The Truth about Ghost Jobs

Applied to a job. Waited two weeks. Heard nothing. 👻

Babes… you may have just met a ghost job.

81% of recruiters admit to posting ghost jobs. Which means while you’re lovingly tailoring your résumé at midnight… they may just be building a candidate pipeline.

Rude. 😒

So in this week’s video, I’m spilling the tea on how to spot the red flags before you waste hours applying. 🍵 🫖

• Read the video transcript

  Have you ever applied to a job, waited weeks for a response, and then nothing? Well, you might have been ghosted, and not by a person, but by an actual posting, because ghost jobs are real, and they're haunting job seekers everywhere.

  Contrary to popular belief, ghost jobs aren't scams. They are real postings for real jobs from real companies that aren't actually hiring.

  Recruiters post them to test the market or to collect résumés or to make a company look like it's growing even when it's not, and sometimes there's a requirement to post a role externally even though they're looking internally to fill it.

  81% of recruiters admit that they post ghost jobs according to a survey by My Perfect Resume. In fact, 36% of recruiters say that about a quarter of their listings are ghost jobs. 

  So while you're out here finessing every last bullet and customizing every cover letter, they might just be out there fishing for future candidates.

  Here's how you can spot 'em.

  • Cross-check the listing on the company website.

  • Keep an eye out for roles that you've seen that never seem to close.

  • Keep an eye on recent layoff news.

  And rely on your network.  Forums like Glassdoor and Blind will spill the tea fast.

  So the next time your dream role pops up, pause before you spend an hour on that application.

  Do a quick vibe check because as we've talked about, the goal is not to apply everywhere, it's to apply smart.