Cecilie_Arcurs via iStockPhoto
Do you ever feel like the job market is so scary it’s supernatural? You’re not alone. So-called “ghost jobs” are on the rise. These positions, which companies have no intention of actually filling, are discouraging and frustrating to applicants. Understanding what ghost jobs are and how to spot them can help make your job search more efficient.
Ghost jobs are commonly found on public job boards like Greenhouse and LinkedIn. These postings seem to remain there for an extended period of time without ever getting filled. Greenhouse CEO Jon Stross tells the Wall Street Journal that “it’s kind of a horror show,” relaying that Greenhouse found that between 18% and 22% of jobs advertised in 2024 never got filled. 70% of companies using Greenhouse posted at least one ghost job last year.
Ghost jobs aren’t completely made up. The companies themselves are real, but the job openings are not. So, why do companies post openings for ghost jobs? Sometimes, companies do use these platforms for hiring, but simply leave a posting up long after the role is filled. Other times, a job candidate has been chosen for a role before the opening is even posted, whether that’s an internal employee who will get promoted or an external candidate set to be hired. Federal law requires certain roles to be posted publicly, leading to these roles being posted as ghost jobs. According to the Independent, some companies have more of a strategic agenda, wanting to appear like they’re hiring in order to convey growth and success. Resume Builder conducted a survey asking their clients if and why ghost jobs are posted, 60% of whom responded that part of the reasoning is to “make employees believe their workload would be alleviated by new workers.”
Whatever the reason, the effect of posting ghost jobs is the same: frustrated, disheartened applicants. Workday reports that job applications are surging by 31%, outpacing job openings. While online job boards are convenient, they also reduce barriers to applications, increasing the sheer volume of applications and overall competition. In an increasingly cutthroat job market, applicants feel alone. Forbes explains that, when applying for jobs, constructive feedback used to be a professional standard. Now, many applicants never hear back at all. The effect of being ghosted by ghost jobs is spooky: a job market where applicant sentiment is that it’s impossible to get a job, even if the unemployment rate is relatively low.
Learning how to spot ghost jobs can help applicants to spend their time more efficiently. Here’s a few tips to make sure that a job posting is worthwhile:
- Greenhouse and LinkedIn have begun to tag job listings as verified when the role is confirmed to be real. Look out for job listings on Greenhouse with a badge and LinkedIn postings marked “verified.”
- If the posting has no application deadline or was posted months ago, it might be a ghost job.
- Does the job posting lead you to the company’s website? If so, it’s an encouraging sign.
In this unprecedented job market, some may argue that the solution is applying with quality rather than quantity. Networking and making connections with people at the company are simple ways to ensure the legitimacy of job postings and to get your foot in the door. In an impersonalized market, it might pay to get personal. For students, the easiest way to avoid wasting time applying to ghost jobs is to utilize a school’s career center. This is an invaluable resource. At Vanderbilt, all students have access to Handshake. This job board is tied to your university affiliation, and lists real job postings that are specifically hiring Vanderbilt students. Many postings even include contact information for recruiters at the firm or the option to message them on the website itself. Utilizing Handshake shrinks the application pool, giving your application a better chance of being looked at.
The implications of ghost jobs stretch farther than the individual applicant; these false postings might skew the jobs report, making it more difficult for the Fed to make decisions about the economy based on the labor market. The potential repercussions of this on our broader economy is an alarming thought, and the Fed must adapt with the changing job market. However, being aware of the signs of ghost jobs and employing strategies to avoid them can turn any applicant into a bonafide ghostbuster.
