Picture this: your recruiters are hard at work sourcing, screening, and interviewing quality prospects for a particularly vital role at your organization. But just as they're ready to move their top candidates forward, they're all suddenly M.I.A. and unresponsive, throwing your whole talent acquisition process into a tailspin! Why could this be happening, and how can you stop it?
In our infographic based on our survey-based report with the Talent Board (check out our other one on the biggest challenges TA teams face today), we tackle the topic candidate ghosting, and explain how TA teams can adapt and level up to respond to this frighteningly common hiring market phenomenon.
To read the full study, click here or on the banner below.

Click here to download a JPEG and PDF version of the infographic below.

This infographic also highlights:
- The top 5 challenges TA Teams face in 2022
- Why candidate ghosting is today's scariest TA challenge by far, including the main reasons for candidate ghosting
- How TA technology offers recruiting teams key tools to combat candidate ghosting
- Why virtual recruiting event platforms will be companies' top tech stack investments in 2022
Infographic Transcript
How Scary is Candidate Ghosting?
Really scary. Candidate ghosting is now the top challenge TA teams face. With candidates in short supply, 4.4 million Americans quitting or changing their jobs, and open positions outnumbering job seekers 2 to 1, today’s labor market puts talent acquisition and HR professionals in a tricky position.
To better understand exactly how TA teams are handling today’s challenging talent market, Brazen and the Talent Board jointly surveyed 375 TA professionals from companies of all sizes and a wide array of industries.
The Top 5 Challenges TA Teams Face in 2022 Are:
- Candidate Ghosting
- Engaging Passive Talent
- Attracting Diverse Candidates
- High Application Drop Off
- Finding Solid Sourcing Channel and Partners
Did You Know?
The term candidate ghosting was inspired by the online dating phenomenon of being “ghosted” by someone who had shown interest and then disappears or falls off the radar completely.
*Forbes reported that 76% of employers said candidates had ghosted them in the prior 12 months, and 57% said it’s more common than ever before.
Candidate Ghosting: Today’s Scariest TA Challenge
Why Is This Happening?
Reasons
Lighthouse Research found there was a three-way tie for the main reasons candidates ghost employers after applying:
- The company/job no longer interested them after they learned more
- The hiring process was too long and complicated
- They took another job
Solutions
According to Lighthouse Research, savvy companies are fighting candidate ghosting on two fronts: communication and speed.
- Virtual hiring events are a great way to talk with a large volume of candidates early in the process (even before they apply!)
- Virtual recruiting tools can help you speed up your hiring process
Luckily, hiring and sourcing tech can significantly reduce time-to-hire, and TA professionals who use recruiting technologies such as CRMs, sourcing tools, chatbots, AI, and virtual recruiting platforms report higher satisfaction rates in recruiters than those who don’t.
Virtual Hiring Events & Chat: 2 Tools to Combat Ghosting
Engaging candidates earlier in the process and giving them opportunities to speak with your team before they apply can significantly reduce candidate ghosting. A chat option on your career page and virtual hiring events are two great tools to help you do just that.
Ghost Busting for TA Teams? TA Tech Adoption on the Rise
This year, the top tech stack investment will be made in virtual recruiting event platforms. That’s because virtual hiring event platforms bust candidate ghosting by:
- Streamlining communications Reducing time-to-hire*
- Allowing applicants to join your hiring event from anywhere
- Increasing candidate engagement
- Expanding accessibility for diversity candidates
*Just hiring faster can save up to +70% of candidates from ghosting!
So don’t be afraid of those ghosts, and get your TA team the tools they need to reach more candidates, convert them into new hires, and accelerate your hiring process. Now go and fight candidate ghosting head-on!
To learn how Brazen’s virtual career fair platform, hiring, and sourcing solutions can help you boost your recruitment goals, visit brazen.com or sign up for a demo.
Like this post? Try these!
- Candidate Ghosting: 4 Ways to Avoid It
- The Business Case for Virtual Recruiting in 2022 and Beyond
- Feeling Ghosted? Your Hiring Culture May Be to Blame
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