Last year was the first time I knowingly came across a ghost job. I mean, I had had my share of job applications that went nowhere, with job descriptions that felt like I had read them before, and seemed fake because of that. But it wasn’t until I applied for a job that came up at my own apartment complex, that I began to understand this phenomenon of ghost jobs, and how they’re ruining things for everyone.
So what happened was, the guy who owns our complex decided to outsource management of the place to a third party company. One day while surfing Indeed looking for marketing work close to home, I ran into a job posted by said management company.
“Cool!” I thought. “Maybe I can get some part-time work. I can do their social media (part of their job description) and some manual labor and whatever else they need. This is going to be awesome!”
I then looked over in more detail the job title and description they had posted. It sounded like exactly what the young woman who currently runs our office, let’s call her Debbie, does… but with a few more added responsibilities; like marketing, local events and social media management.
Questions ran through my mind. Had Debbie put in her notice? Were they letting her go? This was making me concerned. Debbie was a great person and hard worker, who really seemed to care for the people who live here. She had been with us through the pandemic, working through all of that uncertainty, all the BS, all the delays and confusion.
I decided that I definitely did not want to “take her job,” if they were offering it (and I didn’t qualify anyway, having no housing management experience of this type). I decided to apply with a note, asking them if they needed some part-time help with just the marketing and social media, and maybe some side work cleaning out or prepping apartments for move-in.
The company sent me back a boilerplate rejection letter. I really had no idea if anyone even read my note, as the letter was absolutely impersonal and devoid of any specifics related to what I had asked.
So I waited a week or two, and checked back in on Indeed to see what the deal was with that job. Now there were two positions open. I decided to ask Debbie down in the office what was going on. She made a “bah!!” face and waved her hand in the air, pooh-poohing the prospect of them hiring. She then told me without telling me, that she thought these were fake job posts, and she wasn’t going to let whatever they put online bother her.
Well, it was bothering me, and I still did not have a true sense of fake job postings and what they were. So I “applied” for the job a second time, but it was a “fake apply.” Instead, I used the form space to write a letter of recommendation about Debbie the office manager, and what a Godsend she was to keep our place of residence running through quarantine and be there for the many elderly tenants who live here.
I got another rejection letter back – again, very impersonal, no real indication that a human being had read my letter commending Debbie, or anything. Because I was now convinced no one saw the letter, I copied Debbie on it and told her to print it out and keep it for “just in case.”
I thought again of my friend at the office, waving her hand dismissively at the idea that our management company was “hiring.” Then I decided to look up “fake job postings”. And lo and behold, that was when I learned about ghost jobs.
What are ghost jobs? Well, they’re fake jobs, as you’ve probably guessed by now.
Ghost jobs are fake jobs posted on sites like Indeed and LinkedIn. They’re “job listings for positions that do not exist…” purposed to make it seem like a company is hiring, when really they have no intention of doing so at this time.
Why do companies post ghost jobs?
Here are some reasons companies post fake jobs:
- As an EOE loophole. Having record of a job posting makes it seem like the company searched for and screened applicants, when in reality they plan to hire from within.
- To inspire performance through fear. Existing employees who come across these job postings and think their current role is up for grabs, will be theoretically more likely to put in greater effort at work. (Although it’s possible this method could backfire and cause low morale and poor performance.)
- To keep resumes on file. Online job postings make a nearly effortless way of gathering the resumes of potential candidates to have on hand for “someday.”
- To send a subtle message. The message serves as a silent reminder to current employees that they are replacable and have no leverage – that the company is poised to hire someone new for equal or lesser pay than what they earn.
- To build a talent pool. The idea being, if they interview potential candidates before there is an actual job opening to fill, and they manage to get good people on record, they’ll have a decent talent pool to pull from in the event they need to hire suddenly.
- To give the impression of growth. Everyone wants to work for a dynamic company that’s doing well and driving sales.
YouTuber Damon Cassidy Speaks Out Against Ghost Jobs in March 2025
Look up ghost jobs, and you’ll come across YouTuber Damon Cassidy’s eye-opening report. (By the way… do we know if this guy is an actual human and not AI? More research may be needed! LOL)
To quote Damon directly: “The growing prevalence of ghost jobs has fundamentally damaged the labor market, creating a landscape defined by frustration, wasted time, and diminishing trust. Ghost jobs—positions posted with no intention of hiring—have become widespread across major platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, contributing to the growing disconnect between job seekers and employers. While headlines focus on worker shortages or question why no one wants to work anymore, the reality is far more complex. People are applying. But more often than not, they’re applying to jobs that were never real to begin with. ”
In his report, he also points out that fake job posting is hardly new. The tactic was first employed long before the internet, by Dale Carnegie, whose strategy was to slash steel worker wages and flood newspapers with fake job listings. This was meant to break the power of union workers by creating the illusion of labor abundance.
Visit this link to watch Damon’s YouTube video on ghost jobs, now.
What are the unintended negative effects of posting ghost jobs online?
Wasting everyone’s time. You’re wasting the time of job applicants, many of whom may have been out of work for an uncomfortably long amount of time. You’re also wasting the time of the managers who monitor the job postings, and may also be required to hold routine “fake job fairs” as a means of collecting potential candidates for the “maybe someday” file.
Cluttering and clogging the job boards. The more fake jobs posted, the harder it is to get to the actual jobs that need to be filled in a timely manner. The aggregate sites as well, fill up with false positives, recirculating the ghost job postings that lead so many astray.
Creating stress, depleting human energy and inciting fear. The stress of not having a job and feeling pressured to find work fast; the energy depleted while researching every company, customizing your cover letter for their needs; combing the job description for relevance; mentally preparing to interview… only to find out later that this job was a ruse, a facade. The fear of time running out, of financial resources drying up… ever mounting.
Misleading candidates. Job applicants who receive repeated rejection letters may come to believe they’re lacking skills and that their talent is worth nothing. They may take the rejection personally, or believe they’ve been discriminated against… when in reality, no one ever looked at their resume.
Creating “black hole” jobs. It’s not so hard to imagine that, with so many fake jobs in existence online, and with these listings being re-posted on “job feed” sites… how this unattended human work data just collects in a kind of resume dead zone. Mass amounts of human data; unseen, untouched, and left to decay, with someone on the other end of that resume falsely clinging to hope that they might actually get somewhere.
Taking their toll on human mental health. A fruitless job search that goes on indefinitely, can sap workers of their confidence; lower vitality, and may be contributing to stress, anxiety and even mental unwellness in some cases. With ghost jobs sending candidates in neverending circles, it’s no wonder that depression and anxiety are on the rise.
What should be done about ghost jobs?
The first step to solving a problem is admitting there’s a problem in the first place. Damon Cassidy’s video cites 7.7 million jobs available in the United States, with 81% of hiring managers admitting to posting fake jobs… resulting in 1.7 million fake jobs being listed on LinkedIn alone.
He also states that “job and employment agency scams have nearly tripled from 2020 to 2024. Consumers report losses of $90 million to $501 million in that time.”
A Reddit poster is quoted 10 months ago as saying:
Like everyone else here, I’m absolutely livid about the rising trend of employers posting fake jobs they have no intention of filling. It’s caused many unemployed people lost hours and resources and lowered quality of life. My question is, can we (legally) do anything to fight back against this? Can we start a class-action lawsuit against job boards who allow these posts?
Red flags of ghost job postings
Want to stop having your time wasted, and start finding actual jobs? Here’s what to watch out for:
- The company always seems to be hiring for the same position, yet no new employee faces.
- You could have sworn you read the same job description a number of different places/from assorted companies.
- The company routinely runs “job fairs” to round up potential candidates, but they’re rarely offered a job.
- Your online research reveals other candidates complaining about fake job postings from that company.
My own ideas for how to fight back against ghost job/fake job posts from real companies
Stop playing the game. If we don’t apply to the jobs, they can’t collect our data. Only trust companies that publish unique sounding job descriptions, and who communicate with you in a very authentic way that personalizes your conversation using specific details.
Start complaining. File a well-documented complaint with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). This is something I may look into. What would happen if we workers and freelancers banded together and signed a petition against fake job postings, to submit to the FTC? (It’s my personal feeling that fake job postings should be illegal. After all; when we apply for jobs, we basically sign off that we’re being truthful in our application. Why aren’t companies held to the same standard?)
(Your next question is probably: Does complaining to the FTC actually do anything? A quick Google search turned up this quote from the AI overview:
Yes, filing a complaint with the FTC does have a purpose. While the FTC doesn’t resolve individual complaints, it uses the information collected to investigate and bring cases against fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices. The complaints help law enforcement agencies identify patterns of fraud and abuse, which can lead to investigations, lawsuits, and potentially, refunds for affected consumers.)
Get really good at identifying fake job postings. As I mentioned earlier in my post here, generic replies to your specific questions may indicate lack of an actual human being on the other end of the communication. (Though it doesn’t necessarily mean that a human didn’t review the application and simply hit Send on a form letter.)
Go the direct route. I have compiled a list of company contacts in marketing, communications and tech. With the job market being so volatile right now, I can’t say which names will still be valid by the time you download the list. But if you take action and double check the Who’s Who of the corporate world, you might have better success pitching these people for work directly, rather than going down the fake jobs path.
Next step for your future: stop applying to fake jobs that waste your time. Send a pitch letter directly to hiring managers.
Want to skip right past dead job leads. Get access to my Pitch List of company contacts to write a letter to and pitch your skills or freelance services. Sign up here.
I promise, I won’t spam you. That was the whole points of this site – to connect REAL HUMANS who WANT TO WORK! (Not spam bots.)
Come get your freebies.
I currently have 2 freebies set up to land in your inbox. After you sign up, you’ll immediately receive a list of freelance job sites (which you may or may not want to use!). Then on the second day, a big list of company marketing contacts will show up for you to download and start pitching.