Hello to everyone who has taken the time to read this.
The topic of ghosting has been on my mind lately. Ghosting is bizarre, unacceptable and unprofessional and in this piece I explain why.
What is ghosting?
Ghosting is ceasing communication with someone who may reasonably expect responses from you. It affects us all. I’ve seen it happen to my children in their social lives, where for some reason the other person simply stops communicating – equivalent, I suppose, to leaving the phone off the hook in years gone by.
Ghosting has now spilled over from the social world to the professional one, and it is that aspect of it I wish to discuss.
For those of you who don’t know what I mean, picture this:
You decide to apply to a job, having seen an advert that you like on a fairly reputable platform like LinkedIn or PNet or, worse, as recently happened TWICE to me, having been DIRECTLY contacted by someone about one of your services.
This is different to not replying to applications for jobs which you never advertised. I have been inundated by unsolicited job applications myself. I mean applying to advertised, requested positions and not receiving a response.
What happens?
You’ve carefully crafted your application: highlighted relevant experience, stated availability, checked references and qualifications are up to date, ensured your CV is comprehensive, and carefully and politely submitted it. What happens next?
One of several things. You may:
- Receive an auto response saying that your email has been received. Or not.
- Receive a rejection in such a short space of time that you know it’s physically impossible for a human to have assessed it.
- Be invited to a 2 minute interview in which you’re asked an arbitrary question which has nothing to do with the work.
- Undergo ‘training’ and ‘testing’, which recently happened to me, and these tests had nothing to do with the actual position I applied for.
Then – nothing.
You call, leave phone messages which aren’t responded to, send emails and WhatsApps which are not replied to.
There is never a response – you’re simply ignored.
5 points why ghosting is unacceptable
I’ve been in the virtual industry since 2005 and while ghosting may have happened on the odd occasion back then, I truly believe it happens much more frequently now.
Here are 5 points why ghosting is rude, unprofessional and unacceptable.
- It contributes to giving you a reputation of being unreliable.
- It’s a reflection of your values as a person and indirectly those of the organisation you represent.
- It’s rude and disrespectful.
- People have spent time and money on their applications, often when they can ill afford it.
- Treating people this way makes them feel depressed, stressed and sad, contributing to an overall ill feeling in the world.
Can we just… stop?