Ghosting the job interview

Ghosting the job interview is in the news. What is ghosting exactly? Basically it’s a frustrating procession of no shows of candidates and it may be strong employment numbers driving it. The following CNN story does a great job of exploring the issue.

It’s worth being aware of the ghosting trend. What can you do about it in the near-term if you’re dealing with it –well, that part’s not so clear. Read the excerpt here:

Chandra Kill had scheduled face-to-face interviews with 21 candidates to fill some job openings at her employment screening firm. Only 11 showed up.

“About half flaked out,” said Kill. “They seem so excited and interested, and then they don’t show up or call and you are left wondering what happened. A year or two ago it wasn’t like this.”

With the US unemployment rate at its lowest in 18 years,and more job openings than there are people looking for work, candidates are bailing on scheduled interviews. In some cases, new hires are not showing up for their first day of work.

“We are in a unique situation where there has definitely been a shift in the employment world as far as supply and demand,” said Susie Willingham, director of talent acquisition at CareHere, a health care company.

“We are all fishing from the same pond and people have choices now and have the opportunity to really explore different positions and roles and levels of compensation. And with that choice, you have people changing their minds midstream — it can be very frustrating.”

She estimated that approximately 1 in 10 candidates aren’t showing up for interviews, and that no-shows are more common among lower level roles.