A survey by Clarify Capital revealed some disturbing facts about this employer's tactic of advertising for what truly is a ghost job. They surveyed over 1,000 managers on the hiring process involving ghost jobs. They concluded that job hunters should pay close attention to when the job was first posted. The longer an opportunity has been advertised—say, over 30 days—the more likely it is a ghost job where the employer is not actively trying to fill that position. Why would an employer do this? The survey reveals a few notable insights:

• 50% of companies are always open to new people
• 43% wanted to give the impression their company was growing
• 43% wanted an active pool of applicants in case someone quit
• One in five managers had no plans to fill the posted job anytime soon

A Harvard Business School study explained the phenomenon, attributing this issue to a result of the rise of people quitting during the pandemic. Employers post jobs based on the difficulty of finding talent. Too many companies with hiring freezes still have job postings listed. Employers are unsure of the future and have a lot of economic uncertainty. They may be using ghost job postings to gauge the potential talent pool, so they can determine how difficult it would be to replace an employee.

How To Avoid Chasing Ghost Jobs

As you look for job opportunities on sites like Indeed or LinkedIn, pay close attention to how long ago the job was posted. If it’s one to two weeks old, it’s likely a legitimate opening. On the other hand, if the job was posted two months ago, be suspicious that it is probably not a position that the company is actively looking to hire for at this time.

Always check on the employer’s website to search for the job title and see if it is still available. Be careful to go to the employer’s website and not land on Indeed or a LinkedIn listed job.

Check your LinkedIn connections. Look to see if you know anybody that works at the company you’re interested in. If you do, send a polite message that asks this question: “Hi Tom, I’m currently looking for a (name the job title) and I’m wondering if your company is undergoing a hiring freeze at this time?” Most people will respond and answer whether or not that employer is a good prospect right now. Be sure to thank the connection for letting you know.

Do keep in mind that there are specific jobs employers are always hiring for, like software engineers. But for most other positions, if there is a freeze in place right now, look elsewhere.

Read the full report here