Job seekers waste time on fake or misleading job postings
Recruiters and job seekers report encountering 'ghost jobs' or bait-and-switch tactics where job postings are misleading or nonexistent. This wastes time and effort for candidates who invest in applications or interviews.
SOURCES (60)
“I'd always be very suspicious. Just definitionally it's bs, there will be limits, it's about know what those are”
“https://preview.redd.it/estk3zd82rsh1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a8c2c6b99706b1e31b8f47bb72905cb8d251756 🫠”
“That reminds me of this post I saw 🤣 Dude gets a message from a recruiter saying “we do have internal engineers that are similar to what you do, but we are not hiring for them right now.” 🥴 like buddy wtf did you even message him then. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tom-sparks-46562\_i-get-frequent-requests-to-talk-to-recruiters-share-7510498513441648641-JpuT/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=member\_ios&rcm=ACoAABZkN-wB83fSM6bPl3Jgg-J\_3YIxP3KxXw8”
“My first guess was that they have friends on staff receiving decent overtime pay when they're short-staffed.”
“Is this common? Lmao! These job postings are literal jokes I'm convinced they post to throw off the national unemployment rate and get paid for it. submitted by /u/ProfessionalLake2165 [link] [comments]”
“I just read this article and it's ridiculous. It hurts. Job seekers need to realize this is happening, and it's not a reflection of their skills and abilities. Resume Builder surveyed 1,641 hiring managers in various companies and industries in 2024. They received 641 completed surveys back. Yes, this happened 2 years ago, but it's still happening today. You can search for Resume Builder's article online, as I can't add the link here. Here are the findings of this survey: 40%”
“Excuse me... How do they do that? I am very confused. Also, visa sponsorship questions are usually part of the job application. Again, I am very confused.”
“It's almost certainly made up. My money is on this guy selling resume writing services.”
“No soppy gushy overtop BS. Straight and to the point. But yeah it sounds like it is just another fake job to sell stuff”
“yeah and they want us to believe the one running the chef and fishing business actually want a job yeah right, its ragebait and everyone just fell for it”
“Reminds me of a company that advertised in the local newspaper, back in 2001, wanting an "Entry Level Systems Administrator" with 5 years of experience in Windows 2000... Windows 2000, 5 years experience, in 2001 ! 🙄”
“Most job descriptions are total fiction. And the requirements don't matter. So why are job seekers expected to be 100% honest when responding to corporate fantasy? submitted by /u/jirashap [link] [comments]”
“It's a part of their due diligence. It's like you looking up Amazon reviews before buying something.”
“The best is when they call a job you’re actively working at without telling you so now your current job is pissed at you”
“yeah!! i noticed that too on slack so many accounts deactivated. it's stressful bc I don't know if it'll happen to more ppl plus we are paid so low. I think the video tasks are ok....i feel like we need more aht. did u see the email they sent out today just now? they're gonna start keeping tab of tasks that expire. it's turning into hh platform. ”
“Sure. And their githubs could be similarly fake. That's ok. I do phone screens after the GitHub check. Yeah you can try to game those, but it's easy to tell and I haven't had a bad candidate pass that yet. The next step is either an interview or a take home (ai or Google totally fine.). Usually the take home. Target time to complete is an hour max. I expect the code to be good, but what I really want to see is how you explain it and extend it live, preferably in person. Basically no”
“Require a month’s pay in escrow to post a job listing. That would reduce ghost listings.”
“yeah that's borderline scamming, "financial advisor" shouldn't even be considered a job”
“If anyone ever told me the interview was optional, I'd know it was either a scam or trash MLM stuff.”
“I'm on the hunt for a new job. Was reading a job description for an opening at a nonprofit this morning. It included all communications and development work for an organization. Like everything under the sun -- email, website, social, gift processing, grants, appeals, stewardship comms, planning their annual gala, etc. OK, small enough org and that might all be feasible. I'm scrolling through looking for the salary. It's listed as a 10 HOUR PER WEEK CONTRACT POSITION! I nearly spit o”
“I think what works. And I do agree with some that it should be mentioned upfront that it’s an unsolicited but role specific application. But otherwise, I would not consider this “ghost job” at all. They may not be hiring right at that moment but two days from now or a week later, they probably will be. It is certainly fluid enough of a demand”
“it’s like these places want people to stop applying Well yeah, because then they can go "oh we tried so hard to fill this position but couldn't!" And qualify to import workers with visas and pay them less than the market rate”
“Well, it's a "false advertising" issue but people these days think that it's OK to leave things out as to what's going to qualify you or disqualify you for every job out there. You're supposed to know everything yourself these days, apparently. And yes it's not your fault if you didn't think AHEAD OF TIME that something you did that might or might not have been "illegal" BACK THEN might come back to bite you in the butt YEARS or DECADES LATER. For not”
“It's some new business tech - list a bunch of jobs they aren't hiring for so the economy seems to be doing better than it is. The new cycle of layoffs they keep losing more and more people but have so many open roles!”
“It’s called ghost jobs. Some states are starting to make that illegal. They want a non-stop pipeline without doing the work. I hate this bs.”
“Yeah, this. Costco is highly unlikely like this because they actually have one of the top percentages of long lasting employees, a lot of people retire from Costco and with good benefits. It's a hard job to get because they give you 3 months to prove you're a good employee before they decide to actually hire you IF a job even opens. That's why it's hard to even get an interview. They know what types to hire.”
“They leave it open so when a replaceable leaves or gets fired they have people on standby, drooling for the opportunity because they’ve been waiting for months.”
“Source . Last time I saw a spike like this happen, it was Uber right before they announced the layoffs, thread here . submitted by /u/frappuccinoCoin [link] [comments]”
Just reported the post on LinkedIn as fraud because that’s what this is….
“They do look at those lists of contacts. That's how random people that never applied get calls telling them about a job interview.”
“I've been job hunting for a 5 months now, which means I know which companies are posting fake, ghost jobs with no intention of hiring. I've decided to leave one star reviews on their Google pages to call out this behavior (under a different name of course). It's disrespectful and wastes the applicant's time. If you aren't hiring then don't post new positions. Simple as that. Thank you for listening to my rant. submitted by /u/MediumEnvironment986 [link]”
“It just makes me chuckle all the people that think this is something new. I've led teams offshore, nearshore all around the country since the late 90s. It's what internet is for, lol. Omergod, how can I work efficiently without that person I'm working with being physically near me!”
“I guarantee this guy thinks it’s totally reasonable to ask someone to take their paid PTO at their current job to come “audition” to work at his company.”
“Maybe the job posting is fake? They’re just “interviewing” to keep busy and no one expects to hire?”
“Curious what people's experiences have been. Do you feel like job postings usually match the actual day-to-day of the role, or is there often a gap between what's advertised and what the job turns out to be? Wondering if this is more common in certain industries or roles. submitted by /u/helpside_Team [link] [comments]”
“Curious what people's experiences have been. Do you feel like job postings usually match the actual day-to-day of the role, or is there often a gap between what's advertised and what the job turns out to be? Wondering if this is more common in certain industries or roles. submitted by /u/helpside_Team [link] [comments]”