Candidate Ghosting During Hiring: Why it Happens and How to Combat it
Learn about the global issue of candidate “ghosting”, including why it might be happening to your talent acquisition team.
Candidate “ghosting” is when a potential job candidate suddenly stops all communication with their company contact or recruiter at any point during the hiring process. Candidates being non-responsive with prospective employers is trending as a widespread challenge for talent acquisition teams, making it even harder for many employers to hire the talent they need to grow, or maintain, their workforces this year.
Whether it’s because the candidate was passively applying to the job listing, there are misalignments around salary expectations, or a mismatch between job skills, there can be multiple reasons why a candidate might ghost you. While finding qualified job candidates is one of the most common talent acquisition challenges, another major concern for employers includes candidates ghosting them during the recruitment process. To combat this, it’s important for employers to understand the reasons this might be happening to them.
In fact, our 2025 Global Benchmark Report found candidate ghosting as a new, and top trending, challenge faced in by talent acquisition teams. It was listed as one of the most signification talent acquisition challenge by 41% of North American, 32% of EMEA, and 24% of APAC respondents.
Download your own copy of our 18th Annual Benchmark Report here
4 Common Reasons for Candidate Ghosting
It can be disappointing sourcing a close-to-perfect candidate for an open position, only to lose them during the outreach or interview process. Understanding the reasons why a candidate chooses to stop responding to messages or ghost entire interviews can be a good first step in combating the issue. Here’s some typical examples a job candidate might ghost a potential employer:
1. Low Excitement About the Role or Company
A candidate’s motivation, or lack of, around the job opening can be a reason for ghosting. Little enthusiasm around the role and slow responses from the candidate might be a sign of this. Company reputation and workplace culture can also be a deciding factor for candidates. If they sense they might not be the best fit for the team or company, they might choose to ghost rather than submit a formal withdrawal.
2. Job Skillset Mismatch
This typically happens when the candidate’s understanding of the job does not entirely match their experience, current responsibilities, or what they’re looking for in their next role. A candidate might have the exact experience you’re wanting on paper, but the candidate has decided to pursue alternative opportunities or make a career move. For example, a candidate might be a great fit, but if they’re wanting a role where they are more of an individual contributor rather than a people leader, they might decide to pass on your opportunity.
3. Incompatible Pay or Benefits Expectations
Oftentimes a candidate ghosts after finding out the salary package associated with an open position. This is because the initial salary range or benefits package does not meet their expectations. Applicants might choose to remove themselves from the running if salary expectations aren’t aligned to save them and the employer from wasting time interviewing.
4. Candidate is Fielding Other Job Offers
Odds are, you aren’t the only talent acquisition team that has identified a particular candidate as a stand-out applicant. The job market is extremely competitive for employers. Another attractive job offer with a competitive salary, benefits package, work-from-home policy, and more could be the reason a candidate ghosts you. The candidate's professional circumstances can change at the drop of a hat, and this can lead to abrupt ghosting.
In fact, our most recent benchmark report found that 30% of respondents in North America, 47% in EMEA, and 26% in APAC experienced candidates dropping out if remote work was not offered.
Ghostbusting 101: How to Combat Candidate Unresponsiveness
Ghosting in the talent acquisition landscape isn’t a one-way street. There are also instances where employers are doing the ghosting. Whether it’s delayed responses to job applicants, or no follow-up from phone screens or interviews, it’s happening to candidates too. This isn’t good practice and can affect your existing talent pool and reputation. This suggests encouraging your talent acquisition team to practice good habits around candidate communication.
Below are some common practices that can help combat candidate ghosting and promote healthy communication from everyone:
Set Expectations Early On
Whether it’s going over the job description, benefits package, or interview timelines, recruiters should be available to outline every stage of the hiring and onboarding process for the candidate. This way, you’re prioritizing the candidate’s experience with you and your team and ensuring the candidate knows what to expect every step of the way. This is also an opportunity to discuss your expectations as the talent acquisition team, such as requiring responses/ digital acceptances to interview invites.
Promote Honest and Clear Communication from Both Ends
As part of setting expectations early on with candidates, letting them know what to expect from you as their guide through the hiring process is critical. This is also an opportunity to display empathy and encouragement. Emphasizing the partnership between recruiter and job candidate can help their confidence and comfort level, making harder conversations seem not so scary.
It can be discouraging to know your top candidate has decided to go with a competing job offer. But it’s always better to know rather than to be left wondering. So, in this case, it can be acceptable to ask out right if they’re considering or have already decided to move forward with another opportunity. This closure is better than nothing.
Minimize Time Between Interviews
An easy way to stay top-of-mind with a job candidate is to always have the next round of communication or touchpoint scheduled. Avoid too long of a delay between interview rounds or feedback for next steps. This way, the candidate feels the sense of urgency to get the role filled, plus how much you value their time too. Automating interview scheduling is one way to do this. Additionally, if a hiring manager is unavailable for an already scheduled call, consider having a stand-in from the same team before totally rescheduling with the candidate.
Candidate ghosting, and the issue of non-responsiveness, is an unfortunate trend that seems to be gaining traction within the hiring landscape. Especially with the already existing challenges of finding qualified talent or meeting their pay expectations, candidate ghosting is an added factor that makes hiring and maintaining talent much more competitive. So, taking the time to learn why candidates might ghost potential employers, and how to prevent it is a good way to avoid feeling left in the dark.
Release Date: October 14, 2025
Julie Romero
Julie Romero is HireRight’s EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer and is responsible for leading the global HR function, including supporting business transformation and modernization. Julie is particularly passionate about leveraging the strategic power of the HR function beyond the classic definition of the role. Prior to joining HireRight in 2022, Julie served as Global Succession & Development Lead at WPP. She also made an impact at Navigant, where she led Human Capital for their healthcare segment; Accenture, where she worked in HR as a Global Talent Strategist; Accenture Consulting as a Talent & Organization Performance Manager; and at Disney as an Organization Development Internal Consultant. Julie holds a master’s degree in Organization Development from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ohio University.