Hiring or Not? What are ghost jobs, the work trend that employees must be wary of?

Have you ever applied for a job, never heard back, and kept seeing the same recruitment advertisement even months later? If yes, then you might have come across a “ghost job”.What is this practice and why do employers post “ghost jobs”? We explain.What is a ghost job?Ghost jobs are used for job openings that have been left active online for a long period of time but never seem to get filled.

Some of these are job postings that seem real but are likely not.

Sometimes these positions are opened by companies with no intention of hiring, while in other instances the recruiters have already hired someone but continue to keep the job ad alive.This 'ghost job' is a new term that has emerged from the corporate world after the “Great Resignation” and “quiet quitting”.Why do companies list ‘ghost jobs’?A survey of over 1,000 hiring managers by Clarify Capital – a loan provider – in the summer of 2022 revealed some truths behind postings that are basically ghost jobs.

Around 27 per cent of those surveyed admitted to leaving job postings up for more than four months.

Clarify Capital also found multiple reasons why employers posted "ghost jobs".Around 50 per cent of hiring managers said they were always ready to recruit new people, while 43 per cent wanted to give the impression that their company were growing.[caption id="attachment_12341182" align="alignnone" width="640"] One-third of the managers who had advertised jobs with no intentions of hiring said they did so only to placate overworked employees, reveals survey. Pixabay (Representational Image)[/caption]As many as 43 per cent said they wanted to keep resumes available in case a current worker quits, while one in five managers of those surveyed admitted they had no plans of filling the job post anytime soon, reported Forbes. The survey also found that one-third of the managers who had advertised jobs with no intentions of hiring said they did so only to placate overburdened employees.Another reason to keep job postings up was just in case an “irresistible” candidate applied, according to Clarify Capital.According to a Harvard Business School study, there might have been an increase in ghost jobs because of more people quitting during the COVID-19 pandemic.This can also be attributed to companies becoming unsure of hiring and an uncertain economic outlook.As per the Forbes report, many companies with hiring freezes continue to list job postings.This can also be as employers might be using ghost jobs to monitor the external talent pool and how difficult it would be to replace an employee, the report added.ALSO READ: How HR Tech companies are changing hiring landscape What do employers say?Kelsey Libert, co-founder of Fractl, a digital marketing agency, told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that it “makes sense” for employers to constantly be on the lookout for talent.She said her company keeps ads up for associate post jobs even when they are not hiring as responses to those positions are higher than other roles.“Otherwise, you’re suddenly in a position where you need to spend a lot of money on LinkedIn ads to quickly drum up interest,” she added.Some companies might be hesitant about pulling down job ads as “we don’t want to signal we’re slowing down, so we’ll let these things ride", Elliott Garlock, founder of Stella Talent Partners, a Boston-based recruiting firm, told WSJ.Speaking to HRKatha last November, Pradipta Sahoo, a senior HR leader, said companies in India also post fake jobs just to get market insights.He said some companies go beyond listing fake jobs and also conduct fake interviews just to "get market insights from rival firms".However, Sahoo cautioned against the practice, saying it cannot continue for a long time.How can employees avoid ghost jobs?Whatever the reason may be for recruiters posting inactive positions, it can be quite frustrating for job seekers to apply for them only to get no response.[caption id="attachment_12341192" align="alignnone" width="640"] Ghost jobs can be frustrating for active job seekers. Pixabay (Representational Image)[/caption]Will Kelly, a Washington DC resident who is actively looking for jobs, told WSJ that he believes when he was looking for an employment opportunity in 2021, around 20 per cent of listings he liked were posted and reposted without “anyone evidently being hired”.“It’s a waste of time,” he said about ghost jobs.So, what can job seekers do the avoid applying for these apparition postings?First, a candidate must check the timing when a job was posted and how long has the listing been active online.Also, a job seeker can refer to the employer’s website to see if the job title is there and is it still available, as per Forbes.Employees interested in switching jobs can also reach out to their LinkedIn connections or anyone working at the company they intend to join to confirm a job ad, as per the Forbes report.According to WSJ, Scott Dobroski, vice president of communications at the jobs site Indeed, suggested that candidates must look for detailed job descriptions to avoid applying for ghost jobs.“More specifics, such as schedules or a clear list of responsibilities, might indicate that an employer is serious”, he said.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.