Hamid Ali, a 52-year-old job seeker, has applied to numerous tech business-services roles for over a year using various strategies like leaving his age off his résumé and shortening his work history to mask his extensive 25 years of experience. Despite securing several interviews, he has mostly been met with silence afterward, leading him to believe employers realize his age and consider him too costly. This experience of ghosting is particularly hard for Gen X job seekers like Ali, contrasting with younger applicants who are more accustomed to such practices due to growing up in the digital era where ghosting is common.
The increase in ghosting, according to a December 2024 report from Greenhouse, is partly due to employers being overwhelmed by applications facilitated by the ease of mass applying in the AI era. Gen X workers, who began their careers before the internet and AI transformed hiring, feel this silence more deeply, widening the gap between the job markets they knew and the present one.
Other Gen Xers, like Christian Maiberger and Tina Wise, express confusion and frustration with the impersonal and uncertain nature of today's job market, including dealing with frequent ghosting and scam job postings. Professionals like Bob Barton, who had decades of relevant experience, also find ghosting undermines their confidence and sense of professional worth, raising doubts about their continued relevance in the workforce.