Professional Ghosting Is Unprofessional & Needs to Stop. Here's Why.

A potential client was referred to you and reached out asking for a proposal. They seemed really excited. You send it over, and then... crickets.

You've just finished a job interview that went really well. The interviewer said they'd be in touch soon. Weeks go by. You hear nothing. 

Professional ghosting is becoming way too common in business. For some reason, people think it's okay to just stop answering emails, calls, or messages without any explanation. And it's not okay. It's actually pretty rude. So rude in fact, we’ve come up with a term to describe professional ghosters:

No-getter: A person who initially appears motivated and enthusiastic, presenting themselves as a go-getter. However, they quickly back out, become unresponsive, and behave unprofessionally when faced with challenges or responsibilities.

Aside from being annoying, this kind of no-getter behaviour can have real consequences for people and companies. 

We need to talk about it. 

3 Common Types of Professional Ghosting

Professional ghosting shows up in all sorts of situations, none of which are fun. Let’s break down the types our team comes up against most often.

1. Hiring

You've polished your resume, aced the interview, and you're sure you've got the job in the bag. But then total silence. Days turn into weeks, and you're left wondering if you imagined the whole thing. Not cool.

The stats don’t lie—40% of job seekers report being ghosted by an employer after a second or third interview. 

Sometimes, it goes even further. Like that time a company put one of our collaborators through the wringer with SEVEN interviews, introduced them to the team, and wined and dined them. And then radio silence. Months later, they finally got back with a weak excuse about being "overqualified." Talk about a waste of everyone's time.

"Back in my employee days, I had one company bring me in for seven interviews. They introduced me to the team and took me out for drinks and dinner. Then they totally ghosted me. I followed up multiple times and when I finally heard back from them months later, they told me I was "overqualified" for the position.” - Swank Team Member

2. Proposals

The number of times we’ve been ghosted after being asked directly for a proposal or invited to an RFP is staggering. All hands are on deck, heart and soul being poured into creating the perfect custom plan. We hit send and never hear back. We check the sent email a million times to make sure it went to the right address (it always does). No “thanks”. No “eff off”. No “new phone who dis”. No nothing.

3. Clients

Ongoing client relationships that get left on read are shocking. Everything's going great, you're in regular contact, and then suddenly, they disappear off the face of the planet. You don’t even know if they’re ok, which sucks because you really care about your clients, more than just professionally. Total nonsense. 

We work around the clock to get our clients results. Explore our case studies.

The Impact of Professional Ghosting

Ghosting someone is a choice. Without saying anything, you’re saying that you don’t respect their time or effort. It’s a gross, totally unnecessary behaviour that hurts feelings and causes stress for no reason, with ripple effects that extend to businesses and culture. 

For People

Our team equates getting ghosted in a professional setting to being stood up on a date, but oftentimes, it feels worse. For individuals who really give a crap about their work, it can do a pretty serious number on their confidence. 

In a hiring sense, this kind of ghosting can also throw a wrench in career plans. Maybe you turned down other opportunities while you were being led on. Or perhaps you put off making important decisions because you thought this was your big break. 

For Businesses

Think about all the time and resources that go into creating proposals, conducting interviews, or nurturing client relationships. When someone ghosts, all that effort and money goes down the drain. Relationships are everything in business (at least, that’s what we believe), and professional ghosting is a one-way ticket to eroding valuable trust and respect. 

For Culture

The more ghosting happens, the more "normal" it seems. People start thinking that if everyone else is doing it, it must be okay. But it's not okay. It's creating a culture where basic professionalism and courtesy are optional. 

Response apathy is making the professional world a less trustworthy, more frustrating place. We've all got enough stress in our lives without adding "Will they ever respond?" to the list.

Learn how to outsmart scope creep (another thing we hate).  

Why Professional Ghosting Happens

Why anyone would be so blatantly disrespectful to cut off communication without explanation in a professional setting is beyond us. But here are our best guesses as to why it happens. 

Scared of Confrontation

Most people don't like delivering bad news. It's awkward and uncomfortable. So instead of bossing up and saying "Thanks, but no thanks," they choose the path of least resistance—radio silence. 

If you ever broke something as a kid, hiding the evidence seemed easier than fessing up and risking getting in trouble. Same deal here, except we're all supposed to be adults now. Go figure.

Too Busy

So many people use their busy schedules as an excuse to ghost. But guess who’s busy? Literally everyone. It’s such a tired excuse and we all know “later” never comes. It takes all of 30 seconds to send a quick "I'm swamped, I'll get back to you next week" message. Sorry, it’s not that hard. 

"No News is Good News"

Some people have this weird idea that if they don't have positive news to share, they shouldn't say anything at all. That only works for medical test results. And we ain’t doctors. 

No response isn't better than a "no." It's way worse. Because instead of moving on, the person on the other end is left wondering, waiting, and getting more frustrated by the minute.

We're not saying it's always easy to respond, especially when the answer isn't what the other person wants to hear. But professional ghosting definitely isn't the answer.

How to Avoid Professional Ghosting

Professional ghosting sucks. Here's how we can all do better.

Set Clear Expectations

Be upfront about communication. Tell people when they can expect to hear from you. And if you're waiting on a response, don't be shy about asking when you might get one. Something like, "When do you think I can expect an answer on this?" isn’t pushy. It’s professional. 

Speaking of clear expectations, learn how The Cultivator Program can streamline your strategy and boost your brand’s impact. 

Offer Quick Replies

You don't need to write a novel every time you respond. A simple "Got your message, I'll get back to you by Friday" takes about 10 seconds to type. Even if you don't have an answer yet, letting someone know you're working on it is huge. 

Be Honest

Sometimes you have to deliver bad news. It's not fun, but it's part of being a professional. People know they aren’t going to win ‘em all anyway, so it’s also expected. At Swank, we’d much rather get a straightforward "no" than be left hanging. Something like "Thanks for your proposal, but we've decided to go in a different direction" is simple, direct, and infinitely better than ghosting.

Use Your Calendar

If you're prone to forgetting, use your calendar. Set reminders to follow up on emails or calls. 

How to Deal with Being Ghosted

Learning to manage getting professionally ghosted is a work in progress for us, but we’ve found these strategies helpful.

Follow Up

Don't assume the worst right away. Sometimes emails get lost in the ether or people genuinely forget. Start with a friendly reminder. Something like "Hey! Just following up, any thoughts on our proposal?" Keep it light and assume the best. 

If you still don't hear back, try again after a reasonable time. Just keep in mind that there's a fine line between persistent and pushy. 

Know When to Walk Away

It's frustrating when someone goes MIA after you put so much time and effort into a thing. But at some point, you've got to know when to call it quits.

If you've followed up a few times and still crickets, it might be time to move on. Send a final message like "I haven't heard back, so I'm assuming you're not interested at this time. If that changes, feel free to reach out." Then dust yourself off and focus your energy elsewhere.

Keep It Classy

It's tempting to fire off an emotionally charged email. Don't. Always take the high road. Keep things civil in the event they come back around in the future, or you run into them at an industry event. Maintaining your professionalism says a lot more about you than it does about them.

Don't Take It Personally

Easier said than done. Whatever the reason, don't let it dent your confidence and don’t lose sight of your worth. You're still awesome, ghosting or no ghosting. 

Plus, for every professional ghoster out there, there's someone who appreciates good communication. And those are the people you want to work with anyway.

Be a Professional Ghost Buster

Professional ghosting is a real problem. It wastes time, kills productivity, and makes the business world feel icky. 

But we can do something about it.

It really all boils down to treating others how you'd want to be treated. Respond to messages, even if it's just to say "I'll get back to you later." Be honest, even when it's tough. And if you're on the receiving end of ghosting, handle it with grace. 

Then celebrate the fact that you're the better professional.

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‍Need a partner you can count on? Connect with Swank today! Unless you’re a serial professional ghoster… then don’t bother :)