Companies are struggling with it

Ghosting on the rise: are applicants taking revenge?

The fact that more job interviews are being conducted digitally increases the risk of ghosting by applicants.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/insta_photos)

Ghosting has always existed, but recently it has become a serious problem for companies: Applicants are no longer available to them, some even turn their backs on them after being accepted. This development, highlighted by HR consultant Bettina Kern, was hotly debated on krone.at. For some, it falls more into the category of "tit-for-tat".

"If you've already had ten other interviews, perhaps even several on the same day, the company is a number." This is how HR consultant Bettina Kern explains why the relationship between companies and job applicants is becoming increasingly non-committal.

The result: ghosting, known from the dating world, is on the rise. Potential new employees are disappearing and can no longer be contacted. More and more often, applicants are even withdrawing, even though they had given the company a commitment.

Ghosting is catching up with candidates. You always see each other twice. And now some of them feel that they have closed a door on themselves.

Bettina Kern, Chefin von Kern engineering Careers in Linz

Bild: Wenzel Markus

Kern has little understanding for this development. Canceling is a form of decency, she said. There was a heated discussion on krone.at. "This is how the tide is turning," commented one reader. Another was not surprised either: "This has been common practice at companies for decades. You write applications and don't even get any feedback."

Room for improvement on both sides
"The poor decorum is mutual," added another. There were reports of applications to which there was not even a response. Both sides clearly have room for improvement.