You spent three hours customizing your resume and cover letter. You followed up twice. You stalked the hiring manager on LinkedIn. The job posting is still live six weeks later, and you haven't heard a single word.

Congratulations—you applied to a ghost job. And before you blame yourself for not being qualified, here's the plot twist: the position was filled three months ago. Or it never existed in the first place. Or it's "open" but the company has zero intention of actually filling it.

Welcome to the dumpster fire that is ghost job postings.

What Are Ghost Jobs (And Why Are They Everywhere)?

Ghost jobs are job postings that look real, stay active for months, but will never result in an actual hire. They're the recruiting equivalent of catfishing—making candidates think there's an opportunity when there isn't.

Industry estimates suggest 20-50% of job postings online at any given time are ghost jobs. That's not a typo. Up to HALF of the jobs you're applying to don't exist in any meaningful way.

And it gets worse: A 2024 survey found that 68% of recruiters admitted to keeping job postings active even after positions were filled. Two-thirds. Not a rogue company or two—the majority of recruiters are doing this.

Why? Oh, you're going to love these reasons.

The Reasons Companies Post Ghost Jobs (All of Them Are Bad)

Reason 1: "We're collecting resumes for future openings"

Translation: "We don't have an actual job right now, but we want a pool of candidates in case we do later."

So instead of being honest and saying "submit your resume for future consideration," they post a fake job listing and let you waste hours applying to a non-existent role. Classy.

Reason 2: "We need to show we're growing"

Startups trying to look busy, public companies trying to signal expansion, and struggling companies trying to pretend everything's fine—all post jobs they don't intend to fill.

It's corporate theater. The job board is the stage, and your application is an unpaid extra in their performance.

Reason 3: "We already have an internal candidate, but HR requires us to post externally"

This one is infuriating because the role is REAL and FILLED—just not by you. Companies with policies requiring external job postings for internal promotions go through the motions, interview a few people for appearances, and hire the person they always planned to hire.

Your interview? That was the legally required theater before they promoted Karen from Accounting.

Reason 4: "We're always hiring great talent"

Companies post permanent "evergreen" job listings to keep deal flow going. The job might be filled right now, but they'll consider you if someone quits. Or if budget magically appears. Or if Mercury is in retrograde and the CFO feels generous.

In practice, your application goes into a black hole where resumes go to die.

Reason 5: "We forgot to take it down"

The most honest and somehow most frustrating answer. The recruiter filled the role, moved on to the next fire, and never bothered closing the posting. Job boards auto-renew, and nobody notices.

Your application arrived three weeks after someone else got hired. Nobody will tell you this. The posting will stay live for another two months.

Reason 6: "It's good for employer branding"

Some companies legitimately believe keeping active job postings makes them look like attractive, growing employers—even if they're not actually hiring.

It's the recruiting equivalent of a fake Rolex. Looks impressive from a distance until you realize it's worthless.

The Real-World Consequences (That Nobody Talks About)

For candidates: You're wasting time customizing applications for jobs that don't exist. You're wondering why you never hear back. You're questioning your qualifications when the real issue is that the job was filled before you even applied.

The psychological toll of applying to hundreds of jobs and hearing nothing back is real. Job search depression and anxiety are well-documented, and ghost jobs make it exponentially worse.

For actual recruiters: Your legitimate job postings get buried in a sea of ghost jobs. Candidates become cynical and stop applying. The candidates who do apply are frustrated and suspicious.

Good recruiters trying to do honest work get punished because other companies poisoned the well.

For the industry: Trust between employers and candidates evaporates. Job seekers stop believing job postings are real. Application quality drops because candidates assume it's pointless anyway.

Everyone loses except the companies playing games—and even they lose in the long run when their employer brand tanks.

How to Spot a Ghost Job (Red Flags That Give It Away)

The posting has been live for 60+ days: Real roles get filled or the posting gets updated. If it's been up for months with no changes, it's likely abandoned or fake.

Vague job description with no specifics: Real jobs have specific requirements, teams, projects, and expectations. Ghost jobs are generic because they're not real roles.

"Urgently hiring" for three months straight: If it's so urgent, why haven't you filled it? Because you're not actually hiring, that's why.

Company has dozens of identical postings: Listing the same "Marketing Manager" role in 15 cities? Either you're scaling like crazy (unlikely) or these are evergreen postings collecting resumes.

No hiring manager listed, no team mentioned: Real jobs have real teams. Ghost jobs are posted by HR for appearances.

You never hear back, but the posting keeps getting renewed: If they're renewing the posting but not responding to applicants, they're not actually reviewing applications.

What Companies Could Do Instead (But Won't)

Here's a wild idea: Be honest.

If you're collecting resumes for future roles: Say that. Create a "Join Our Talent Community" form instead of fake job postings.

If the role is filled: Close the posting. Immediately. It takes 30 seconds.

If you're only considering internal candidates: Don't post externally. Or be transparent: "Posting for internal promotion; external candidates will only be considered if no internal fit."

If you're not actually hiring right now: Don't post a job. Shocking, I know.

If you want to build a talent pipeline: Use LinkedIn, maintain relationships with past candidates, and post actual jobs when they exist.

None of this is complicated. It's just honest. And apparently honesty is too much to ask.

The Bottom Line

Ghost jobs are real, they're everywhere, and they're making everyone miserable.

Up to 50% of job postings online are ghost jobs. Companies post them to collect resumes, fake growth, or just forgot to close them. Candidates waste time applying to roles that will never be filled.

The fix is simple: close job postings when roles are filled, be honest about "talent community" programs, and stop using fake jobs for employer branding.

But until companies actually do that, you're stuck playing detective, trying to figure out which jobs are real and which ones are recruiting theater.

Good luck out there. You're going to need it.

Sources:

• Ghost Jobs: The Fake Job Postings Plaguing the Hiring Market
• 68% of Recruiters Keep Job Postings Active After Roles Are Filled