The job market is apparently so hot people are ghosting potential employers
The much-maligned habit of ghosting has apparently made its way into the workplace. According to a recent LinkedIn article, "People are 'ghosting' at work and it's driving companies crazy." Ghosting is when a person abruptly goes silent or disappears without explanation.
The article goes on to explain that candidates who have agreed to job interviews fail to show up without any notice or further communication and, in some cases, accept jobs only to not appear for their first day of work.
"This job market is so hot right now. Unemployment is at a 18-year low. You've got more job openings than candidates, which is the first time the Labor Department has seen this … It's a buyers' market right now," LinkedIn editor-in-chief Dan Roth told "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday.
Though you might expect young people or millennials to be the culprits, Roth said ghosting is happening at all ages.
"It's everyone. You would think it would just be millennials, people who are used to dating sites … the truth is, it's everyone. It's easier just to stop showing up than to say, 'no,' or, 'Thank you for reaching out to me about this job I don't actually want it anymore," he said.
Another reason it might be happening? According to Roth, job seekers see it as retribution for all the times potential employers ghosted them. Still, Roth warns against it.
"Recruiters and hirers are saying they will never forget the people who have ghosted them," Roth warned. "And they will take that from job to job."
It's even happened at LinkedIn.
"We had a job opening where we were looking for the perfect person. We spent months interviewing tons of candidates and we finally found the right guy. We were all excited about it -- including him, I thought -- and then we offered him the job and we never heard back. Called him, texted, emailed, never heard back. In fact, I didn't know he took a new job until I saw him update his (LinkedIn) profile," Roth said.
