As the saying goes, everything old is new again, and “ghost jobs” are no exception. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the job market favor both employers and job seekers at different times. Since then, the pendulum has continued to swing in both directions as candidates ghost employers while employers post imaginary jobs that mislead candidates.
There are a number of reasons why employers may choose to go this route. Among the most common are to build a pipeline of candidates to backfill future vacancies, to give the impression of company growth and stability, or to appease overworked employees. Still others may simply choose to post non-existent jobs rather than seeing pre-paid job postings go unused, or find that removing postings for jobs that were filled to be too time consuming.
Unfortunately, the challenges employers face and their choices for dealing with them can negatively affect job seekers, particularly those who have applied for numerous jobs without receiving a single response. So what can candidates do to help recognize and avoid ghost jobs, while making the best possible impression on employers who may be hiring in the future? Here are a few suggestions.
Filter by Date
Though it’s impossible to distinguish real job opportunities from fake ones with 100% certainty, the longer a job has been posted, the more likely it’s not legitimate. If a job has been posted for several months, it’s a good indication that filling the role is not a priority, or the employer simply neglected to remove the post after hiring. Whenever possible, candidates should filter job search results by date and prioritize the most recent listings. This won’t eliminate all ghost jobs, but job searching is often a numbers game, and targeting the newest opportunities first can increase candidates’ odds of receiving a response.
View Company’s Career Page and Social Media Profiles
While employers may have an incentive to post ghost jobs, they likely won’t actively promote and recruit for them. Not only would this be a waste of their time, but it could severely damage their employer brand when disgruntled applicants leave negative comments and reviews regarding their (lack of a) hiring process. Job seekers should visit a company’s career page and social media pages in order to determine which roles they are promoting regularly and most anxious to fill.
Contact Hiring Managers or Recruiters
When visiting a company’s career page and social media pages, candidates should note whether a hiring manager’s or recruiter’s name and contact info are attached to job postings. If not, they may run a search on LinkedIn to find an employee who works in recruiting or their field of expertise. Candidates can then email these employees or connect with them on LinkedIn and inquire about open positions. Even if the employee is not a recruiter or hiring manager, they may still be willing to help a determined job seeker, particularly if their company has a referral program.
Tap Your Network
Networking is not something that can be done last minute when there’s an urgent need. It should be part of both employees’ and job seekers’ regular routines in order to build a trusted source of experts and allies. If candidates apply for a job they feel is a good fit but the employer remains unresponsive, a quick search of their network will reveal if they are connected to any of the company’s current or past employees. If not, posting an inquiry can generate leads that connections may provide. Of course, there’s no guarantee this will yield results. But considering that 30-50% of new hires come from referrals, it’s worth maximizing all resources.
Demonstrate Your Expertise
Regardless of how tenacious job seekers are in sourcing leads, applying for roles and contacting employers, none of this matters if they don’t have the skills and experience employers are looking for. Those qualifications should be evident during their job search. Candidates should ensure their LinkedIn profile is updated with work history, certifications, projects, publications and media samples. In addition, they should join groups and share news, blogs and articles with their network that are relevant to their industry or target role. When deciding which candidates to interview out of dozens or hundreds with similar qualifications, employers will likely pursue those whose expertise is evident and who share it on a regular basis.
As we’ve seen over the past decade, ghost jobs aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, according to Forexlive, a recent surge in imaginary job postings may have contributed to the Federal Reserve’s overconfidence in the strength of the U.S. economy. Though many employers will continue to hedge their bets in an uncertain economy by posting jobs they’re not ready to fill, candidates who know what to look for and take a proactive approach to networking and self-promotion can avoid ghost jobs while increasing their chances of landing one of the real ones.
