There are things that go bump in the night…
“Ghost jobs” are haunting jobseekers up and down the country – and no, we’re not talking about exorcising demons.
According to a recent survey, 40% of companies posted fake job listings in 2024, with a further 30% currently advertising roles that don’t exist. You could be wasting hours trying to create the perfect resume for a role that isn’t real. Which begs the obvious question – why are companies doing it?
In this article, I’ll be getting to grips with what ghost jobs are, why companies post them, and how to avoid wasting precious hours on applying to them. Read on, if you dare!
What Is a Ghost Job?
Like the name suggests, a “ghost job” is a job that a company advertises that doesn’t actually exist. Where once they might only have existed between the pages of a Stephen King novel, ghost jobs are on the rise, with a Resume Builder survey revealing that as many as 40% of companies have posted a ghost listing this year.
This is backed up by research from Resume Genius, which finds that 32% of surveyed respondents are “frustrated” with ghost jobs. Gen X, in particular, regard this trend as their top job search frustration. Says Geoffrey Scott, senior content manager at Resume Genius: “Ghost jobs are actually not scams. They’re from real companies, but they are openings that don’t actually exist.”
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The tech industry, which has experienced its fair share of shocks and scares in recent years, is a full-on ghost town, with dozens of fake job listings plaguing the likes of Indeed and LinkedIn. To make matters worse, recruiters are in on the act too, with 81% of them confessing to posting positions for fake or filled roles this year.
Why Do Companies Post Ghost Jobs?
There are a few reasons why a company might decide to post a fake listing. First and foremost, hiring managers believe that an abundance of listings, fake or otherwise, reflects well on the company and public perception of its health. Simply put, hiring generally means company growth.
Businesses might also practice this witchcraft to “boost morale.” To the overworked staffer, the job listings page is like the oasis in the desert – salvation. Meanwhile, on the flipside of that particular coin, it also gives workers extra incentive to perform their job to a high level. After all, their position might be under threat.
Finally, businesses might choose to list ghost jobs in order to harvest as many resumes as possible. With this, they have the means to pull a – crucially, vetted – candidate off the pile at short notice, in case of an unexpected event.
How Do I Avoid Falling for a Ghost Job?
So, how do you separate fact from fiction? Time for a bit of amateur sleuthing.
When it comes to spotting ghost listings, there are a number of red flags to look out for. To begin with, look out for the listing date. If there isn’t one, or if it’s been online for months, that’s probably a bad sign – the company might be keeping it online to gather as many resumes as possible, rather than actually attempting to find the right candidate.
Next up, you should cross-examine the job listing with the “careers” page on the company in question’s website. Shock, horror – if it’s not on their actual website, that’s probably because it’s fake.
You should also be mindful of the sheer number of vacancies that a company is sharing. If there are several identical listings, with identical locations, that could be a sign that everything isn’t what it seems. Similarly, companies will sometimes recycle the same listings periodically to give the illusion of a new role opening up.
Another thing to keep an eye on is detail. A genuine job listing will outline roles and responsibilities, as well as qualifications and relevant experience that the company is looking for. A fake one will be a lot vaguer and might even prioritize highlighting the perks of the company at the expense of any actual information about the job. This extends to the salary. If a listing has a ridiculously wide salary range, it was probably created independently of a hiring manager and, thus, is not a real listing.
Heed My Warning
If you’ve got one eye on your next move, and your preference would be a remote-friendly role, we maintain up-to-date lists of the hottest remote jobs from across the tech sector, featuring the likes of Apple, Google, and more.
Just remember to keep an eye out for the warning signs – nobody wants a fright!
