You know the deal. You log into Glassdoor or Linkedin and spot a bevy of somewhat interesting jobs and you naturally submit your resume. Maybe even a cover letter if it’s not optional. And then you wait. And wait. And wait.
Nothing. No response. Nada. Sometimes you do get a response in an hour that the company has already targeted a candidate. It’s f*cking frustrating. You start to even wonder if the job was real.
It wasn’t. It was a Ghost Job. And we are not talking about a Beetlejuice kind of job where you haunt a house. These are jobs that never existed or were closed long ago.
A new report from MyPerfectResume reveals that a staggering 81% of recruiters admit to posting “ghost jobs”—positions that either don’t exist or are already filled.
According to career expert Jasmine Escalera, this widespread practice is contributing to job-seekers’ frustration. “We often hear job-seekers saying, ‘I’m tired, I’m depressed, I’m desperate,’ using these very harsh words when it comes to the job market,” Escalera explains. “This is one of the reasons why they are losing faith in organizations and companies.”
The Extent of the Problem
The report details how common ghost jobs are in the recruitment process. Around 17% of recruiters admit that up to 75% of their job postings are not genuine. Another 21.5% report that half of the roles they advertise are either already filled or fake. Additionally, 36% say about a quarter of their listings are false, while 18% say less than 10% of their postings aren’t real.
While it may seem counterproductive for recruiters to post these non-existent positions, the report outlines several incentives behind the tactic. According to MyPerfectResume’s data, 38% of recruiters say they post ghost jobs to maintain a presence on job boards even when they aren’t actively hiring. Another 36% use fake job postings to test the effectiveness of their job descriptions, while 26% say they do it to build a talent pool for future roles.
In some cases, companies may even post ghost jobs to improve their reputation. Around 24% of recruiters say the practice helps make it look like their organization is doing well despite hiring freezes, while 20% claim that posting fake jobs can enhance the company’s image.
“Companies are trying to project, ‘We’re okay, we’re still maintaining hiring, that we’re still moving in a growth-oriented trend,’” Escalera says. “It really is about the business, the bottom line, showing growth, and how that can connect to maintaining profit.”
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How Job-Seekers Can Adapt
With ghost jobs becoming increasingly common, Escalera suggests that candidates shift their approach to recognize and avoid applying for these fake listings. She advises job-seekers to be cautious if something seems off, such as if the job responsibilities don’t align with the title, or if the pay range is unusually broad.
“If there’s something that seems irregular about the posting, for example, the responsibilities and the title don’t match or the pay range is astronomically broad, this could be a fake job posting,” Escalera says. “You want to also scrutinize job postings from the perspective of: Does the job posting even really make sense?”
In addition, job-seekers can leverage platforms like Glassdoor to anonymously review companies and share insights about potentially deceptive practices. Escalera encourages empowered candidates to use these platforms not only to boost their own brand but also to help others avoid ghost jobs.
“The empowered job seeker is also putting out information that supports other job seekers in a very powerful way,” she adds. “That includes reviewing companies and talking about what’s working and what’s not with certain employers.”
As ghost jobs become a pervasive issue in today’s job market, adapting and staying informed will be key for candidates navigating the ever-evolving recruitment landscape.
F*cking frustrating.
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