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There can be a lot of obstacles during your job search, including so-called “ghost” jobs.
These can be fake listings for jobs that don't exist, or ones that were posted so long ago that it appears the job may not be available.
Fortunately, there are ways for job seekers to avoid the challenges of a potential ghost job and increase their odds of landing a real job, according to recruitment experts.
Ghost jobs are not an emerging phenomenon, but the pandemic-era hot job market has apparently fostered some bad behavior.
For example, ghosting between job seekers and employers is becoming more prevalent as parties often remain silent during the hiring process.
Recent labor market dynamics have also brought terms like big quit, quiet quit, and loud quit into the collective lexicon. Career coach Mandy Woodruff Santos said such “fun” new names belie the fact that these trends existed — albeit perhaps with less prevalence — before the pandemic.
10% have jobs open for at least six months
However, long-standing vacancies appear to be plentiful, causing headaches for applicants.
For example, a basic search on LinkedIn showed that about 1.8 million jobs were posted on the site more than a month ago, according to data available Friday.
In 2022, 10% of hiring managers reported that they had job postings that had been available for six months or more, according to a survey by Clarify Capital.
Aaron Case, a senior content writer at Resume Genius, wrote that there's a “good chance” jobs posted online for more than two months are fake.
As a former hiring manager, Woodruff Santos saw firsthand why bogus jobs exist: For example, a media company might post ads for the roles of “senior editor” and “assistant editor” at the same time — even though the company, in fact, has a job. Only one available.
This strategy helps companies expand the network of talent attracted to each role, although it creates a ghost job in the process, she said.
Woodruff Santos, founder of MandiMoney Makers, said “it takes time” for workers to apply online. It's a “very frustrating and in some cases, terrifying experience.”
Staffing challenges are also the culprit.
A recent ZipRecruiter survey showed that 57% of employers lack qualified candidates, while 41% failed to fill a vacancy in the previous six months because candidates wanted more pay than the company could offer, the survey showed.
Employers may also leave “dead-end” postings online to give the perception that their company is growing and to collect resumes in case a future role opens up, Case said. a
“The Secret Sauce of the Job Search”
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As one paywall, workers who see an attractive listing on an online job aggregator site should check to make sure the ad is simultaneously listed on the employer's designated online job portal, Case said. Additionally, if the company is still hiring, they may have recently posted about the job on their social media feeds.
Woodruff-Santos said there are cases where it might make sense for job seekers to apply online for a job that was posted months ago — especially for candidates who are particularly interested in a role that's also a good fit for them.
This is because the hiring process may be prolonged due to a scarcity of qualified applicants, or the company may contact the applicant later if the position becomes available, she said.
However, she said online applications only “scratch the surface” when it comes to maximizing your odds of finding a new job.
She added that building personal relationships is the most powerful tool available to job seekers.
For example, successful job seekers leverage contacts such as friends, family, former colleagues, and others who can refer them to a manager at a potential company; Or they put themselves in environments such as conferences, meetups, seminars and training courses to meet people who may have opportunities now or in the future.
“It's about putting yourself in a place where you can get lucky, where you can meet someone in the elevator who might know someone,” Woodruff-Santos said. “This is the secret sauce to finding work,” she added.
“The real goal you should have is to build such a great reputation in your field and build so many relationships that people will come to you even before you need a job,” she said.
