How to become a ghost job buster

empty main street windows with help wanted signs hanging in them

The job hunt is hard enough. You’ve got to pass applicant tracking systems, get through HR screenings, nail multiple rounds of interviews and then — fingers crossed — you get offered a job with a decent salary.

These days, however, you’ll need to be on the lookout for another wrinkle — ghost jobs. A survey conducted last year found that 40% of companies had posted a fake job listing that year and three in 10 companies had an active ghost job listing. But, like, why?

Ghost jobs serve a few purposes. They build a pool of qualified candidates for future roles, give the impression the business is growing and make current employees think a new hire is on the way, which will alleviate their workload.

But that doesn’t mean they’re not annoying. And who wants to waste their precious time when they’re looking for a job in this market? Check out our guide on ghost jobs to learn how to avoid them.

Bust Ghost Jobs

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data showing the prevalence of ghost jobs

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