Ghosting and chasing: when a candidate or client goes quiet.

On Tuesday, your candidate said yes to the offer. The client was happy, and so were you. On Friday, they were going to let you know how the conversation with their boss went. Saturday came, then Monday. They’re not picking up, and your messages are left on read.

Or you sent a client three strong CVs. “I’ll get back to you this week.” That was three weeks ago.

Let’s not be naive about it: ghosting is part of the job, and you’ll never avoid it completely. Candidates get a counteroffer, clients find someone internally or get busy. But it happens to you far less if you agree things from the start. And if it does happen, the way you chase decides whether you win the candidate or the client back.

Why people go quiet

They don’t dare say no. A candidate who’s having doubts or got a better offer puts off the conversation until it feels too late to call. They don’t want to let you down, and saying nothing feels easier.

Something came up. A counteroffer from their current employer. At the client, an internal candidate, a reorganisation or a budget that was suddenly frozen. Nobody likes bringing bad news.

You’re not a priority. For a client, your vacancy is one file among ten. Without an agreed moment, your request slips a little further down the list every day.

It takes too long. Anyone who hears nothing for weeks checks out in their head long before they say so. That goes for candidates waiting for feedback, and for clients waiting for CVs.

There’s no relationship. A candidate you once had briefly on the phone drops you more easily than someone you’ve met in person.

And be honest: ghosting works both ways. In a Greenhouse survey of 2,500 workers in the US, the UK and Germany, 61% say they heard nothing more after a job interview. Anyone who’s been ghosted by an agency before feels less obliged to answer you. So start with yourself: every candidate you’ve spoken to gets an answer, even if it’s no.

What you sort out upfront

Agree the next contact at every step. After the intake, after every submission, after every interview: when will you speak next, and how? “I’ll call you on Thursday at five, after your interview. Does that work?” An appointment with a day and a time is harder to ignore than “I’ll be in touch”.

Ask your candidate about their doubts, before the offer. What other processes are they in? What would make them stay? What does their partner think? Someone who can share their doubts with you will call you when they’re wavering too. Someone who bottles them up disappears.

Stay in touch between the yes and the first day. Call after their conversation with their boss, send a quick message once they’ve handed in their notice and ask the client to invite them to a team lunch or a site visit. That way, the new job stays real, and they see you as an ally.

Agree a deadline for feedback with your client. Right from the intake: “You’ll get the CVs on Tuesday. Could you let me know on Thursday who you’d like to see?” Put it in your confirmation email too. Then chasing isn’t nagging, but keeping to an agreement.

Know who decides. If you only work through HR, ask for the line manager’s number too. If one goes quiet, you’ve still got another way in.

The method: how to chase without nagging

Six steps, from the first silence to your final message.

01React the same day

If the agreed moment has passed, call that same day. The longer you wait, the easier it becomes for the other person to stay silent.

02Call first, and send a message straight away

A call is harder to ignore than an email. If they don’t pick up, leave a short voicemail and send a text or WhatsApp straight away: “Just tried to call you. Quick one about your start date, could you ring me back today?”

03Give a reason, not a reproach

Not “I still haven’t heard from you”, but something new: a question from the client, a date, an extra candidate. Give someone a reason to answer and they’ll answer faster than if they’re made to feel guilty.

04Switch channel and timing

Phone, text, email or LinkedIn. In the morning before work, or after five. With a client: the line manager if HR stays quiet, or the other way round.

05Make it easy to say no

“If it’s no longer right for you, that’s fine. Just let me know, so I can move on.” People who are allowed to say no will at least say something. You can work with a no, not with silence.

06Close with a final message

After three attempts in a week, you send a short, friendly message saying you’re closing the file, and that the door stays open. That’s often exactly when the answer comes.

What you send

To a candidate after their yes: “Hi Tom, I just tried to call you. The client wants to send your contract over this week and is asking whether you can start on the 3rd. Could you give me a quick ring today? If you’re having doubts, I’d like to hear that too. Better now than on your first day.”

To a client who hasn’t given feedback: “Hi Sarah, we were going to go through the three CVs on Thursday. Ruben has a second interview with another company next week. If you’d still like to see him, I’ll book him in this week.”

Your final message: “I haven’t heard back, so I’m assuming it’s no longer right for you. No problem. I’ll close the file, but if anything changes, feel free to give me a call.”

What to say when they do respond

When to stop

With a candidate: after three attempts in a week and your final message. Tell the client honestly that your candidate is dropping out, and put forward your next candidate. The sooner you say so, the less it costs your client, and the more they trust you.

With a client: two weeks without feedback on your candidates is an answer too. Let your candidates know where they stand, stop sending new CVs and put your time into clients who do cooperate. Call them again a month later, without reproach.

Never: guilt-⁠tripping, sarcastic messages or calling ten times in one day. You want to keep the door open, even if this vacancy comes to nothing.

An example

Say Tom, a site manager, says yes on Tuesday to an offer from a contractor. You agree to call him on Friday at five, after his conversation with his boss. On Friday at five, he doesn’t pick up. You leave a voicemail and send a text: the client wants to send his contract on Monday, could he give you a quick call back?

Saturday, nothing. On Monday morning, before he starts work, you call again. He picks up: his boss made him a counteroffer, and he didn’t dare tell you. Together, you go over why he wanted to leave. The counteroffer means more money, but the same boss and the same sites. He decides to go anyway.

Had he chosen to stay, you’d have called the client that same morning, with your second candidate lined up. That way, you know on Monday, not three weeks later.

Checklist

• After every conversation, the next contact is fixed, with a day and a time.
• You ask your candidate about their doubts and other processes, before the offer.
• Between the yes and the first day, you stay in touch.
• You agree a feedback deadline with your client, and you know the line manager.
• If it goes quiet: call the same day, with a reason and through a different channel.
• After three attempts, you close with a friendly final message.
• Every candidate you’ve spoken to gets an answer from you.

Frequently asked questions

How often can you chase without nagging?

Three times in a week, through different channels and each time with a reason. Then a final message. Asking the same thing every day is nagging. Bringing something new each time is following up.

Has ghosting got worse?

It looks that way. According to a 2021 Indeed survey, 28% of American jobseekers had ghosted an employer, compared with 18% in 2019. The more choice candidates have, the more easily they disappear.

What if your candidate doesn’t turn up on their first day?

Call them straight away, and let the client know before noon. Ask them straight out what happened. If they’re gone, check with the client what your terms say about a replacement, and put forward your next candidate.

Do you keep sending candidates to a client who’s gone quiet?

Better not. As long as they give no feedback, you’re burning your candidates on a process that’s stalled. Call first, and ask whether the vacancy is still open.

Can you call the line manager if HR doesn’t answer?

Yes, if you do it properly: let HR know you’re contacting the line manager too, and why. A stalled vacancy costs the company money too.

Sources

• Indeed, Employer Ghosting: A Troubling Workplace Trend, February 2021, survey of 500 jobseekers and 500 employers in the US.
• Greenhouse, Ghosting, ghost jobs and bots: Candidates reveal their top challenges in the Greenhouse 2024 State of Job Hunting report, December 2024, survey of 2,500 workers in the US, the UK and Germany.