It may seem like there is no harm no foul to skip an interview. This post will discuss the top negative implications of skipping one without giving the company notice.
We’ve all heard about ghosting, which occurs when a candidate fails to show up for an interview. Today, 76% of employers admit they’ve experienced a no-show candidate. If you’re a candidate, this is not only bad form, it could have a serious impact on your career. Here are three ways being a no-show can have negative implications for your future.
Being Blacklisted After a No Show
Of course, employers and recruiting firms talk with each other. Your information is recorded in their applicant tracking systems (ATS). This includes any behaviors that would flag you as a bad hire. In this case, if you ghost the employer this will be carefully noted in the ATS. For the recruiting firm that represented you to the employer, you also just burned that bridge. Instead of working for you for free, representing you to top employers, the recruiting firm will now turn away from you as a risky candidate that made them look bad in from of their clients. Ghosting automatically makes you look untrustworthy and unprofessional. Since bad news travels faster than good, be prepared for recruiters to now stop returning your call.
Losing Out On A Good Company- Forever
Not only will the current hiring team at the company you blew off know about it, but they will also document it and it may forever be linked to your name. While you may not need a job at this company today, the market you’re in probably isn’t that big. There may come a time down the road where you’ll wish you left the interview process on much better terms. Employers talk about “the one that got away” for candidates that they wanted to hire who took other offers. Don’t you think they’ll also talk about the candidate that failed to show up? What if you try to apply for that company again down the road? The chances are high that their memories are longer than you might imagine—and their documentation can last forever.
Limits Your Career Options
Most candidates say they want all the options available to them when looking for a new career path. Standing up an employer is literally like closing a door that can’t reopen. Why would you limit your career like this? Maintaining a professional connection between you, the recruiter, and the company you’re applying to could lead to other job offers in the future. If you burn the recruiter, that potential conduit for jobs down the road will simply evaporate.
How To Cancel The Interview
Like most things in life, there is a right way and wrong way to cancel an interview. It’s okay to have a change of heart about the job. Think how much it would have cost the employer if you take the job then quit in the first 90-days. The employer knows this and will appreciate the candor and respect it took for you to let them know early on that the job just isn’t a good fit.
It’s also okay for the candidate to find another job. The employer and recruiter will be disappointed, but it happens. What isn’t okay is when you fail to show up for an interview and waste their time. So, protect your professional reputation by either rescheduling or canceling the interview instead of ghosting the employer. You’ll thank us later on.