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As simple as it is for students to apply for internships using modern platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, it can be equally as difficult to secure a position.
Due to the straightforward nature of employment websites, qualified candidates can submit hundreds of applications to hiring companies in a fraction of the time it took in the past. Roughly 79% of Americans ages 18 to 29 have applied to a job opening online, according to Pew Research Data.
This means students have more opportunities online, but they also have more competition.
Internships are no longer rare. Rather, they are often a necessity in the eyes of companies and a graduation requirement for many universities. Pepperdine University’s Communication Division, among other majors in the humanities and fine arts divisions, requires students to complete an internship to graduate.
If this is the case, it shouldn’t be so difficult to get an internship let alone a response to an application.
Job Ghosting
If a student is lucky enough to get a response to one of their applications, they might schedule and pursue an interview.
Interviews have changed course, mainly as a result of COVID-19. Now, they are often online, through video chat or sometimes even prerecorded.
Without a personal connection, it is much easier for recruiters to ghost candidates at any stage of the application process.
In an employment setting, ghosting refers to when recruiters cut all communication with a candidate without letting them know why.
Celebrity ex-couple Sean Penn and Charlize Theron popularized the term in 2015 when Theron stopped answering Penn’s calls, according to USWeekly. Fans and other media outlets started saying that she “ghosted” him. In the dating world, ghosting refers to a sudden, unexpected lack of communication.
In both the employment and dating realms, ghosting is one-sided and leaves the person ghosted confused and often embarrassed.
Ghosting Impact on Students
Ghosting can happen at any stage of the job search process, leaving the applicant in an unending waiting period for a response that will never come.
Applicants expect to hear back from the company they applied to, whether they have moved on to the next round, the company has chosen another candidate or they got the position. They do not expect silence.
In the midst of friends and peers asking about summer plans and internships, it can feel as though everyone around is more qualified and farther along in their search.
Many students vying for internships prepare thoroughly. Some eager students apply to as many opportunities as possible, while others narrow their options to a select few.
Students seek summer internships, typically in their junior or senior years, to learn more about future careers, gain experience or secure return offers. They work hard on applications and resumes and expect their efforts to be at least good enough for a response from the company.
When the response from the company never comes, students’ self-esteem might plummet.
Recruiters and students alike may have many reasons to ghost. There are a few major reasons, typically to avoid awkward situations and conflict or because ghosting is easier. However, there are consequences to ghosting.
Students scroll through LinkedIn to find various posts titled “Top 10 Tips on What to Do When You Don’t Get the Job” or “4 Surefire Signs You’ve Been ‘Ghosted After the Interview”.
Without information about why the student hasn’t moved on to the next round or gotten the internship, they don’t know what they need to work on or how they can improve. This can put them at a disadvantage in future job search attempts.
Students are left wondering and questioning their own skills and qualifications, leading to less confidence in future attempts.
The Zeigarnik Effect, which explains why humans hate unfinished tasks, can also explain why job ghosting makes people feel uneasy and defeated. Bluma Zeigarnik found incomplete tasks result in underlying cognitive tension, which is why humans keep returning to and worrying about unfinished tasks.
This is why applicants constantly check their email or status for updates, adversely building up hope and defeat when the response never arrives in their inbox.
It Goes Both Ways
Applicants and employers are both responsible for ghosting. In a 2021 Indeed Survey, 46%, nearly half, of job applicants acknowledged they had bailed on an interview without giving a reason.
In the same survey the majority of job applicants, 77%, said since the COVID-19 pandemic, a recruiter had ghosted them. One in ten students said a company ghosted them after already extending a verbal job offer.
What Applicants Should Do
If a student finds themselves refreshing their email countless times a day, waiting for a response, it might be time to reach out to the company and inquire further about their status.
If no response ever comes, moving on from that company could be best. Whether the applicant wasn’t the right fit or did something wrong, the company isn’t willing to share this information, and the applicant shouldn’t press the recruiter.
Receiving a response might boost applicant morale and provide reasoning as to why they were ghosted in the first place. Then the student knows what criticism they received and can adjust going into their next application.
If the student is lucky, following up on their status and demonstrating their interest might even throw them back into the applicant pool.
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Follow the Graphic on Twitter @PeppGraphic
Contact Kylie Kowalski: email: kylie.kowalski@pepperdine.edu
