Credits: Social Media
What is ‘job ghosting’ and is it a Gen Z problem?
Why would anyone ghost a job, you may think. But, a recent survey shows a rise in this rather concerning trend among people of different age groups and Gen Z’s are part of it.
It seems people find committing to a job harder than giving it up, but some of their reasons are valid and the process of ghosting is a two-way street as employers do it too. But let’s understand the trend better before pointing at Gen Z as problematic thanks to articles with misleading headlines.
What is job ghosting?
Job ghosting, as the name suggests, happens when a job seeker cuts all contacts with the potential employer and turns down the offer – pretty much like treating a bad date.
A recent study conducted by Indeed with samples ranging between the ages of 18 to 64 – including Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X – found that job ghosting has increased since the pandemic.
In the past 12 months, the percentage of Americans thinking the trend was “common” rose from 39% to 46%, while those who actually acted on it increased by 10%.
The survey also reveals that the majority of them, about 59%, regret their decision to turn down a job, but that wouldn’t stop them from doing the same in the future. 37% said they would still ghost their employers.
However, employers aren’t to be pitied for being on the receiving end of the not-so-pleasant trend because they do it too.
The survey found that 35% of job seekers were ghosted by their potential employers and up to 40% of them were rejected after the second or third round of interviews.
No, it isn’t just a Gen Z problem
As we said earlier, the problematic trend isn’t unique to Gen Z alone. The survey speaks for job seekers from different generations and they all have similar and valid reasons to turn down a certain opportunity.
Job seekers stated the below top five reasons:
- Not the right job for me.
- Not the right company for me.
- Pay offer wasn’t/wouldn’t have been enough.
- Benefits were not good enough.
- Received another job offer.
Whatever the reason may be, a significant number of people, about 23% of the sample, felt “empowered” after making the tough choice to let go of an opportunity, simply because it means they have more control over their careers.
Whereas, the same percentage of job seekers were put off by an employer due to inadequate communication followed by a lengthy hiring process.
