After Layoffs, Ghost Job Posts Are Making Their Way To Threaten The Job Seekers!

Name- Ghost Jobs

When to join- After an unknown exile.

Appearance- As threatening as getting a burnt from Diwali Rocket.

Best wishes for Diwali! I believe in keeping the undead employed. I’m afraid this is a far more terrifying idea than that.

Consider a job seeker in his twenties who finds the job post on a prominent website. He polishes his résumé, writes an attractive cover letter, and prepares to answer any questions that come his way. He applies for the position, but receives no response after months. In the following weeks, he finds the same position listed online, which depresses him. Or let’s take your situation. Did you recently apply for a job on an online platform with great aspirations, but received no response? It is common. One explanation is that the firm did not choose you. Another reason may be because the position did not exist. Ghost Jobs are flooding the hiring market. 

Is ghost job a new trend or an age old practice?

Ghost Jobs are postings made on hiring websites by companies for roles that don’t even exist – so no matter how many people apply, no one is getting the job. A survey has unleashed that the practice is widespread, with many companies going as far as fake interviewing too. 

Ghost jobs have gained popularity in recent years as more and more folks look for work online. However, during the previous couple of years, they have become a major issue in the global employment market. According to a June research by Resume Builder, an online resource for job searchers, four out of ten firms acknowledged to posting fraudulent job postings. Meanwhile, three out of ten firms acknowledged to advertising for opportunities that did not exist. 

The question of ethical breach and fraudulent behaviour in posting ghost job.

According to the Resume Builder research, 40% of organisations have posted a ghost job in 2024. Unlike scams in which unscrupulous actors solicit job applicants’ personal information, the majority of ghost jobs are claimed to be promoted by hiring managers. According to the same survey, seven out of ten recruiting managers feel this approach is “morally acceptable” and advantageous to organisations. However, these job postings confuse hundreds of professionals’ never-ending employment quest. Furthermore, such fake postings may create a trust gap between seekers and companies.

Another notable component of the research is that some recruiting managers stated that their organisations’ human resource departments, senior management, top executives, and even investors had proposed fake employment opportunities.

It would be incorrect to call ghost jobs scams. Though they are essentially job postings from firms, many of which are major and well-known, they may not match to genuine vacant opportunities. These firms may have hired for the position at some point. These positions may still be available or on hold as a result of budget cuts or organisational considerations. Regardless, the job post remains online, misleading and fooling thousands of job searchers into applying for positions that do not exist, which may not give them the tag of fraudulent act, but definitely can be cited as an act of ethical breach.

Reasons for ghost jobs.

The innocence of candidates is used as a tool to ‘ghost them’.

According to Sonal Arora, The Country Manager at GI Group Holding, one of the key reasons why many job seekers register for ghost jobs is a lack of employable skills, particularly those who need work right away. This sense of urgency causes individuals to ignore red flags when analysing possible employment possibilities. Furthermore, she claims that technological improvements have made it simpler for fraudsters to make more believable claims. Artificial intelligence has increased the realism of these frauds, making them more believable and successful in deceiving people. Scammers also use this to extract money or personal information of individuals.

To find a better candidate.

Some firms keep these fake listings active to keep their options open, similar to how users of dating apps keep their profiles online even when they may not be actively pursuing them. The reason is that these organisations are keen on attracting good candidates, even though they may not be in a position to immediately hire them. This is because such a kind of listing would help them build a pool of talent to draw from whenever the need arises.

To increase the market visibility of the company.

Furthermore, regular job postings on renowned websites can increase a company’s market visibility. Such frequent postings may provide the impression that the company is expanding and thriving—a good indicator for investors and clients. 

The proactive approach of hiring. 

Some companies post roles even before receiving full budget approval, allowing them to fast-track hiring once the budget is confirmed.

Internal benchmarking.

In some cases, companies resort to such postings as a form of market research, essentially to understand the skills that are in high demand, changing salary expectations of job seekers etc. Ghost listings enable companies to compare salary offers, qualifications, and perks with industry expectations before formally launching a hiring process.

To confuse their own employees.

Interestingly, according to the Resume Builder survey, 60% of employers promoting fake positions indicated they were doing so to persuade their employees that new hires would lighten their burden. Worse, 62% admitted they posted ghost jobs to instill anxiety in employees that they are replaceable.

To give candidates small tasks as part of the selection process – getting the work done as part of the test, but not hiring them thereafter.

Have you ever done a 1500-2000 word unpaid assignment on the name of screening, and then the company never contacted you or replied to your question. Poor fella, you may have worked on a ghost job posting!

Which sectors are seeing a prominent rise in ghost job postings?

According to Arora, the positions with the most risk of such frauds include customer service and contact centres, data entry, digital marketing, and content development. Many applicants looking for such positions are tempted by fake job offers that promise work-from-home or foreign positions.

According to Krishnendu Chatterjee, VP and Business Head at Staffing, TeamLease Services, ghost jobs are more common in entry-level employment because candidates are more desperate, allowing scammers to cast a larger net to lure more people into their trap. In addition, they recruit applicants for abroad positions like manufacturing workers, healthcare workers, and drivers.

What is the impact of ghost job in overall job market?

Are “ghost jobs” just a media invention to justify a dismayingly slow job market, or do they actually exist? There is no obvious solution, and the reality most likely lies somewhere in the centre. The surge in ghost jobs is muddying the job market by crafting a strong hiring trend, making it more difficult for job seekers and economists to assess the genuine situation of employment. 

Not only for job seekers, the act of ghost job posts can be detriment for the employers also. Ghost posts, though, maybe, unintentional, can greatly damage an brand image of the employer and reputation, turning off future candidates.

Currently, no laws prohibit or restrict the usage of ghost jobs. This approach, if genuine, differs from fake job scams, which have been on the rise and attempt to target candidates for identity theft and malware infection.  

So, how can you safeguard yourself from ghost job postings?

Often, a job opportunity that comes your way cleverly hides multiple red signs. Authentic job advertising never request money in any manner, including upfront payments, security deposits, training costs, or assessment fees. Furthermore, if you lack expertise but are given a high salary, the experts warn that it is most likely a ghost job.

Other noticeable red flags include bad spelling and grammar abilities, emails from addresses that do not match the organisation’s official domain, job offers using personal email accounts, and a lack of accurate company and job position information. Also, if an offer to start employment right away arrives in your inbox without an interview or conversation, you should ignore it and move on. Though not always a warning indicator, experts feel that interviews conducted via messaging applications like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Google Hangouts may lead to a job fraud.

Another clue is when job descriptions are vague. If the job description reads like a template, it most certainly is one. Job advertising for genuine jobs, like senior executives, are more likely to include the tasks and credentials required. Even if the job description is imprecise, hiring managers eager to fill essential positions will likely respond sooner. Legitimate job postings exist and go as soon as they close. However, this may not always be the case, since a position placed just a few days ago is less likely to be a ghost job than one posted several months ago.

Conclusion.

While online job platforms have tremendously eased the job search process, the presence of phoney or ghost jobs continues to frighten candidates. These ghost job listings look genuine, but they are frequently either already filled or do not exist. They squander a person’s time and effort while also making them demotivated. In extreme situations, it may even empty your wallet. Thus, it is critical to identify and avoid such posts.