Ghosted and Discouraged: How Recruitment Conditions Shape Candidate Behaviours and Create Challenges for Employers

This study examines how student and experienced job seekers describe and interpret their recruitment experiences. Although these two groups’ recruitment processes differ structurally and temporally, little research has compared how they experience the job search process. Drawing on affective events theory, this study examines whether these differences translate into distinct job-search experiences. Using a qualitative research design, 66 first-person job-search narratives were passively collected from Reddit and analyzed using a reflexive, comparative thematic analysis. Findings reveal that, despite differences in recruitment processes, both student and experienced job seekers report similar experiences. Across both groups, job seekers describe a demanding, often discouraging job-search process resulting in limited employer communication. In response, job seekers adopt adaptive strategies such as applying en-masse to jobs and rely on technological tools to manage the process. These adaptation strategies, in turn, contribute to higher application volumes and reinforce the conditions that shape the job market. Practical implications suggest that organizations should prioritize clear and timely communication throughout the recruitment process to improve the candidate experience and reduce unintended consequences of current hiring practices.