Ever been ghosted after a promising job interview? Or maybe you're guilty of disappearing from a potential employer? Love Term Professor of Management Brian Lyons’ newest research explores applicant ghosting.
In today’s fast-paced, swipe-right world, ghosting isn’t just for bad dates anymore—it’s sneaking into the professional scene. Brian Lyons, Love Term professor of management at the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, has published research to uncover why applicants are disappearing from the hiring process without a trace.
Ghosting occurs when one party abruptly cuts off all communication without explanation. In the context of job applications, this means applicants not showing up for interviews or failing to respond to job offers, or employers not getting back to candidates after initial interactions.
In the co-authored research, titled, “The vanishing applicant: Uncovering aberrant antecedents to ghosting behavior” published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Lyons and his colleagues explore this phenomenon from the applicant’s perspective.
Key Findings from the Research
- Personality Traits Influence Ghosting Behavior:
- Psychopathy: Applicants who may exhibit higher levels of psychopathy—which includes traits like impulsivity, lack of empathy, and antisocial behavior—are more likely to ghost potential employers.
- Fear of Missing Out (FoMO): Individuals who frequently worry about missing better opportunities tend to ghost employers, to keep their options open.
- Past Experiences Matter:
- Reciprocal Ghosting: Applicants who have previously been ghosted by employers are more inclined to ghost in return. This may suggest a cycle where ghosting becomes normalized in the job market.
- Primary Reasons for Ghosting:
- Lack of Fit or Interest: Many applicants disengage because they feel the position isn’t the right match for them.
- Communication Norms: Some believe ghosting is acceptable because they’ve experienced it from employers.
- Company Culture and Behavior: Negative impressions of a company’s culture or unprofessional behavior during the hiring process can lead to ghosting.
- Compensation and Benefits: Unsatisfactory salary offers or benefits packages prompt some applicants to withdraw without notice.
- Correlation with Other Negative Workplace Behaviors:
- The study found that applicants who ghost may also be more likely to exhibit counterproductive work behaviors, experience workplace hostility, have higher turnover intentions, and feel ostracized at work.
Lyons plans to incorporate these findings into his Human Resource Management courses at Elon.
“In my HRM courses, I encourage students to provide timely and respectful communication with all applicants to build strong relationships,” said Lyons. “If they experience ghosting from applicants, I urge them to reflect on their hiring processes and consider how they might enhance engagement and address any potential concerns from candidates.”
The article, which was co-authored with Robert Moorman, Frank S. Holt, Jr. professor of business leadership and professor of organizational behavior at Elon University, and John Michel, associate professor of management at Loyola University, was also featured in Psychology Today and chosen as a “Best Paper” (Top 10%) at the 2024 Academy of Management Conference in Chicago.
Brian Lyons is the Love Term professor of management at the Love School of Business. He joined the faculty in 2014 and previously taught at Wright State University and Fresno State. At Elon, Lyons teaches human resource management and organizational behavior courses. His research focuses on recruitment, selection, counterproductive work and off-duty behavior, and leadership effectiveness.
Robert Moorman is the Frank S. Holt Jr. Professor of Business Leadership at the Love School of Business. Before joining Elon in 2011, he held the Robert Daugherty Chair in Management at Creighton University. He received his Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Indiana University in 1990. Moorman teaches leadership and organizational behavior classes and his research interests include the study of leader integrity, work group cooperation, organizational justice and the performance of organizational citizenship behaviors.