The Hiring Manager Who Ghosts

It turns out ghosting is not just a dating problem.

There is a moment in recruitment that does not get talked about enough. A candidate has been briefed. They have said yes to being put forward. They have tidied up their LinkedIn profile, maybe told their partner something might be in the works, and they are waiting.

On the other side, a recruiter has done the market work, had the briefing conversation, managed expectations around what is genuinely available, and submitted with care.

And then nothing. No acknowledgement. No feedback. No timeline. Just silence.

I encounter variations of this regularly. The hiring manager who does not respond to a submission. The one waiting for internal sign-off who has not communicated that. The one who briefed urgently, received candidates promptly, and has since been unreachable. Each situation has its own context, and I say that with genuine understanding – hiring managers carry significant workloads, and internal processes are not always within their control.

But here is what I want hiring managers to understand from this side of the table.

In temporary and contract recruitment especially, many candidates are not currently employed. They have said yes because they need income and certainty, and they are trusting that the process they have entered is being managed. Every day of silence is a day they may be holding off on other options, waiting on something that has quietly stalled without anyone telling them. The best candidates do not wait indefinitely. They move and when your role resurfaces, the person you were considering is often no longer available.

I have never met a hiring manager who did not want a good outcome. The intent is almost never indifference. But intent and impact are different things.

A brief reply takes less than two minutes. “Still assessing,” “waiting on internal approval,” or “not progressing at this stage” any of these closes the loop, allows an honest conversation with the candidate, and keeps the relationship intact for the next role.

The best hiring partnerships I have built are with people who communicate, even when the news is not straightforward. That consistency is what makes them genuinely good to work with – and what makes candidates want to work for them.

Ghosting might feel like inaction. But to everyone waiting, it always lands as a decision.