What’s going on in the job market? It seems that the bad habit from the world of online dating, where people suddenly disappear into thin air after long chats, has reached the world of work. And this phenomenon affects both sides: Companies and applicants. More respect in the workplace seems to me to be urgently needed – from all market participants.
Recently, a client I am advising in an outplacement program told me about her experience: she is a young, highly qualified applicant with a sought-after technical background. In the past few weeks, she has been invited to interviews by three companies, among others, and even to the second round of interviews at two of them. The interviews all went well. At the end of all meetings, the recruiters had given specific dates by when my client would receive feedback on how to proceed.
Liability is a form of respect
None of the companies kept to their own promises and my client contacted all three of them sometime later. Again, she was given dates by which she would be informed – again, no response. Two of the companies did not get back to her after she contacted them again.
Anyone who has ever been looking for a job and knows their own vulnerability in this situation can understand what such behavior by companies does to applicants.
From my own experience as a personnel consultant and headhunter, I know about the many possible reasons why recruitment can come to a standstill and the difficulty of not always being able to be transparent about this. But it is part of the recruiter’s toolkit to deal with such situations in a communicative manner.
Ghosting on the applicant side
The situation is similar on the candidate side: Recruiters tell me that applicants don’t show up for scheduled interviews without an excuse. It even happens that they don’t show up on their first day of work after having signed a contract without letting anyone know and remain untraceable. This is a phenomenon that is occurring more and more frequently and can become a problem for companies.
You only have to imagine how many resources are wasted when recruiters often call several internal interviewers for interviews that then don’t take place. Not to mention the problems if a position cannot be filled as expected. This may mean that commitments to customers cannot be met or can only be met with a considerable additional workload for existing employees.
Players on both sides of the market may excuse their own behavior by claiming that they themselves have had many negative experiences with the other side. However, their behavior often precisely affects those applicants or companies who behave respectfully, such as my client.
Good character is demonstrated by those who maintain their integrity and style even when they are treat-ed badly from time to time. Those who see unpleasant experiences as a free pass for their own bad behavior turn the workplace into a combat zone and lose the legitimacy to complain about the inappropriate behavior of others.