45% of Interviewed Job Seekers Report Being Ghosted

What Happened

A website called Did They Ghost You, created in June 2026 by a Toronto-based marketing consultant named Gary Meyer, has gathered close to 3,000 anonymous reports from job seekers who were cut off by employers after progressing through multiple rounds of hiring. CNBC reported on the site on 3 November 2026. Within days of Meyer sharing it on LinkedIn, the site drew more than two million visitors, according to Meyer.

The Numbers

A survey of 1,200 U.S.-based candidates conducted in September 2026 by hiring platform Greenhouse found that 45% of those who reached the interview stage said they were ghosted by an employer afterward. Did They Ghost You had logged 2,888 reports at the time of the CNBC report, with some of the companies named being among the largest in the S&P 500 index of major U.S. corporations.

What Ghosting Means Here

Meyer defines employer ghosting narrowly: it applies to candidates who have completed several steps of a hiring process—sometimes travelling to other cities for in-person interviews—and then receive no further communication. Receiving no reply after a first application is not counted, as Meyer describes that as a standard feature of today's job market. Career coach Phoebe Gavin, quoted by CNBC, says ghosting represents a failure of basic professional etiquette, given that candidates invest significant unpaid time in hiring processes. Common causes, according to Gavin, include hiring managers juggling recruitment alongside regular duties, and behind-the-scenes factors such as budget cuts, hiring freezes or leadership changes that cannot be shared with external candidates.

Why It Matters for Job Seekers

• If you have completed multiple interview rounds and heard nothing, consider sending a single, polite follow-up message to the hiring contact before drawing conclusions, as the silence may reflect internal company issues rather than your performance.
• If you are tracking your applications, note the names of companies flagged on public reporting sites so you can weigh employer communication practices alongside role and salary when deciding where to apply.
• If you are an experienced hire who has invested time in lengthy processes, the Greenhouse survey data suggests ghosting is widespread, affecting nearly half of interviewed candidates, so a lack of response is rarely a reflection of a single candidate's suitability.
• If you are a fresher entering the job market for the first time, career coach Phoebe Gavin's advice, as reported by CNBC, is that ghosting is a company's failure to meet reasonable professional standards, not evidence that the candidate made a serious error.

Audience note: This story affects job seekers at all experience levels worldwide, particularly those applying to large corporations in the United States.