QUOTE “Ghost jobs,” or ads for positions that aren’t actually open, are a common phenomenon in the tech industry … these fake jobs posted by real companies serve multiple, sometimes insidious purposes.
According to a 2024 survey from MyPerfectResume, 81% of recruiters admitted to posting ads for positions that were fake or already filled. While some respondents said employers did it to maintain a presence on job boards and build a talent pool, it’s also used to commit psychological warfare: 25% said ghost jobs helped companies gauge how replaceable their employees were, while 23% said it helped make the company appear more stable during a hiring freeze. Another damning 2024 report from Resume Builder said that 62% companies posted them specifically to make their employees feel replaceable.
Nasty
Nasty
No, capitalism. Working exactly as desired.
And if they force the applicants to fill out the salary requirements portion of the application, they get data they can use to argue against raises as well.
I don’t think its just tech.
It’s gross, fraudulent as three-card monte, and … as with many corporate tricksters … there needs to be a law with prison terms.
100%, this shit should be illegal. But like wage theft, enforcement is the issue.
I have totally seen job postings at places I work and asked HR or management if I can refer someone I know…and they tell me they aren’t actually hiring for it.
Kinda fucked up.
Really messed up when some of us are looking for work. 😔
Yeah there’s a lot now. Job boards are pulling people’s data for $$
I’ve never got a good job from a job board. Always recruiters.
I’ve never got a good job from a recruiter. Only a bait and switch. All my good jobs have come from people I’ve known and contacts I’ve made.
Make a list of companies that do this, so you don’t waste your time. Also, the quality/functionality of their website can tell you a lot about how seriously they take their business.
All of them, Katie
What fresh hell is this that capitalism has brought us.
As someone on the other side of this in just one private company of thousands:
I put out 2-3 job ads a month. Of those 1 will get past interviews to a negotiation phase, one will get stuck with a hiring manager who only wants to interview the perfect candidate, and one will be pulled for budget reasons and held to try again next month because the candidate for the first job asked for a little bit more money. We hire about half of the people who make it to negotiations.
My feeling is it’s that no one has any money to spend. Every company I can think of is desperately waiting to get paid so they can pay their own bills. Most contracts with the government were horribly delayed by the shutdowns last year and it’s been knock-on effects ever since.
Any good ghost application software out there?
