Two in three job hunters working with recruiters have then been ‘ghosted’

TWO in three job hunters working with recruiters have then been “ghosted” — left with no role and no explanation.

Most of them say the experience resulted in them questioning their abilities, with 17 per cent feeling “severely depressed”, a new study claims.

An astonishing 75 per cent of men have been through this ordeal in the jobseeking process, and 58 per cent of women.

Londoners are most likely to be affected.

Worryingly, 43 per cent of ghosted applicants said it took them weeks or even months to regain their self-confidence. And virtually all — 94 per cent — felt negatively afterward about the company involved.

A new push has now begun to attempt to improve the feedback from recruiters.

Employers that have signed up to the campaign — being run by software firm Tribepad — include the British Medical Association, civil engineer Colas, Southeastern Railways and Entain, the brand behind Ladbrokes.

Tribepad chief executive Dean Sadler says: “Ghosting in recruitment is having a hugely detrimental impact on mental health. So we are calling for brands to acknowledge the problem and address it.”

Niamh Spence was contacted by a recruiter and invited to apply for a job, then ghosted.

The senior account manager, 30, from Manchester, says: “I took time off to go to the head office, which was over an hour away, had an interview, did a presentation which took me hours to prepare for, met the heads of department, and was told I was exactly what they were looking for.

“But after that, the communication went dead.

“I called, emailed and even contacted the firm on LinkedIn to find out what was happening.

“I saw that my messages had been read but nobody responded.

“It made me feel so silly. I don’t understand why recruiters behave like this. Sectors are small. Word gets around.”