Have you ever been ghosted, or ghosted someone? You probably know “to ghost as randomly cutting off all communication with someone you are dating without any warning. What about ghosting an interview?
If you have been ghosted before how did it make you feel?
You may have had feelings of anger or sadness or even hatred towards the person who ghosted you. Now think about if you ghosted an interview and the interviewer had these feelings about you. Yikes!
As a recent addition to the workforce, you may be thinking, if I already have a job I don’t care what the interviewer will think of me. Or that the interviewer won’t even care.
However, this is completely wrong. In fact, ghosting an interview has many long-term negative effects that you will definitely want to avoid if you plan to advance in your career.
Below are the often overlooked negatives effects of ghosting an interview.
Damaging Networks
First and foremost you will destroy a networking relationship that could have been valuable for your future. Even if you have already accepted a job there is no way to predict how long you will stay there and when you will switch jobs.
That is why building a strong network is always important, despite which point of your professional career you are at. Not only are you missing out on what could have been a great relationship but you are also giving the impression that you are careless and unprofessional.
Chance to Improve Interview Skills
You may think if you accepted a job you don’t need to attend your future scheduled interviews because there is no value in attending. In reality, though, there is a lot of value of interviewing even if you do not intend to accept the position.
By going to more interviews you will get valuable practice answering questions in an interview setting. Just because you got a job does not mean your interviewing skills are perfect.
Maybe your interviewing skills got you one job but that doesn’t mean they’ll get you every job. Going to real interviews is always good practice and will make you feel more comfortable and confident in any setting where you are speaking with professionals.
Gina will prepare you to speak confidently with professionals. To learn more click here.
Bad Communication Skills
If you simply don’t communicate any warning or reasoning for not attending a scheduled interview you are not using good communication skills and every recruiter will notice it.
At the very least, if you are not going to attend an interview for any reason, you should inform the interviewer that you will be absent.
Additionally, if you accepted another offer it is ok to politely tell that to a recruiter. If you have a conflict with the interview date it is better to cancel or reschedule than simply not show up. Nothing is worse than not showing up and not notifying the interviewer.
Missing Opportunities
Even if you have accepted an offer for a job that is exactly what you want, there is always something out there that is better. You may end up getting an offer that you like more than what you originally accepted but if you choose to ghost the interview you would never know that.
Additionally, if you get multiple offers you can always express that to interviewers. Tell an interviewer you need to know their decision by a certain date because you have another offer deadline. This will encourage them to make a decision quickly and show that you are in high demand.
Overall, you will be perceived much better if you attend all the interviews you schedule or at least communicate your reasoning for canceling, rescheduling, or not showing up.
For more advice on how to further your career, go to Upkey.com!
