Job searchers spend hours filling out online applications, tweaking resumes, and writing thoughtful cover letters, but not hearing back from companies may be depressing.
This lack of response may be due to a competitive talent market, but new data reveals some of those positions never existed.
Ghost jobs are fake job ads online. Companies may publish a ghost job to test the talent market, meet an internal need, or impress investors without employing.
Ghost jobs are nonexistent employment. Companies may publish these job advertisements to establish a candidate pipeline, assess the talent market, or communicate expansion to workers and stakeholders. For whatever reason, the firm has no plans to hire soon.
ResumeBuilder examined 1,600 recruiting managers in 2024 and found that 40% placed bogus job listings. These roles were proposed by HR, followed by top executives and investors.(https://www.resumebuilder.com/3-in-10-companies-currently-have-fake-job-posting-listed/)
Suggesting that the firm is expanding and that staff may be replaced. They also wanted to save candidate resumes for later.
Even when not recruiting, several organizations preserve job advertisements. This lets them establish a pool of candidates to call on when the vacancy is approved. During economic uncertainty, organizations may wait to determine whether market circumstances warrant employing a new employee.
How To Spot Ghost Jobs?
- Make sure a prospective job ad on a job board is also on the company’s website. This may help you spot a ghost job on third-party websites after the post has been filled.
- A position listed more than a month ago may be interviewing candidates and not accepting new applications. If a position has been advertised for two or three months, the employer may have hired or is not actively recruiting. Both might be ghost jobs.
- To visit local networking events and interview industry professionals to learn about your desired career. Someone in your network may know of a position not advertised on job sites and refer you to the hiring manager.This method will reduce your reliance on job sites, where your application may get buried amid hundreds of resumes for fake jobs.
- Ghost postings generally lack comprehensive job descriptions, qualifications, and duties. Vague wording and a lack of defined tasks or requirements may signal that the business isn’t recruiting, isn’t certain on what they want, or isn’t in a hurry.The job advertisement may be casting a broad net rather than targeting particular talents and expertise, unless it states otherwise. Some firms advertise that they are searching for applicants to join their talent community, where you won’t apply for a particular post but will join the company’s network.
- Sometimes ghosting occurs after applying. In 2023, 35% of job hopefuls reported an employer didn’t acknowledge their application, and 40% said an employer ghosted them after a second or third interview, according to Indeed. If your application status is ‘under review’ for months without changes, you may have a ghost job. Time to move forward.(https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/avoid-ghosting-candidates?co=US#:~:text=Job%20seekers%20also%20participate%20in%20ghosting,-Indeed%20has%20conducted&text=For%20example%2C%20in%202023%2C%2035,looked%20at%20the%20issue%20differently.)