A recent study (undertaken by Greenhouse, in their 2026 Future of Hiring Report) has found that half of UK and Irish jobseekers have been “ghosted” after interviews.

The interview process is often the first part of your communication with a potential employer – the opportunity to establish relationships, understand their working practices, and start to understand how you would work with them if successful in your application.

However, increasingly organisations are not engaging with candidates, and giving you the opportunity to build relationships with them and discuss the role prior to, or after, interview.

In addition to this, the days of applying in person or discussing a role with an employer are becoming a thing of the past.

Many companies are turning to automated systems to support with their recruitment and selection, often relying on systems to carry out tasks such as shortlisting, inviting for interview, and sending decisions and outcomes. AI is now used increasingly by jobseekers as well as organisations – with 38% of jobseekers using AI to apply for jobs.

47% of candidates report to receiving no response after their interview, with 81% being rejected without ever speaking to anyone from the company.

This trend may be more common amongst younger generations – 41% of Gen Z said they were always rejected without speaking to someone, compared with 31% of older generations.

How can you overcome this challenge?

If applying for a role which has the option to contact the company for an informal discussion, it is always recommended to do this. This gives an opportunity for them to get to know you, and for you to ask any questions about a role.

If you are successful in achieving an interview, you will often be asked at the end of the interview if you have any questions.  Always take this opportunity to ask something, which could be something like –

• when are you looking for the successful person to start
• when are you expecting to make a decision

If you aren’t successful, ask for feedback. Many companies will not provide this, however if you can obtain feedback this will help you with future interviews.

Ask the company to keep your details on file if you are not successful, for future roles.

If you need any support or interview training, please email tracey@cvprime.co.uk.  If you are an organisation who needs training for managers, or support with any aspect of the recruitment process, please do email as we also support organisations.