Hiring Newsroom: 53% of Job Seekers Have Been Ghosted by a Potential Employer

Every year that we’ve conducted our State of Online Recruiting Survey, candidates have cited employer ghosting as one of their most pressing job search challenges.

In 2025’s State of Online Recruiting Report, 59.7% of job seekers said ghosting – applying or interviewing for a job and not hearing back from employers – was a top frustration, and 47.4% anticipated unresponsive recruiters or hiring managers to impact their job searches or career growth in the coming year.

For employers, ghosting has consequences – most notably, giving candidates a poor impression of your organization. A lack of response can lead job seekers to believe that you don’t value their time and effort, making them wonder how you might treat employees and whether your workplace is toxic.

And, these days, candidates do not hesitate to share their job search experiences on social media and review sites like Glassdoor. When you fail to communicate with applicants, job seekers are also more likely to ghost you.

The result? You’re cursed by losing out on top talent and unnecessarily elongating your hiring process.

How Common Is Employer Ghosting?

With ghosting showing no signs of being exorcised from the recruitment process any time soon, we set out to learn more about job seekers’ most haunting experiences and the true extent of this ghastly employer behavior.

In October 2025, we surveyed 1,024 candidates on our platform, first asking if they had ever been ghosted by an employer during their job search. Over half (53%) said “yes”: 

When Are Employers Ghosting Candidates?

Next, we asked candidates in our ghosting survey when an employer went radio silent during their job search. The top response was “after submitting my application” (28%), which aligns with what we have long been hearing from job seekers: They apply for jobs, only to feel like their resume has fallen into a black hole.

The second most popular response was “after one interview” (20%), followed by “after an initial phone screen” (16%). In these two early phases of the job search, employers may be vetting multiple applicants and trying to narrow down their search quickly without considering the candidate experience. This can make ghosting more prevalent in these stages.

Fortunately, ghosting is less common further into the recruitment funnel, when positive and more personalized interactions with applicants are crucial to winning over top talent. However, unresponsiveness is still occurring in these later phases to some degree, according to our ghosting survey: 11% of candidates said they’ve been ghosted “after multiple rounds of interviews,” 9% said “after completing a skills assessment,” and 4% noted “after negotiating salary/benefits.” Another 4% selected “after receiving an offer.”

“Ghost” Stories From Real Job Seekers

For more insights into employer ghosting, we asked survey respondents to anonymously provide details about their scary experiences. Here is a sampling of job seekers’ first-hand perspectives into the frustration and disappointment that comes when employers leave them in the dark:

“After a strong interview, I was told to expect the next steps soon. I followed up twice but never heard back. It was disappointing, but I used it to refine my outreach and focus on companies that value communication.”

“Got to the 4^th round of interviews after the employer had originally contacted me. I was told they were putting off hiring for a month or so, but they would for sure be calling for the 4^th interview because the others had gone so well, and it all looked very positive. I tried to get in touch with the company recruiter, but he never responded.”

“I had an interview last month. It went well; I even got a response from a thank you email, but I never heard anything after. Even after sending follow-up emails and calls.”

“I have several instances where I have submitted my application for a position and have not received a response. Very disappointed.”

“I was told I would hear a response soon after a final round interview, and it is almost two weeks and have not heard anything yet after following up. It crushes my self-esteem when I talk with employers for so long only for them to not even respond.”

“I gave an interview, and the job position was closed. They never responded or updated on their [candidate] portal, and I never understood what happened.”

“I have gone through several rounds of interviews with the company over the period of a couple of months only to be beat out by an internal candidate that I was unaware of. I believe that hiring leaders should disclose this upfront and give the external candidate the option of continuing the interview process or not.”

“Had two interviews [for the] same job and was told they will get back to me and never did. I reached out and did not get a response.”

“I was hired for a contract of 12 months, and waited for the day I was supposed to start [with] no call; nothing. I called the recruiter, who did not answer. I then received a text two weeks later saying project was postponed until 2026.”

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How to “Bust” Ghosting and Improve Candidate Communication

Ghosting candidates – whether intentional or not – often stems from a lack of structure and communication in the hiring process. To avoid leaving job seekers high and dry, set clear expectations from the start. Let applicants know your anticipated hiring timeline, who they’ll be communicating with, and what steps come next.

If delays occur, be transparent. Sending a brief update like, “We’re still reviewing candidates and will follow up by [date],” goes a long way toward maintaining trust and showing respect for their time.

Next, leverage your applicant tracking system (ATS) or recruitment platform of choice to automate communication. Automated updates or disqualification notices, when written thoughtfully, ensure no candidate is left wondering about their status. (Not a writer or grammar whiz? Use generative AI tools to craft the right messages.)

Finally, create a culture of communication within your recruiting team. Encourage hiring managers to view candidate engagement as a reflection of your employer brand. A simple follow-up or courteous “thank you for your time” can turn an otherwise negative experience into a positive one.

Remember that every candidate interaction shapes how people perceive your organization – your employer brand. The candidate you stop corresponding with during assessment tests could write a scathing LinkedIn post that makes its rounds, or the second-place candidate you ghost after multiple interviews could have been your next great hire from your pipeline. Treating applicants with transparency and respect not only reduces job ghosting but also strengthens your reputation in a competitive talent market.

To learn more about how to improve communication with candidates, keep them engaged, and put ghosting to rest, check out our Employer Resource Center.

Survey Methodology

iHire polled 1,024 candidates in October 2025. Surveys were fielded to active job seeker users via iHire’s platform. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.