What Are Ghost Jobs and How Can You Avoid Them?

The bane of job seekers everywhere, ghost jobs, are listings advertising open positions that might not actually exist. While there are lots of reasons for this ever-increasing phenomenon, one thing is certain: applicants have grown weary of applying to nonexistent jobs. Here’s what job seekers—and businesses—need to know about ghost jobs.  

Make your job post count

Explore our customizable job description library by industry and job title for your open roles.

Explore Job Templates

What Are Ghost Jobs All About? 

Despite the decidedly spooky moniker, ghost jobs have nothing to do with the paranormal. They’re also not related to candidate ghosting, which is when a job applicant drops out of the hiring process without notice. 

Rather, the phrase describes posts that appear on job boards for positions that are not currently open. Most job seekers have experienced seeing the same posting pop up repeatedly during their job search. In other cases, a person may apply to a job and never hear back from the employer about the status of their application. Both situations can result from ghost job postings, and the tactic seems to be so common that it’s plaguing job seekers as a whole. 

Why Do Companies Post Ghost Jobs? 

While it might seem nonsensical at first, employers often have legitimate reasons for posting non-existent jobs (beyond simply forgetting to take down an outdated listing). For some, it’s all about creating an image of a company on the rise (and actively in search of new talent). In other cases, a company may not be actively hiring but wants to build a recruitment pipeline or keep its prospects open when it comes to new employees.  

Some companies are also driven to create ghost job postings to placate current staff, who may be in desperate need of help when it comes to job responsibilities. The tactic can even be a means of determining the effectiveness of job descriptions, which seems a little callous when you consider that a person may have their heart set on a job position that isn’t real. 

Ghost jobs can also have ramifications beyond the hyper-personal. Consider that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks the number of unemployed individuals per job opening. If the current openings include ghost jobs, these metrics aren’t providing the full picture with regards to open employment. 

What to Do About Ghost Jobs

Ghost job postings don’t appear to be going away anytime soon, so businesses and job seekers now conduct themselves accordingly:

Businesses 

The best thing a business can do is to be transparent about its job postings. In the event a position has been filled, the hiring manager should delete the post or add a note that the business is no longer seeking candidates. 

Businesses should also be wary of using ghost job ads to tap into applicant pools and improve reputations, as these practices can backfire when it comes to employer branding. Applicants are likely to become frustrated by inactive job postings, which can lead to negative reviews on job boards. In this case, ghost postings can do more harm than good in the long run. 

Job Seekers

Applicants can look for certain clues that indicate a posting may fall into the category of ghost jobs:

• The job description lacks important details about responsibilities and qualification requirements. 
• There’s no origination date on the job post, or the post has been up for months without being filled. 
• Descriptions emphasize perks and benefits of the open position at the expense of practical information. 
• Advertised jobs do not appear on the company’s website. 
• Information on the company posting the job is incomplete or unavailable. 

If you see a promising job post but have concerns about its authenticity, contact the company to verify whether the position is still waiting to be filled. You can also research the company for more information online. Businesses facing financial troubles or those in a hiring freeze are unlikely to be looking for new candidates. 

Wize Words

Ghost jobs are a part of the modern employment landscape, but proper due diligence can help applicants avoid illegitimate postings.

As for employers, job ads should be accurate, informational, and transparent to help job seekers make informed decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Stacie Adams

Stacie Adams is a seasoned writer with a passion for topics affecting modern workplaces, especially topics relevant to the restaurant and food industry. She’s written extensively on legal issues affecting businesses, including discrimination, contractual disputes, and safety code violations.