They Were Excited About the Role… Then Suddenly, Silence.
You had a great interview. The candidate was engaged, enthusiastic, and seemed like the perfect fit.
Then… nothing.
📢 Your follow-up email? Ignored.
📢 Your LinkedIn message? Unread.
📢 Your “just checking in” call? Straight to voicemail.
🚨 Congratulations, you’ve been ghosted.
And no, it’s not just “this generation” or “candidates being flaky.” It’s your hiring process.
Here’s why finance candidates are ghosting you—and how to stop it before you lose another great hire.
1. Your Hiring Process Is Too Slow
If you take more than two weeks to make a decision, you’re losing top candidates.
Common delays that make candidates disappear:
- Too many interview rounds. (Finance Manager role? You don’t need four stages.)
- Waiting “just in case” a better candidate comes along.
- Taking forever to get salary sign-off.
🚀 What to do instead:
- Keep it to two interview stages max for most roles.
- Give feedback within 48 hours of each stage.
- Make an offer within 24-48 hours of the final interview.
Rule of thumb: If you’re still deciding, your competitor has already hired them.
2. You’re Not Offering a Competitive Salary (And They’ve Found a Better One)
Finance professionals know their worth—if your offer is below market rate, they won’t even bother negotiating.
How companies get this wrong:
- Listing “competitive salary” instead of an actual number.
- Waiting until the final stage to discuss pay (only to find out their expectations are higher).
- Offering less than what they’re already earning.
🚀 What to do instead:
- Benchmark salaries properly (hello, We Do Benchmark!) and list a range in the job ad.
- Discuss salary expectations early—before the final stage.
- Make your first offer strong—don’t start low and hope they’ll negotiate.
Rule of thumb: If your offer isn’t exciting, they’ll find one that is.
3. Your Interview Process Feels Like an Interrogation
Finance candidates expect a professional, structured interview—not a corporate inquisition.
What makes them run for the hills:
- An interviewer who clearly hasn’t read their CV.
- A grilling session that feels more like an audit than a conversation.
- Zero discussion about company culture, career progression, or team dynamics.
🚀 What to do instead:
- Make interviews a two-way conversation. They’re assessing you as much as you’re assessing them.
- Sell the role AND the company. If you don’t make them excited about the opportunity, someone else will.
- Be transparent. If the company is going through changes or challenges, be upfront—but show the opportunity in it.
Rule of thumb: If the interview feels like an interrogation, expect a disappearing act.
4. Your Employer Brand Isn’t Convincing
Before saying yes, candidates will Google you.
If they find bad Glassdoor reviews, high turnover, or no online presence, they’ll ghost you before you even know what happened.
What makes them second-guess your offer:
- A weak LinkedIn presence with no company updates.
- Employee reviews mentioning “toxic culture” or “no progression.”
- A website that looks like it hasn’t been updated since 2010.
🚀 What to do instead:
- Make sure your Glassdoor reviews aren’t full of red flags.
- Have a strong online presence—showcase your culture and leadership team.
- Be proactive—if you know there’s a perception issue, address it in the interview.
Rule of thumb: If they don’t trust your company’s reputation, they won’t even reply to your emails.
5. The Role Sounds… Boring
Finance professionals don’t just want a “job”—they want an opportunity to make an impact.
If your job ad sounds like every other finance role, don’t be surprised when candidates lose interest.
What makes them ghost you:
- A generic job description with no real insight into the role.
- No mention of career growth or future opportunities.
- A company culture that sounds like a corporate cliché.
🚀 What to do instead:
- Sell the opportunity, not just the responsibilities. Where can this role take them?
- Make it clear why this role matters. How will they contribute to the business?
- Show the bigger picture. What’s the vision for finance in the company?
Rule of thumb: If your job ad doesn’t excite them, they’ll ghost you before the interview.
6. They’ve Accepted Another Offer (Because You Didn’t Close Them Properly)
You assumed they were keen—then they accepted another role.
What went wrong?
- You didn’t ask about other interviews or offers.
- You didn’t check their timeline for making a decision.
- You let too much time pass between the final interview and the offer.
🚀 What to do instead:
- Ask early in the process: “Where are you in your job search?”
- Gauge their urgency. “If we offered you the role, when would you be ready to decide?”
- Move quickly. If they’re a great candidate, don’t hesitate—make the offer before someone else does.
Rule of thumb: If you assume they’ll wait for you, you’ll be hiring their second-choice replacement.
Final Thought: Candidates Don’t Just Ghost for No Reason
If top finance candidates keep disappearing, it’s time to fix the process.
Smart businesses are:
✅ Moving fast—making decisions before candidates lose interest.
✅ Offering competitive salaries upfront—so they don’t even consider other offers.
✅ Making interviews engaging—not just a box-ticking exercise.
✅ Building a strong employer brand—so candidates are excited to join.
✅ Closing candidates properly—so there’s no room for doubt.
Want to make sure your hiring process is attracting (not repelling) top finance talent?
💰 We Do Benchmark helps ensure your salaries are competitive—so candidates don’t ghost you for better offers.
🚀 We Do Group finds and secures top-tier finance professionals—before they vanish into thin air.
