Why ‘ghost job postings’ are trending on LinkedIn and other platforms | Work and Career

The job market in many countries is becoming more restricted and is increasingly difficult find a job.

After the covid-19 pandemic, in places like the United States, many workers were able to choose between different job offers, as there were vacancies that entrepreneurs were unable to fill.

However, now workers lost these opportunities. Largely due to layoffs and budget cuts. And the vacant positions are becoming increasingly scarce.

Despite this, vacancies exist… or at least they seem to exist.

Job sites like LinkedIn and Indeed advertise countless vacancies. However, despite the number of highly qualified candidates for these positions, many advertisements remain on digital platforms with an increasingly common phrase: “Published more than 30 days ago”.

Although the offers may be old, candidates often assume that companies are hiring for these positions. But the truth is more complicated.

Some are simply advertisements for jobs that have already been filled, while others were never intended to be filled. These are “ghost jobs” and are becoming an increasingly common and problematic obstacle for job seekers.

The offers of Ghost jobs are part of the job market long time.

Job fairs, for example, are famous for attracting companies that set up booths simply to serve as promotional tools or to collect resumes en masse. without necessarily having vacancies to fill.

The problem has worsened in the digital age, even though technology would theoretically improve the job search process for all parties involved. The number of applicants has soared around the world in recent years as the economy has become tougher.

Despite the number of candidates and a huge number of vacancies, It doesn’t result in hires..

Revelio Labs, a US-based professional intelligence company, found that the hiring ratio for each role has dropped to less than 0.5 in 2023, meaning that more than half of the offers did not result in hiring of a candidate by the employer.

Clarify Capital, a New York-based commercial loan lender, surveyed 1,000 hiring managers and found that almost seven in ten jobs remain open for more than 30 days and 10% remain vacant for more than one semester.

Half of those interviewed reported that they keep job openings open indefinitely because they are “always open to new people”. More than a third said they kept job openings active to create a pool of candidates in case an employee leaves, rather than because there is a position available.

Published vacancies are more than just a simple talent search that absorbs each candidate’s resume. They are also a tool to shape perception inside and outside the company.

More than 40% of hiring managers said they post jobs they don’t intend to fill to give the impression that the company is growing.

A similar proportion indicated that job offers are made to motivate employees, while 34% said that jobs are advertised to reassure overworked employees who may be waiting for additional help from new employees to arrive.

“Ghost jobs are everywhere”says Geoffrey Scott, senior recruitment and content manager at Resume Genius, an American company that helps workers create their resumes.

“We discovered 1.7 million potential ghost jobs on LinkedIn in the United States alone,” he says.

StandOut CV, a London-based careers company, found that during 2023 more than one third of job offers in the UK were ghost jobsappearing as offers published more than 30 days ago.

Experts warn that not all vacancies that look like ghost jobs that’s really what they are.

“I don’t think it’s a widespread practice for companies to advertise vacancies that they don’t intend to fill,” says Annette Garsteck, a career consultant based in the United States.

A lack of recruitment resources and an overwhelming volume of applicants can mean the process moves slowly and, as a result, recruiters are unable to fill applications.

Still, whether these ads are phantom jobs or simply seem like it, the result is similar. Job seekers end up discouraged and exhausted.

“Ghost jobs are a huge waste of time for job seekers,” says Scott.

“Completing a single vacancy application can take several hoursas a serious candidate will take the time to research the company, customize their resume and cover letter, and then go through the process of listing all the jobs they’ve had and answering the screening questions.”

Still, despite the situation in the job market and the effort it may require, some candidates continue to send as many applications as they can, waiting for a response. Other candidates say the abundance of ghost jobs led them to change their strategies.

Samantha, a graphic designer based in the United States, has been looking for work for three months. She guarantees that she started by applying generally, but the lack of responses from most companies led her to be more selective when signing up. Now, she’s targeting more specific roles that fit her profile and that will likely have fewer applicants overall.

However, she still isn’t sure what the best strategy is. “I don’t know if it’s better to shoot and hope to hit the target or if I should sit there aiming and shooting, one or two spots a week.”

Ghost jobs can give employers the opportunity to boost their image and gather CVs at short notice, but these benefits may not last.

If a potential employee feels rejected by a company they never hear back from, they may be afraid to apply for future opportunities at that company. Companies that post ghost jobs may end up being discarded by these employees.

See 5 tips on how to avoid falling for fake job scams on LinkedIn