The Haunting Reality of Ghost Jobs In The Job Market
Fred searched the job boards for months. Finally, he found a position with one of the companies he followed for a long time. They had great benefits and the role sounded like a good opportunity, even if it was a little vague. He applied and waited. Nothing. Days went by. Weeks went by. Fred wondered if he messed up in the application. He received the automated confirmation they received his application and resume. But nothing after that? Not even a “we’ve decided to move forward with other candidates” message? Fred wondered if he was just being ghosted. It was actually worse than that. He fell victim to a ghost job.
Ghost jobs look real on job boards but don’t actually exist because they may have been filled, are not truly available yet or ever, or the company is merely trying to set a perception..
How big of a problem are ghost jobs? One survey of over 1600 hiring managers claimed 40% of recruiting companies posted ghost jobs in 2024. Why do companies post them? Some of the reasons include:
To assess market interest and availability skills they will need in future roles.
To build a pipeline for hiring — even if no hiring is anticipated soon.
To project an image of growth to investors.
To project an image of stability or “help is on the way” to stressed employees.
There are darker reasons, such as having current employees feel replaceable.
How to Bust Ghost Jobs As a Job Seeker
Ghost jobs waste a job seeker’s time and can significantly stall their job search. Some steps to detect a ghost job include:
Investigate Posting Dates: If the posting date for the job is over 30 days (if it’s over 45 days, it’s very likely a ghost job)
Cross-reference Company Sites: Check that the same job is also on the company’s careers page as on the third-party job board
Seek Clarity: If the job description is vague or responsibilities are unclear or you’ve seen the job show up more than once over several months
Research Recent Company News: If company news indicates a recent layoff or hiring freeze (the job posting could be presenting an image)
Reach Out to Company Recruiters: If you reach out to a company recruiter or the hiring manager through LinkedIn or email and you get an evasive or no response about the specific role
Connect With Employees: If you are still curious about the job, connect with current or former employees via LinkedIn or similar sites to find out the insider view.
Don’t bog down your job search and use these steps to detect the ghost jobs. If you need more help with your job search, let me know.
How to Exorcise Ghost Jobs As a Hiring Manager
As a hiring manager, you may feel that these ghost job postings don’t make a difference. Seventy percent of hiring managers feel these postings do not cause issues and are even morally acceptable. Some even consider possible legitimate use of ghost job postings such as finding top candidates, always appearing open to new people, or indicating they want to hire for such a role even if it’s not been approved
But let’s take a look at the broader implications of using ghost job postings. Some estimate 40-60% of current job postings consist of ghost jobs. As of June 2025, 7.2 million job openings were reported in the USA. At 40%, this means roughly 2.88 million of those jobs don’t really exist. This results in skewed economic projections and misinformed government policies. It also damages the reputation of the company as discussed on various job sites and social media. Some states are also considering legal remedies to what some consider false advertising.
With that in mind, you might rethink using these ghost jobs. You could also take the following steps (working with your HR team):
Remove Stale Listings: Always delete or note when a position is filled. This transparency reflects well on your company.
Set Auto-Expirations: Most applicant tracking systems allow setting auto-expiration dates so openings will disappear from listings if not refreshed.
Ensure Actual Need: Only post roles when you have funding approval and you truly intend to hire. Avoid “testing the market” for potential skills or candidates.
Set Up Open Applications: Many companies provide options to submit applications any time if a candidate shows interest but doesn’t find a role that fits. These roles clearly indicate that candidates will be contacted when needs arise.
Use Specific Job Descriptions: Avoid vague templates. Clearly spell out responsibilities, requirements, and additional useful qualities you seek in candidates for the actual role.
Monitor and Update Third-Party Job Boards: Consistently manage postings on external job boards and social media.
Remove Stale Jobs: Remove or update listings promptly to match your company career site. Note: This could be a great opportunity for someone in your organization to pilot/learn the use of agentic AI.
Educate Your Peers: Train recruiters and fellow hiring managers on the negative impacts of ghost jobs.
Respond to Applicants: Most modern applicant tracking systems can be configured for automated responses when a role is filled or withdrawn. For top candidates that don’t make the cut, a personal note goes a long way if you have future needs and they are still interested in your company.
If you’re not sure about about how to influence human resources or your peers in exorcizing ghost jobs from your career site and improving your company’s standing in the job market, let’s talk about approaches that work for your situation.
Ghost jobs continue to increase since 2020. It’s a practice that pollutes an already difficult job market. We can all do our part to help clean up this haunting practice.
Hope this helps,
Mark
Footnotes:
If you are unfamiliar with researching recent news on layoffs or if you know of someone who has gone through a recent layoff, these resources can help.
I created a follow-up video to last week’s article on your future with AI and added a segment on empathy with AI.
That's wild, I'm glad we don't do this ghost posting, it's a waste of time for everyone involved IMO.
Yes. I realized earlier this year that I was see more and more as I was helping some coaching clients. As I dug into I kept seeing reports of 40-60 % of the jobs on the big job boards could be fake ghost jobs. It's become a bad practice that is now out of control. Thanks for reading so quick Tim.