What is GhostRate? How We Score Hiring Transparency
GhostRate™ is the core metric behind everything GotGhosted does. It is a single number — expressed as a percentage — that represents how frequently a company fails to communicate with candidates during the hiring process. Lower is always better.
But a raw ghosting rate alone would be a blunt instrument. A company that ghosts 30% of applicants at the resume stage is meaningfully different from one that ghosts 30% of candidates after final-round interviews. GhostRate™ accounts for that distinction — and several others.
Here is exactly how it works.
The Five Dimensions
GhostRate™ is calculated across five weighted dimensions, each measuring a different aspect of how a company handles candidates.
Ghosting Frequency Index measures the raw percentage of candidates who reported receiving no response at any stage. This is the foundation of the score — the baseline signal of how often silence replaces communication.
Stage Severity adjusts for where in the process ghosting occurred. Being ghosted after an application hurts. Being ghosted after four rounds of interviews and a reference check is a categorically different experience — and it carries significantly more weight in the calculation.
Process Integrity measures consistency between what a company says and what it actually does. Companies that communicate timelines and then miss them without explanation score lower here. Companies that underpromise and overdeliver on communication score higher.
Communication Quality captures the clarity, professionalism, and timeliness of all candidate communications — not just whether a rejection was sent, but whether it was useful. A form rejection sent six weeks after an interview scores differently than a timely, specific update.
Offer Integrity is the smallest dimension but measures the highest-stakes behavior: verbal offer retraction and post-offer silence rates. Ghosting after an offer has been extended is the most damaging outcome in the hiring process and is weighted accordingly.
Bayesian Smoothing: Why It Matters
A company with one submission showing a 100% ghosting rate should not display the same severity of score as a company with 200 submissions showing 100%. The sample sizes are incomparable — and raw percentages at low submission counts produce misleading signals.
GhostRate™ uses Bayesian smoothing to correct for this. Every score is calculated by blending the company's actual submission data with a prior assumption derived from the overall platform average. At low submission counts, the score is pulled toward the baseline. As submissions accumulate, the actual data increasingly dominates.
The result: a company with three submissions gets a real score, but one that honestly reflects the confidence level of three data points. A company with 200 submissions gets a score that reflects 200 data points with full statistical weight.
Confidence Tiers
Every GhostRate™ score is displayed alongside a confidence tier that tells you exactly how much data is behind it.
- Verified (20+ submissions) — statistically stable. The score reflects a meaningful pattern.
- Emerging (5–19 submissions) — directionally useful. The score is real but may shift as more data comes in.
- Limited (1–4 submissions) — early signal only. Treat with appropriate caution.
- Unrated (0 submissions) — no data yet. No score is displayed publicly.
Scores are only shown publicly at Emerging tier or above (five or more submissions). This is a deliberate design choice — we do not surface potentially misleading signals from a single outlier submission.
What the Scores Mean
- Ghost-Free (under 35%) — strong communication record. Companies in this range actively communicate with candidates, meet stated timelines, and close the loop at most stages.
- Moderate Risk (35–59%) — mixed record. Candidates should set clear expectations, follow up proactively, and maintain their pipeline.
- High Risk (60% and above) — consistent pattern of silence. Candidates should apply with eyes open and never pause their search while waiting on a response.
GhostRate™ is not a judgment about whether a company is a good employer. It is a precise, data-driven measure of one specific thing: how they treat the people who apply to work there.
Been ghosted? Submit your experience anonymously.
Every submission builds the record. It takes five minutes and helps every candidate who applies after you.
Report a Ghosting →