Job requirements should help candidates understand if they're qualified and help companies find the right people. Instead, they're often a mix of wishful thinking, unrealistic expectations, and requirements that are literally impossible.

I spent the last month collecting the most absurd job requirements from actual job postings. These are real. Hiring managers approved these. Companies paid to post them.

Let's break down the nonsense.

Category 1: The Mathematically Impossible Requirements

Job Posting #1: Time Travel Required

"Seeking Software Engineer with 10+ years of experience in Rust."

Rust was released in 2010. Even if someone started using it on day one (they didn't, because it wasn't stable for production until years later), that's only 15 years of potential experience maximum. Requiring 10+ years filters out almost everyone who actually knows Rust well.

Job Posting #2: The Impossible Combinations

"Entry-level position requiring 5+ years of professional experience."

Pick one. Entry-level means minimal experience required. Requiring 5 years of experience means it's a mid-level role. You can't have both.

This is the hiring equivalent of "entry-level rent: $3,000/month."

Job Posting #3: The Tech That Doesn't Exist

"Minimum 3 years experience with GPT-5 required."

GPT-5 doesn't exist. OpenAI hasn't released it. Nobody has 3 years of experience with technology that doesn't exist.

Either this is a typo (they meant GPT-4), or someone is demanding time travel and insider access to unreleased AI models.

Neither is reasonable.

Category 2: The "We Want a Unicorn For Entry-Level Pay" Special

Job Posting #4: The Skill Overload

"Junior Developer Position - $45K/year

Required Skills:

• Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, Go, C++
• React, Angular, Vue, Node.js
• AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
• Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform
• SQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis
• Machine Learning and AI implementation
• 5+ years of professional experience
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science"

This is not a junior developer. This is a senior full-stack engineer, DevOps specialist, and data scientist rolled into one—and you're offering $45K?

That skill set commands $150K-$200K minimum. For $45K you get someone who knows Python and is willing to learn more. Choose reality.

Job Posting #5: The Executive Assistant Fantasy

"Executive Assistant - $40K/year

Responsibilities:

• Manage C-suite calendars and correspondence
• Plan and coordinate company events
• Handle bookkeeping and financial reporting
• Manage social media and marketing campaigns
• IT support and troubleshooting
• HR onboarding and benefits administration
• Light coding and website maintenance
• Make coffee and handle mail"

You just described six different full-time roles and tried to pay one person $40K to do all of them.

Executive assistant, event planner, accountant, marketing manager, IT support, HR coordinator, web developer, and barista—all for less than minimum wage when you calculate the actual hours required.

Job Posting #6: The Marketing Unicorn

"Marketing Coordinator - $50K/year

Must have:

• 7+ years marketing experience
• Expert-level graphic design (Adobe Creative Suite)
• Video production and editing
• Copywriting and content creation
• SEO and SEM management
• Social media management across 10+ platforms
• Data analytics and reporting
• Event planning and coordination
• Budget management
• Fluent in English, Spanish, and Mandarin"

This is a Marketing Director, Graphic Designer, Videographer, Content Writer, SEO Specialist, and Social Media Manager—who also speaks three languages—for $50K.

This person doesn't exist. And if they did, they wouldn't work for $50K.

Category 3: The Contradictory Requirements

Job Posting #7: Experience But Make It Cheap

"Senior Software Engineer - 8+ years experience required

Salary: $60,000 - $75,000"

Senior engineers with 8 years of experience command $130K-$180K depending on location and specialization. You're offering half of market rate and wondering why you can't find anyone.

This is like posting "Wanted: Ferrari, budget $15,000."

Job Posting #8: Remote But Not Really

"Remote position - must be located within 30 miles of our San Francisco office for occasional in-person meetings."

That's not remote. That's hybrid with extra steps. Just say it's hybrid and be honest.

Actual remote means "work from anywhere." This is "work from your home in our expensive city."

Job Posting #9: Flexible Schedule (Translation: Always Available)

"Flexible schedule - must be available M-F 9am-5pm, occasional evenings and weekends as needed."

That's not flexible. That's a standard 9-5 with overtime expectations. Flexible schedule means "work whenever, as long as the work gets done."

Stop redefining words to make bad conditions sound appealing.

Category 4: The Oddly Specific (And Weird) Requirements

Job Posting #10: The Astrological Requirement

"Preferred: Candidates born under fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) for culture fit."

I cannot make this up. A real company listed astrological signs as a preferred qualification.

Setting aside that this is absurd, it's also potentially discriminatory. You can't hire based on birth date, even if you dress it up as astrology.

Job Posting #11: The Social Media Stalking

"Must have 10,000+ Instagram followers and active social media presence for brand representation."

For a bookkeeping position.

Unless your accountant is also an influencer promoting your financial services via Instagram stories, this requirement makes zero sense.

Job Posting #12: The Physical Appearance Requirement

"Must maintain professional appearance including [specific clothing brands and styles]."

Requiring specific clothing brands crosses the line from dress code to creepy. Just say "business professional attire" and move on.

Specifying brands suggests you care more about aesthetics than qualifications.

Category 5: The "Just Say You Don't Want to Hire Anyone" Postings

Job Posting #13: The Education Contradiction

"Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree preferred. PhD a plus. Must be willing to start in entry-level role at $40K."

You want someone with a PhD to work an entry-level job for $40K? People with PhDs have $200K+ in student debt and can get jobs paying 3-4x this amount.

This posting is essentially saying "we want the most educated person possible but we don't want to pay them appropriately."

Job Posting #14: The Experience Paradox

"Entry-level position. No experience necessary.

Requirements:

• 5 years professional experience
• Expert-level proficiency in [specific software]
• Proven track record of success
• Portfolio of completed projects"

Entry-level means no experience necessary. Everything else in this posting contradicts that.

Pick a lane. Either it's entry-level and you train people, or it requires experience and you pay accordingly.

Job Posting #15: The Relocation That Pays Nothing

"Salary: $45,000. Relocation assistance: Not provided. Remote work: Not available. Must relocate to San Francisco."

San Francisco median rent is $3,500/month. That's $42,000/year just for rent—leaving $3,000 for food, transportation, utilities, and everything else.

And you won't help with relocation costs? And you won't let them work remotely from somewhere affordable?

This is asking people to relocate to one of the most expensive cities in America for poverty wages. Who do you think is applying?

What These Postings Really Tell Us

These aren't just funny—they reveal serious problems:

Companies don't understand market rates: Offering $45K for senior engineering roles shows complete disconnect from reality.

Job descriptions are written by people who don't understand the role: Requiring 10 years of experience in 5-year-old technology proves nobody reviewed this posting.

Companies want unicorns but won't pay for them: Listing 47 required skills for an entry-level salary is fantasy, not hiring strategy.

Hiring managers are throwing darts at a wall: Astrological sign requirements and demanding Instagram followers for accounting roles suggest zero strategic thinking.

What Companies Should Do Instead

Research market rates: If your salary is 50% below market, you won't find qualified candidates. Price realistically or adjust requirements.

Be honest about experience levels: Entry-level means entry-level. Senior means senior. Don't mix them up to save money.

Limit required skills to what actually matters: The top 5-7 essential skills. Everything else is "nice to have." Nobody has 30 required skills.

Have someone who understands the role review the posting: Preferably someone doing that job. They'll catch the "10 years of experience in 5-year-old tech" nonsense.

Be realistic about what one person can do: If you're listing six different roles worth of responsibilities, you need six people—or realistic expectations and higher pay.

The Bottom Line

Skills-based hiring is rising, which should mean more realistic job requirements. Instead, we're seeing postings requiring impossible experience levels, unicorn skill sets for entry-level pay, and occasionally... astrological signs.

If your job postings look like any of these examples, fix them. You're not attracting top talent—you're becoming the punchline of recruiting memes.

Your requirements should help candidates understand if they're qualified. Not make them question if you live in reality.

Do better.

Sources:

• SHRM Talent 2025: Recruiting Trends