A ghost hire refers to a situation where a candidate has been offered a job, has accepted the offer, but then fails to show up for their first day of work, and subsequently does not communicate further with the employer. This leaves the employer in a difficult position, as they have likely stopped their recruitment process in the belief that the position was filled, only to find out at the last moment that they are still in need of a candidate. Ghost hiring can cause significant disruptions to a company's operations and hiring timeline.