How to avoid ghosting your job offer

It might be a tricky time for jobseekers, but does that mean it’s ok to ghost prospective employers? We take a look.  

There was a time when the term “ghosting” was only synonymous with dating. 

Defined as the act of disappearing from the face of the earth by ignoring all forms of communication because you want out, the phenomenon is moving into the professional space. 

And it’s gotten even worse during COVID. While a jobseeker might be keen on the job and accept the offer, they also might be dealing with caring responsibilities for family members, or home schooling. 

As well as this, the job market bounce-back has meant some jobseekers can afford to be quite picky with the many job offers they are receiving. 

It might be a tricky situation, but does it make it ok to ghost a prospective employer? Not really.

Instead, here are some other ways to handle the situation: 

Communication is key

You normally have a little bit of time after the initial job offer to say yes or no. Whether you’ve decided to go in a different direction straight away or you have said yes but circumstances have changed, being upfront is really the only right way to handle this. Dragging it out is not only stressful for you, but is more likely to burn bridges you may want to cross in the future. 

Think about what you really want 

You can’t always plan for everything, especially in these unprecedented times, but mapping out a plan of what you do and don’t want in your career shakeup will help you avoid making the wrong decision and letting others down. If you walk out of a final interview and you’re really not feeling it, it might be better to get a draft of the email prepared so as not to leave it too long. 

Saying something is better than nothing 

If the thought of confrontation is stopping you from saying anything, take a step back. While it’s probably ideal to call up your prospective employer to let them know, a short email is all you need so they can move on with your relationship (hopefully) still intact.