You had a great phone screen. You scheduled a follow-up interview. The day comes. The candidate doesn't show up. No email, no text, no explanation. They just disappeared.

You send a follow-up: "Hey, we missed you at the interview today. Everything okay?" Nothing. Radio silence. You've been ghosted.

Or worse: they accept your offer, agree to a start date, and then never show up on day one. You terminated other candidates. You told the hiring manager the role was filled. And now you're starting from scratch.

Candidate ghosting is epidemic. Here's why it happens and what you can do about it.

Why Candidates Ghost (And No, It's Not Always Rudeness)

Before you assume candidates are terrible people, understand why ghosting happens:

They accepted another offer: The most common reason. They got a better offer, accepted it, and don't know how to tell you. So they just... don't.

Your process took too long: They engaged four weeks ago. You're finally ready to interview. They've moved on and aren't interested anymore.

They had a bad experience: Something in your process turned them off—rude interviewer, disorganized scheduling, lowball offer. Instead of confronting you, they ghosted.

They're overwhelmed: Job searching is exhausting. Sometimes candidates just burn out and stop responding to everyone.

They were never serious: Some candidates apply to lots of jobs without real intent to move. When it gets real, they disappear.

Life happened: Illness, family emergency, personal crisis. Sometimes ghosting isn't intentional—it's survival mode.

They're bad at conflict: Saying "I'm no longer interested" feels confrontational to some people. Ghosting feels easier.

The Financial Cost Of Ghosting

Candidate ghosting wastes massive time and money:

Recruiter time: Hours spent sourcing, screening, scheduling, and following up—all wasted.

Hiring manager time: Interviews that never happen. Cleared calendars for no-shows.

Opportunity cost: While you waited for the ghost, other candidates took different jobs.

Onboarding waste: If someone accepts and doesn't show day one, you've already terminated other candidates and stopped recruiting.

Team impact: Hiring manager's team is waiting for help that never arrives.

Companies report that 20-50% of candidates ghost at some stage of the process. That's not a fringe problem—it's epidemic.

How To Prevent Ghosting (Before It Happens)

Prevention is easier than response. Here's how to reduce ghosting rates:

1. Move Faster

The single biggest cause of ghosting is slow hiring processes.

The problem: You take three weeks to schedule a second interview. The candidate accepted another offer two weeks ago.

The fix: Compress your timeline. Schedule interviews within 3-5 days. Make offers within 48 hours of final interviews.

2. Maintain Consistent Communication

Candidates ghost when they feel ignored.

The problem: You interviewed them Tuesday. They haven't heard anything by Friday. They assume you're not interested and move on.

The fix: Send status updates every 2-3 days minimum. "We're still interviewing other candidates this week. I'll have an update for you by Friday." Even "no news" updates prevent ghosting.

3. Build Genuine Relationships

Candidates ghost transactions, not relationships.

The problem: Your interactions are purely transactional. The candidate doesn't feel any connection or obligation to you.

The fix: Spend time building rapport. Ask about their career goals. Share insights about the company. Make them feel like a person, not a resume.

4. Set Clear Expectations And Get Commitment

Candidates ghost when there's no accountability.

The problem: You schedule an interview. The candidate says "sure" but doesn't really commit.

The fix: At the end of every conversation, confirm next steps explicitly:

"So we're confirmed for Tuesday at 2 PM. You'll meet with Sarah and Mike for 45 minutes. I'll send a calendar invite with the Zoom link. Does that work for you?"

Then: "Great. If anything changes, can you let me know ASAP so we can reschedule?"

Explicit commitment reduces no-shows.

5. Send Reminders

People are busy and forget.

The problem: The candidate scheduled an interview two weeks ago and forgot about it.

The fix: Send reminders:

• One week before: "Looking forward to our interview next Tuesday at 2 PM!"
• Day before: "Reminder: we're set for tomorrow at 2 PM. Here's the Zoom link again."
• Morning of: "Excited to talk today at 2 PM! Let me know if you need anything."

Automated reminders reduce no-shows significantly.

6. Make It Easy To Say No

Make it psychologically safe to decline.

The problem: Candidates are afraid to say "I'm no longer interested" because they don't want to disappoint you or burn a bridge.

The fix: Explicitly give them permission to opt out:

"If at any point you decide this role isn't the right fit or your situation changes, just let me know. No hard feelings at all. I'd rather know than have you feel stuck in the process."

When candidates know they can decline without consequences, they're more likely to communicate instead of ghost.

What To Do When You've Been Ghosted

Despite your best prevention efforts, ghosting still happens. Here's how to respond:

If They Ghost Before An Interview

Send one follow-up (same day as the missed interview):

"Hi [Name], we were expecting you for our interview today at 2 PM but didn't hear from you. Everything okay? If you need to reschedule or are no longer interested, just let me know. Hope all is well!"

If no response after 24 hours, send one more (gentle but final):

"Hi [Name], following up on my message yesterday. I'm assuming you're no longer interested in the role, which is totally fine! If that changes or you have any questions down the road, feel free to reach out. Best of luck with your search!"

Then move on. Don't keep following up. They're gone.

If They Ghost After Accepting An Offer

This is more serious. You need to confirm whether they're actually starting.

One week before start date (if you haven't heard from them in a while):

"Hi [Name], excited for you to start on [Date]! Just wanted to confirm you're all set. Let me know if you have any questions about day one logistics."

If no response, escalate (3 days before start date):

"Hi [Name], I haven't heard back from you. I want to make sure you're still planning to start on [Date]. Can you please confirm? If your plans have changed, I need to know ASAP so we can adjust accordingly."

If still no response (1 day before start date):

Call them. Leave a voicemail. Send a text if you have their number.

"Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. I'm trying to reach you to confirm you're still starting tomorrow. Please call me at [number] as soon as possible."

If they don't show day one: Mark them as a no-show in your system and move on. Don't waste more time chasing them.

If They Ghost After Accepting But Before The Start Date

Immediate follow-up:

"Hi [Name], I haven't heard from you in a few days. Just checking in—are you still good for your start date on [Date]? Let me know if anything has changed."

If no response within 24 hours:

"Hi [Name], I need to confirm your status. If you've decided not to join [Company], I completely understand, but I need to know so we can plan accordingly. Please let me know your decision by end of day."

If they still don't respond, assume they're not coming and restart your search.

Should You Try To "Win Them Back"?

Sometimes candidates ghost because they got a better offer. Should you try to win them back?

Usually no. Here's why:

They already showed they don't communicate: If they ghosted instead of saying "I got another offer," that's a communication problem. Do you want to hire someone who handles conflict by disappearing?

You'll overpay: If you re-engage and they say "I got a better offer," you're now negotiating from weakness. You'll likely overpay to get them back.

They'll probably leave again: If they left once, they'll leave again when something better comes along.

Exceptions:

• They ghost for a legitimate reason (family emergency, health crisis) and proactively reach out to explain and re-engage
• They're a truly exceptional candidate you can't replace
• They offer a genuine explanation and demonstrate they've learned better communication

What To Do About Chronic Ghosting

If you're experiencing high ghost rates (>30% of candidates), you have a process problem:

Audit your timeline: How long from application to offer? If it's over 3 weeks, you're losing candidates to faster companies.

Audit your communication: Are you updating candidates regularly? Or do they sit in limbo for days without hearing from you?

Audit your candidate experience: Ask people who made it through your process what could be better. You'll get honest feedback.

Audit your offers: Are you making competitive offers? If your offers are below market, candidates are using you for leverage and ghosting when they get better offers.

Track your metrics: What stage do candidates ghost most? That's where your process is broken.

The Revenge Temptation (Don't Do It)

When candidates ghost, especially after accepting offers, the temptation is to "blacklist" them or trash them publicly.

Don't.

Why:

• It's unprofessional
• It could have legal implications
• You don't know their situation (maybe there was a real emergency)
• They might have a good reason you're not aware of
• Revenge doesn't help you fill the role

Instead: Mark them as "not eligible for rehire" in your ATS and move on. Don't waste energy on people who aren't worth it.

The Bottom Line

Candidate ghosting is frustrating and costly. But it's often a symptom of broken recruiting processes—slow timelines, poor communication, or bad candidate experience.

To prevent ghosting:

• Move faster
• Communicate consistently
• Build relationships
• Get explicit commitments
• Send reminders
• Make it safe to say no

When you're ghosted:

• Send one or two follow-ups
• Move on quickly
• Don't try to "win them back" unless there's a genuine reason
• Don't seek revenge

And if you're experiencing chronic ghosting, fix your process—don't blame candidates.

The Fast Version:

• Ghosting happens because processes are too slow, communication is poor, or candidates got better offers
• Prevent it with faster timelines, consistent updates, relationship building, and reminders
• When ghosted, send 1-2 follow-ups and move on
• Don't waste time trying to win ghosts back
• If ghosting is epidemic in your process, audit and fix your timeline, communication, and candidate experience