Is it ever okay to ghost a new employer?

Ghosting: a supernatural term we started using with regularity around 2015 or so, with specific reference to romantic relationships. Now firmly embedded in the culture, pretty much any situation we’re uncomfortable in or wish to get out of without an explanation is one that’s capable of being ghosted – including a new job.

According to a recent survey of 1,000 U.S.-based workers, 84% of job seekers have ghosted an employer or potential employer at least once in the past 18 months. But why?

It turns out that there are a few reasons why you might choose to cut comms with a company which has offered you a job. First time job hunters are more likely to exhibit this behavior, according to another survey which found that 31% of debut job seekers said they had ghosted an employer during their current search, compared to 12% of experienced professionals.

The current hot labor market is also fueling the rise of candidate ghosting: 55% of job hunters said that the current availability of job opportunities is the main reason they are more likely to ghost companies now than they would have been pre-pandemic. Those who are casting a wide net in their job search are more likely to exhibit ghosting behavior too, with 47% of ghosters saying they had applied to more than five jobs in the last month, compared with only 31% of those who didn’t ghost.

But is it ever going to be an okay thing to do? It seems job hunters have some concerns. Sixty seven per cent of people who would ghost an employer have expressed worries about the potential negative repercussions that this could have.

It is clear that no one should be forced to take a job that isn’t going to be a great fit for them, and so communication is key. A friendly and polite email or call to let a hiring manager know you won’t be progressing is the way to sort a situation you may have previously handled by using radio silence. Everyone will know where they stand, and you may just be in with another chance at the same company in the future – when the time is right.

If your job hunt is still ongoing, we’re taking a look at three companies below which are recruiting right now. You can browse plenty more jobs on the VentureBeat Job Board too.

Based in Santa Clara, California ServiceNow makes a SaaS-based cloud computing platform that helps companies manage digital workflows for enterprise operations. Its solutions help digitize and unify organizations to find smarter, faster, better ways to make work flow. The company has offices across the U.S., Latin America, Europe and APAC and has an employee headcount of over 16,000. The company is recruiting now, across a wide range of roles including account executives, engineers, DevOps and more. Discover all open roles here.

Mobility as a service provider Uber is a platform where those who drive and deliver can connect with riders, eaters, and restaurants. It also connects shippers and carriers in the freight industry. Based in San Francisco, as of 2021, the company was operating in around 72 countries and 10,500 cities globally. The company is growing: Uber generated $17.4 billion revenue in 2021, a 56% increase year-on-year and better than its 2019 figures. As a result, it is hiring. Right now there are a variety of roles on offer, including software engineering, jobs in machine learning, data engineering and penetration testing. Find out more about jobs at Uber.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms. One of the big three cloud providers, along with Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. AWS has huge adoption and offers over 200 fully featured services from its data centers, which are located globally. Millions of customers, including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies, use AWS. Revenues rose by 33% in the second quarter of 2022, generating $19.74 billion in revenue in the period, signaling a buoyant period for the service. It is also on a hiring spree: roles on offer include solutions architect, cloud technical account managers, cloud infrastructure architects, and senior software developers. Find out more about all open roles at AWS.

Kickstart a career move by bowsing thousands of other opportunities on the VentureBeat Job Board

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz