Ghosting first made its way into our lexicon when people started using smartphones – or ironically, not using smartphones – to end relationships. Ghosting has spread from being primarily used to end romantic relationships to avoiding uncomfortable conversations with potential employers. While ghosting can be more emotionally comfortable than a difficult discussion with an employer who has invested time into your candidacy, it is unprofessional, and it will catch up to you.

Consider this scenario: A hiring manager for a prominent software company is looking for the perfect candidate to fill a technical position. A recruiter named Susan spends weeks reviewing resumes and interviewing potential candidates until the perfect fit is found; some who has the experience and qualities needed with that little something extra. You are that someone. Susan makes you an offer only to never hear from you again. Or even worse, you accept and then ghost her. While candidate ghosting is frustrating and expensive for employers, it is the ghosting candidates who will undoubtedly be visited by their ghosting past in the future.

Let’s be real: Candidates are not the only ghosting offenders in the employment arena. When the unemployment rate is high and the market is low, ghosting by employers increases. And when the market is high and unemployment is low, candidate ghosting increases. It’s the simple result of supply and demand. While unprofessional and unethical for both parties, the repercussions of ghosting will follow you longer than any bad date ever will. Why? ATS, or otherwise known as Applicant Tracking Systems.

Today, employers use our data to be efficient and track staffing. Specifically, they use applicant tracking systems to manage all the data associated with interviewing and hiring. Your resume, cover letter and their metadata – times and dates of interactions, personal observations and follow ups – are only some of the data that ATS captures and stores. It is what’s “stored” that will follow you wherever you go. If you ghost an employer, you should assume that your actions have been recorded in the employer’s ATS and that you are a “persona non grata” in that company’s system and any company it merges, subsidiary, affiliates, or parents with. Conglomerates share candidate data internally, as do many other business ventures. It’s an economy of resources, and it is very prevalent.

People change jobs, and the world keeps getting smaller. Remember that recruiter Susan you hypothetically ghosted in the scenario above. Let’s say you ghosted her in April only to apply for a job at a different company in September. You quickly find that Susan also works with your desired company. Guess who won’t give you a second look? Recruiter Susan has entered her observations about your candidacy into her new client’s ATS, therefore, your dishonorable ghosting act has cost you a career opportunity. And no matter the reasoning behind ghosting the first time, from a recruiter’s perspective there is no excuse for failing to follow up.

Recruiters work with thousands of candidates a year. Those who stand out the most, unfortunately are those who ghost. As a staffing firm, it is not a secret that we red flag ghosters; we don’t want our clients to risk the same fate. Perhaps it is harsh, but we cannot and do not tolerate candidates who are unprofessional. And, frankly, there are a lot of qualified non-ghosting candidates available in the market. Have you ever been ghosted? Do you recall how it felt? It’s never a good feeling. Pissing off a former friend is one thing. But upsetting a potential employer by ghosting can add detriment of damaging your professional reputation in the future. It’s wiser to endure a short, uncomfortable conversation with an employer where you bow out gracefully than burn bridges. The recruiting industry is small. We talk amongst ourselves and our clients, conveying experiences and references. Ghosting only hurts you because you will find yourself with a past you cannot erase.