Attention Job Seekers – Beware of Ghost Job Postings!

Applying for job postings and getting nowhere?

Wasting countless hours on a job search that doesn’t result in interviews?

Feeling like you are not qualified for the jobs you are applying for?

As the techcession for many people in technology continues, you may have noticed how hard it now is to get a response interview to a job posting. I have spoken to many people that literally waste hours every day submitting on job sites and LinkedIn and cannot understand why they continue to receive no responses. Here is the dirty little secret…

THE JOB YOU ARE APPLYING FOR MIGHT NOT EVEN EXIST

Ghost job postings refer to job advertisements that are posted by companies despite there being no actual job opening available. Estimates are that anywhere from 33-40% of all job postings are now ghost job postings. These postings are often used as a strategy by posting organizations for various reasons:

Talent Pooling: Some companies perpetually post job openings even when they don't have an immediate need for new hires. They do this to create a pipeline of potential candidates for future roles – even if they don’t have them. By consistently attracting new applicants, they can maintain a pool of qualified individuals to draw from if and when a position becomes available.

Market Presence: Keeping job postings active can help companies maintain a visible presence in the job market and even provide others with the impression of growth and importance. This can be beneficial for employer branding and attracting top talent, even if there isn't an immediate opening.

Competitive Intelligence: Posting ghost job listings can also be a way for companies to gather intelligence about the job market, their competitors, supply and demand, salary benchmarking, and much more. By observing the response to their postings and analyzing the qualifications and experience of applicants, companies can gain valuable insights into industry trends and competitor hiring strategies – despite the fact they are mainly doing this at the time and expense of job seekers who need a job.

Internal Procedures: In some cases, companies may have internal policies or bureaucratic requirements that mandate posting job openings publicly, regardless of whether there's a genuine need to fill the position externally. For example, many larger organizations are required to post a job opening for a minimum period of time before they can then hire the already identified and/or internal employee they end up officially hiring after the posting period is compete. This can be due to equity or compliance reasons.

Testing the Waters: Occasionally, companies might post job listings to gauge the availability and quality of talent in the market before making a final decision about potential terminations, creating a new position or expanding their workforce.

WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT GHOST JOB POSTINGS

While ghost job postings can serve these purposes, they can also frustrate job seekers who invest time and effort in applying for positions that don't actually exist. You can avoid falling victim to ghost job postings by being vigilant and employ certain strategies which include:

Research the Job Posting: Before applying to any job posting, look at the company’s website to see if the job is even listed there anymore or if it has expired. Most job posts will be updated there first. If the job is of high interest, you might be better off applying on their website versus a job board. Also check the job posting dates – around 40% of hiring managers will typically fill a position within the first 2-3 months. Anything older than 3 months should be your first red flag about the job.

Check for Consistency: Look for consistency in the job posting. If you notice the same job posting being reposted frequently or if the details of the job seem vague, inconsistent, or non-descript, it could be a sign that the posting is not genuine, or they are simply backfilling for future "potential" hiring.

Evaluate Response Times: Pay attention to how quickly a company responds to your application. Legitimate job postings typically receive timely responses from hiring managers or recruiters. If you've applied to multiple positions and haven't received any communication after a reasonable amount of time, it could indicate that the postings are ghost jobs.

Use Reputable Job Boards: Stick to reputable job boards and company career pages when searching for job opportunities. While ghost job postings can appear on any platform, reputable sources are more likely to vet postings and ensure their legitimacy. Again, when in doubt, check to confirm on a company’s website before applying.

Professional Network: Networking can be a valuable tool for uncovering hidden job opportunities and avoiding ghost job postings. Build relationships with professionals in your industry, attend networking events, and leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn to connect with hiring managers directly. This also means that your LinkedIn profile should ALWAYS be up-to-date, professional, and attractive to hiring managers. Networking also means using tools like LinkedIn to directly connect with hiring and HR managers about open roles.

Ask Questions: During the application process or interviews, don't hesitate to ask questions about the role, the company's hiring timeline, and the reason for the vacancy, and much more. A legitimate employer will be transparent and provide clear answers to your inquiries. Here are a list of 10 questions you should ask during any interview: https://dustinruge.com/2022/10/the-top-10-questions-to-ask-a-job-interviewer-question-10/

Don’t Waste Your Time: One of the best ways to apply for jobs outside of your immediate network is to use the “Easy Apply” button on LinkedIn – which can allow you to quickly apply for jobs within a matter of minutes using your existing and hopefully updated LinkedIn Profile information. For those jobs that seem like a great fit for you and your talents, try applying on their website with a cover letter and reach out to the hiring contacts as well so you can better stand out from the competition.

By employing these strategies, you can reduce the risk of wasting time and effort on ghost job postings and focus their energy on genuine opportunities. The sooner you do this, the less regrets you will have after you discover this new problem the hard way.

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