handlers not agents for you. If they present you to their client or use you as bait to get a job order because they saw an opening they can fill and you are rejected by the company that is the end of the relationship. It is completely transactional and they have no reason to continue on with you. I have managed internal teams of recruiters for technology companies and never use these types of agencies. They do not properly vet candidates for me and my team of recruiters is expected to always close the loop with ANYONE they touch. If they don't they get one warning and then they leave my team. There are still good recruiters out there but they do have to be held to a standard as do candidates. It is a 2-way street that requires respect for the process and an understanding of how it works. It is up to you as a candidate no matter the type of recruiter inhouse or agency to know the steps they will follow to get you to a hire. Ask the tough questions in the first call about this so that you are not let down. If the process shifts midstream ask why and reset your expectations accordingly. Often times as the intermediary between the HM and you the recruiter is left to do a waiting dance just like you when a HM goes off the rails or process midway. Be kind if this happens or your candidacy can go south, in other words don't shoot the messenger. Do give feedback if it is truly bad and if and when necessary take to glassdoor for realness.

5. AnonymousJuly 13,2024 at 3:08PM UTC

   They are fishing, they work on commission- paid by the company NOT you, often they are not actually interested in recruiting you and they are looking for who you know. If you are ghosted by an agency recruiter and they don'r respond within 48 hours, add the owner or manager of the agency and ask for a response. Send a read receipt and if they still don't reply block them. End of story.

6. AnonymousJuly 13,2024 at 4:08PM UTC

   Simply put, some recruiters are just not suited for their job, don't cate, and/or are overwhelmed with work and not paid well enough to fully commit to the job.

7. AnonymousJuly 13,2024 at 5:36PM UTC

   What she did was not passive-aggressive.

8. Jean LeonardJuly 13,2024 at 7:02PM UTC

   I'm finding (to my utter dismay) that quite a few of the recruiters are scammers. They don't use a company email, refuse to call/talk on the phone, as well as promising the moon and stars. The last one I've communicated with, after further investigation, was a person who was using someone else's identity from LI and FB. If that's the case, be glad you were ghosted! I have been a recruiter for the last 15 years.....and am now in the market for another gig.

9. AnonymousJuly 14,2024 at 1:36PM UTC

   I wish I knew. Answers range to scams to the situation has changed (they're no longer hiring for that job, you weren't selected, etc.) but ultimately I do believe it is a poor reflection of the organization and/or the recruiter.

   I certainly don't expect a response if I just send an application (it is nice, though) since I know they get hundreds and hundreds of inquiries. But if you go through at least one part of the process, like as little as a pre-screening 1 hour test assessment or 15 minute screener phone call, etc. SOME response is warranted. Companies wonder why there's no loyalty and why people job hop. This is why.

10. AnonymousJuly 14,2024 at 2:03PM UTC

    I recently retired and worked a month to transition my duties. The recruiter that was give my job posting actually sent me a canned email regarding the position. They are using their outlook contacts folders and sending the posting to hundreds of people. They have too many responses to the posting to follow up timely or at all. It’s very u professional. Make note of the agency and avoid in the future.

11. AnonymousJuly 15,2024 at 12:26PM UTC

    While it’s unprofessional, they may get a response and direct their attention towards someone else which takes priority. They do get paid often for referrals.

12. Sandy PochapinJuly 15,2024 at 2:20PM UTC

    For a lot of the "recruiters" who call saying they saw your resume on Monster, etc. it's just a numbers game -- they don't actually have a contract with the employer, they need to submit two candidates quickly. They are paid per submission and are can be very high pressure. I've had recruiters argue with me that I'm qualified for something that I'm NOT qualified for because they really need 2 submissions. Or they'll argue that a 40-mile commute isn't that bad...it's amazing! But, I have to add that a cold call recruiter got me a high paying contract with a prestigious company, so some of them are legit -- but lots of them are just dialing for dollars. As to getting ghosted, if you email them to ask about your candidacy, you have about a 30% chance of getting a response. They're busy going after the next candidate for another job, they don't care about creating a relationship with you. It's a churn and burn situation.

13. AnonymousJuly 15,2024 at 2:55PM UTC

    Sometimes they don't actually own the req and need candidate resumes do submit in hopes of getting in the door with a client. Sometimes they don't care about candidate experience. Sometimes they are ridiculously overwhelmed and forget. Sometimes candidates slip through the cracks. There isn't a one size fits all answer unfortunately.

14. EMILY KIKUE FRANKJuly 15,2024 at 3:46PM UTC

    I think this has been mentioned already, but there's been a huge uptick in "ghost jobs," postings for roles that don't actually exist. In the broadest brushstrokes, employers do that a) to make themselves look good (both internally and externally) and b) to have a pool of candidates for when they are hiring. It's crappy, I know, but it's happening a lot right now.

15. AnonymousJuly 22,2024 at 3:13PM UTC

    That's awful.

16. Liz MilneJuly 15,2024 at 10:31PM UTC

    I think AI is getting overused in recruitment - people use AI to scour for people looking for work, other people use AI to apply for every possible vacancy (whether they're suitable or not) and the net result is that it is harder and harder for genuine job-seekers to be spotted by companies that are looking for a good-fit candidate...

    AI should be a tool overseen by people, it shouldn't be the whole process...

17. AnonymousJuly 22,2024 at 3:12PM UTC

    This happens to me as well and it is very frustrating. One recruiter reached out to me through LinkedIn and I responded immediately. She let me know she was on a PTO and asked me to send me her resume, which I did immediately. But then I heard nothing back. I emailed her to ask if the job was still available. Still heard nothing. Three weeks went by and on Saturday, without even an apology for the delay, she said she was interviewing for the position this beginning next week and what was my available on Monday (today) for a 30 minute interview. Well, this time, I am ghosting her. I do not have faith in someone who doesn't make time to be courteous.