Why Ghosting Is Worse in 2025 (and What You Can Do About It)
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Ghosting happens and it's frustrating.
It’s disheartening and has a devious way of making you question everything—from your resume to your LinkedIn headline to your last interview answer (and yes, even what you were wearing).
And as much as I wish I could tell you there’s a way to guarantee it won’t happen? I can’t.
What I can tell you is this: It stings.
I’ve been ghosted as a candidate, as a recruiter, and even as a Talent Acquisition Leader. It never feels good, no matter what side of the table you’re on.
But there are some things you can do...
Real quick, I’m Tessa. Before I became a Career Consultant and Job Search Strategist, I spent a decade in the recruiting world—reviewing thousands of resumes, hiring thousands of employees, and leading hiring for some of the most competitive jobs out there.
And now? I take all that behind-the-scenes knowledge and experience and point it at you: the job-seeker. So you land the roles, salaries and career paths you deserve.
One thing my clients hear me say on repeat? Focus on what you can control.
Ghosting isn’t something you can fully control. And that sucks.
So let’s just take a second and acknowledge that. Deep breath.
…………………
Okay—here’s the sitch: You can’t control whether a recruiter or hiring manager decides to ghost you. But what is within your power is how visible, memorable, and strategic you are—especially in a job market that feels more crowded (and more chaotic, if we’re being real) than ever.
And if you feel like ghosting is on the rise these days, you’re not wrong.
According to a 2025 survey by Greenhouse, 61% of US job-seekers were ghosted after a job interview— up 9% from just last year. (Source: Greenhouse Survey, 2025)
Yikes.
So what’s the deal? What’s changed behind the scenes?
[Tessa, you tell me—it’s why I’m here]
Let’s get into it: 4 BIG reasons ghosting is worse now than it’s ever been—and what you can actually do about it.
1️⃣ Smaller Teams, Bigger Workloads
Since 2023, we’ve seen wave after wave of layoffs.
(*Enter: LinkedIn & TikTok doom-scrolling🤳🏽)
And it’s not just tech. Companies across industries have been cutting back, including on people teams.
Meaning, recruiters are managing more open roles with fewer resources.
Once upon a time, a recruiter might have managed 15–20 roles at once (still a lot, btw). Now? It’s not unusual to hear about recruiters juggling 30, 40, even 50+ jobs.
And it’s not just the number of roles that’s gone up—it’s the complexity.
Recruiters and People teams today aren’t just posting jobs and screening resumes. They’re navigating:
Ever-changing headcount approvals
Budget freezes
Shifting priorities from leadership
And mountains of AI-generated applications (more on that in a sec)
And with fewer people to manage candidate pipelines, communication and candidate experience falls through the cracks. Not because they don’t care—but because there’s simply less capacity…they’re only human, after all.
Speaking of being human…
2️⃣ AI + Easy Apply = Application Overload
AI has entered the chat. 🤖 And she's F-ing some S up.
Now, applications have always been fierce for top companies and highly desirable roles. That’s not new. But here’s what is new: how the landscape has shifted.
AI-powered bots are mass-generating applications at scale. Enough said.
Fake applicants are invading job postings—leaving recruiters and People Leaders burning precious hours just trying to figure out who’s real and who’s not.
Easy Apply buttons have made it faster than ever to fire off dozens of (but less thoughtful and strategic) applications in minutes. Classic pro & con.
"Rapid-fire applying" & “It’s a number’s game” strategies are leading to job postings being flooded with unqualified—or uninterested—applicants. Because, if you're honest? You didn't really want that Customer Success job...but you applied "just in case."
More doesn’t always equal more. Because when you add these up, you get: More noise. More unqualified candidates. More clutter.
Recruiters are getting buried. And when one role gets hundreds —sometimes thousands—of applications? There’s simply no way every candidate gets a personal response.
(But, Tessa. I don’t need a personalized response. Just a note to let me know I’m no longer in the running.)
Yeah. I hear you. And you deserve that. What I’m saying is that in today’s climate, you won’t always get it.
And that’s not on you.
Remember that whole “focus on what you can control” bit? This is it.
The reality? More time spent vetting = less time for thoughtful communication. And just when you think the flood of applications is the only hurdle... there’s another twist.
Not every job posting out there is even real. You heard me.
Let’s talk about ghost jobs.
3️⃣ The Rumors are True: Ghost Jobs are Real
Ghost jobs sound fake—and, well, yeah…to a degree that’s exactly what they are.
Because they're job postings that either:
👻 Don’t exist
👻 Have already been filled, or
👻 Are left up indefinitely to collect resumes
According to a 2024 survey from Resume Builder, nearly 40% of companies admitted to posting a ghost job in the past year, with 30% having an active fake job listing at the time. (Source: Resume Builder 2024 Survey)
So, what’s the gosh-darn deal? What's going on?
The “just in case” mentality: companies want to pipeline future candidates for a rainy day ☔
It’s about image: they’re maintaining the appearance of growth of stability 📈
Hiring stops: internally, the company has frozen hiring mid-search, but the job just didn’t get unposted 🥶
It’s definitely not respectful of your time. And leaves you as collateral damage in the process. But it’s more common than you’d think.
Reminder: You can’t control whether a job posting is legit or not. But you can decide where you spend your energy.
If you’ve interviewed with a company—and especially if you’re a finalist or were told an offer was on the way—you should get closure if something falls through.
So, why isn’t that happening more?
I have some theories…
4️⃣ A Cultural Shift Toward Avoidance
Now here’s a little hot take from my years as a recruiter: Ghosting isn’t always about being busy.
Sometimes it’s about discomfort.
Telling someone no isn’t easy.
Telling someone they weren’t selected for a job they wanted? Even harder.
Telling someone the job offer they just accepted is suddenly on hold—and it’s completely outside their control? Brutal.
In today’s digital-first environment—where interactions are more transactional, less personal, and often happen from behind a screen—there’s a growing tendency to avoid uncomfortable conversations altogether.
Unprofessional? Yes.
But real? Also, yes.
When I was a recruiter, I made it a priority:
If someone had an interview with a hiring manager, they got a decline email.
If they made it to an in-person or final-stage interview, they got a phone call.
And if an offer was put on hold or rescinded for any reason…yeah, I made that tough call myself.
Not because I had extra time on my hands, but because it mattered.
Because it was the right thing to do and it's just part of the job.
And these days? That’s becoming the exception—not the rule.
So... What Can You Do About It?
If you can’t control recruiter workloads, ghost jobs, AI overload mucking things up, or avoidance culture—what can you do?
Focus on your part of the process:
✅ Be easily found — Keep your LinkedIn updated and optimized so when recruiters search, you’re there. Show signs of life and reduce bot-flags like incomplete profiles, outdated info, or radio silence.
✅ Make your materials skimmable — A resume that clearly highlights your strengths, PLUS a LinkedIn profile that’s easy to find and easy to scan? That’s stand-out gold, my friend.
✅ Stay strategic — Focus your applications on roles you’re truly aligned with and actually want, not every job that crosses your feed.
Quality > quantity. Always.
And yeah, that means telling the voice in your head to kick rocks when it says you need to fire off 200+ applications just to land one interview. (Spoiler: You don’t.)
The 2025 job market is messy.
So if you're ready to stop guessing and start gaining real traction, let’s talk. ⤵️
I help job-seekers build standout strategies that actually get noticed—even in today’s...unconventional and crowded market.
Because applying more isn't cutting it in 2025. But applying smarter? Yeah, now that strategy's worth your time.
Schedule a FREE call with me and let’s figure out your next best move—together.
P.S. Want to boost your chances of getting found by a recruiter—instead of always being the one chasing?
Lashaunique Plummer, PHR and I dive into top strategies to accomplish just that on 🎙️ The HR Pivot Podcast.
