One in Four Job Seekers Have Ghosted a Potential Employer

LiveCareer data shows ghosting is most often a response to competing job offers and negative recruiting experiences

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, March 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ghosting has become one of the most frustrating breakdowns in today's hiring process, leaving both employers and job seekers in the dark. The Vanishing Candidate Report, a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. workers from trusted online resume builder LiveCareer^®, reveals that while most candidates do not believe ghosting potential employers is acceptable, one in four job seekers have done so, and many say they would disengage from employers after a negative or unfair hiring experience.

Key Findings

• One in four job seekers (25%) have ghosted an employer at some point during the hiring process.
  
  
• Accepting another job offer is the most common reason candidates ghost, and negative hiring experiences often accelerate disengagement.
  
  
• Nearly four in 10 job seekers (39%) say they would consider ghosting if a hiring experience felt unfair or poorly handled.
  
  
• Among job seekers who use AI, only 8% says it has made them less responsive to employers

Candidate Ghosting Extends Beyond Early Applications

While most job seekers (75%) say they have never ghosted a potential employer, LiveCareer's data shows that when ghosting does occur, it isn't confined to early-stage applications.

When ghosting occurs:

• 15% stopped responding after submitting an application
  
  
• 13% stopped responding after a screening call or interview
  
  
• 8% stopped responding after receiving a job offer

Why Job Seekers Go Silent
Candidates most often disengage after accepting another job, but experience-related friction remains a widespread risk factor throughout the hiring process. Bad experiences in the job search, including a negative interview experience or poor communication, an inaccurate or misleading job description, as well as an overly automated, AI-driven hiring process collectively are strong drivers for candidate ghosting. 

Top reasons job seekers stopped responding:

• 51% accepted another job
  
  
• 32% lost interest in the role or company
  
  
• 23% cited a negative interview experience or poor communication
  
  
• 23% said pay or benefits were not competitive
  
  
• 19% said the job differed from how it was described or seemed misleading
  
  
• 12% said the process felt overly automated or impersonal

AI Is Not the Main Driver of Candidate Ghosting

As AI becomes more widely used, it is often cited as a reason job candidates disengage. LiveCareer's data suggests AI plays a more limited role, with many job seekers not yet adopting these tools for the job search, and only a small share reporting negative effects on responsiveness.

• Only one-third (34%) of job seekers say they have used AI tools such as ChatGPT or resume generators to apply for jobs.
  
  
• Among job seekers who use AI, only 8% say it made them less responsive, either by leading them to apply to roles they weren't interested in or to apply to more jobs than they could track.

Ghosting Isn't Acceptable Unless the Hiring Process is Broken

Most job seekers say ghosting is unacceptable, but poor or unfair hiring experiences can quickly change that sentiment.

• 73% say ghosting a potential employer is not acceptable behavior.
  
  
• 70% say worries about damaging their professional reputation influence whether they ghost.
  
  
• 39% say they would consider ghosting a potential employer after a bad or unfair hiring experience.

Clear Communication and Transparency Keep Candidates Engaged

Job seekers are most likely to remain in the hiring process when employers communicate consistently, set clear expectations, and do not rely too heavily on AI.

What would prevent candidate ghosting:

• 29% – Consistent communication and timely updates at each stage
  
  
• 25% – Transparency around salary, expectations, and hiring timelines
  
  
• 23% – Clear timelines for next steps and expected response windows
  
  
• 16% – Accurate job descriptions that reflect the role
  
  
• 13% – Meaningful feedback after interviews
  
  
• 13% – Reduce automation and increase real human interaction

"Today's job hunt is exhausting, with job seekers often submitting hundreds of applications to land a new role," said Jasmine Escalera, career expert at LiveCareer. "When candidates encounter long periods of silence, unclear timelines, misleading job descriptions, or overly automated processes, they naturally shift their attention to more promising opportunities. Applying to a high volume of roles also increases the likelihood that a candidate could vanish once they receive an offer elsewhere."

To view the full report and for more information, please visit https://www.livecareer.com/resources/careers/1-in-4-job-seekers-have-ghosted-a-potential-employer.

Methodology

The findings presented in this report are based on a nationally representative survey conducted by LiveCareer using Pollfish on February 12, 2025. The survey collected responses from 1,008 U.S. adults who are currently employed and explored their experiences communicating with potential employers during the hiring process. They answered different types of questions, including yes/no, open-ended, scale-based questions where respondents indicated their level of agreement with statements, and multiple-choice where they could select from a list of provided options. 

Participants represented a broad cross-section of the working population in terms of gender and age. The sample included 52% male respondents (528) and 47% female respondents (477). Age-wise, the distribution was also balanced: 14% were aged 18–28 (Gen Z), 27% were aged 29–44 (Millennials), 29% were aged 45–60 (Gen X), and 30% were aged 61–79 (Baby Boomers). All participants were screened to ensure they were currently residing in the U.S. and actively employed at the time of the survey. The data collection adhered to Pollfish's quality control standards to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results.

About LiveCareer

LiveCareer's online resume builder is designed to empower its users to get better jobs and improve their job search. A one-stop shop among AI resume builder tools, LiveCareer features cutting-edge resume templates, a powerful cover letter builder, and extensive free career resources to support job candidates in reaching their professional goals. Used by over 28 million job seekers around the world, LiveCareer has been publishing expert advice from Certified Professional Resume Writers since 2005. LiveCareer's career tips have been featured in renowned media outlets, including Bloomberg, Forbes, and Newsweek. Stay connected with LiveCareer's latest updates to improve your job search on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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SOURCE LiveCareer