Talent Talk: What Do 43% of Job Postings Have in Common? They’re Fake

If you are seeking a job for any reason — maybe you don’t have one or just think it’s time to make a change and move your career forward — you have a lot to think about:

You can now add one more concern to your list: Many of the open jobs you will see advertised on major job boards are so-called “ghost postings.” A study conducted by financial consultant firm Clarify Capital showed that 43% of the time, hiring managers are not actively trying to fill the advertised position.

The rationale behind ghost posts.

Why would companies do that? According to the study of 1,045 managers, the answers include giving the impression that the company is growing, keeping current employees motivated, showing the company is always “open” to hiring, and maintaining a pipeline in case of unexpected turnover.

I wish I could tell you third-party recruiting firms would never do that, but that isn’t the case. It is tempting for recruiters to do the same thing for roles that are extremely difficult to fill. If you are in HR or a hiring manager in the plastics manufacturing space, you know what I mean — process or field service engineers, for example, or an experienced quality manager.

How to sniff out a ghost post.

We don’t do it at my company. I would consider it unethical — more of a misdemeanor than a felony, but still problematic for our industry and not fair to candidates who are on a serious job search. So here are a few tips to help you know if a posted opening is real, or a ghost post.