3 Ways to spot a ghost job listing

Applying for jobs online can often feel like sending a resume into a black hole. In fact, some job applicants report they’re sending out hundreds of resumes a month but yielding few results. Part of the problem may be the proliferation of ghost job listings on recruiting sites like LinkedIn and Indeed. According to a 2024 Recruiting Trends survey, 81% of recruiters admitted that their employer posts ads for jobs that either don’t exist or are already filled.

“It’s a very shocking number and I think it actually is disheartening, especially when you think about the current market for specific industries and for specific job seekers like in the tech space where layoffs are very prominent,” says Jasmine Escalera, a career expert at MyPerfectResume, the company that sponsored the recruiting trends survey.

Why companies post ghost listings

There are many reasons why companies post ghost listings. For instance, Escalera says, sometimes companies want to get ahead of the talent pool and have a bank of resumes from qualified candidates to pull from when a job opens up. This is especially common for recruiting agencies that specialize in specific roles, says Natalie Boren, senior vice President of recruitment firm Career Group Companies.

Another frequent reason for a ghost listing is the company has identified the person they want to hire—either an internal candidate or a candidate who needs a green card—and the firm is legally required to post the position for a certain amount of time, says Edward Kaye, talent acquisition partner at PCI Pharma Services.

Often companies have contracts with online job boards allowing for a certain number of job listings each month so the firm might post a role that isn’t open right now, but they anticipate will be open soon, or the position has frequent turnover so the company keeps the job listing online, says Lisa Frank, CEO of LBF Strategies, LLC.

Sometimes it comes down to optics. “Some companies also do this as a way to look like they have growth when maybe growth isn’t actually there,” Escalera says. When there is potential for economic turmoil, the company may want it to look like the firm is growing to keep investors and the board happy, she says.

How to spot ghost listings

Here are three ways to spot a ghost position.

1. The job description is vague. Be wary of postings without a detailed job description, Kaye says. If you see a bare bones job listing that looks like a shopping list, that’s a red flag. Compare the job listing to other job postings from the same company. If it doesn’t look like it was written by the same company or recruiting team, that’s a sign, Kaye says.  Other oddities to look for include an extremely broad pay range or a title that doesn’t match the job description or qualifications, or a position that lists too many responsibilities, Escalera says. “With discrepancies like that, you want to question the position,” she says.
2. The job listing is old. Always check the date on the job listing. If there is no date, that’s a red flag, Kaye says. A lot of companies will recycle the same job ad, Natalie says. “If you’re noticing pretty much the same copy going up with not really anything shifting in between, it’s a dead giveaway that it’s a ghost posting,” she says.If something’s been posted for two months or more, question why a position is up that long, especially in a market like this where within the first few days, hundreds of applicants are applying for roles, Escalera says. “Apply for jobs that are fresh,” she adds.
3. The job post doesn’t appear on the company website. If you find a job opening on a social media site or LinkedIn, go to the company website and see if it’s also posted there, Kaye says. “If it seems too good to be true and you found it on social media or LinkedIn, be wary,” he says.It’s a good idea to do some research on the company to find out if they’re hiring. For instance, if the company has been in the news recently for having layoffs or lower profits, you might question whether that job posting is really an open role, Frank says. If you can find the name of the hiring manager, it might be worth it to reach out and ask if the position is open, she said. Sites like Glassdoor, where people can leave reviews about a company and a company’s hiring process, are also helpful to look at, Escalera says.

Ghost listings might still lead to a job

Job seekers want to make sure they are applying to active, open positions but experts agree it doesn’t hurt to apply for a ghost job.

“If you think the job is a ghost job, still apply to it,” Kaye says. “It maximizes your opportunities to be considered and to be seen.” Kaye recently had a situation where somebody applied for a financial analyst position that had just been filled. However another hiring manager was looking to fill a different role on a different team but with the same qualifications so Kaye contacted that applicant and explained the position he applied for was filled but there was another position open.

“One of the reasons why companies and HR departments are posting these is because they eventually do see themselves hiring,” Escalera says.