As many as 40 percent of companies admit to posting fake jobs, according to a May survey of 649 hiring managers by Resume Builder, a career site. Another organization, Greenhouse, a hiring platform, collects data from its clients who hire in technology, finance, and healthcare, among other sectors. Greenhouse calculated that between 18 and 22 percent of jobs advertised in 2024 were appeals for new workers that were never actually filled, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Fake job postings are ruining the credibility of companies that post them and frustrating job candidates.
Fake job listings refer to online listings for jobs the company is not actively hiring. They are still collecting resumes for many reasons, such as to have ready talent on hand (often a practice of temporary agencies), being sloppy with managing job openings and not closing filled roles, or not wanting to disclose the job opening was cut in downsizing. Some job postings are required by the federal government, which specifies certain roles must be posted publicly, after an external job candidate has already been presented by a recruiter, or an internal hire has been flagged for promotion.
It is very troublesome to know that some fake job postings may also be phishing scams to boost company profiles with inflated job offerings. Sadly, fake job postings may lead to phishing attacks where applicants are asked to provide financial information or download malicious software under the guise of a job application process. (As job applicants will learn below, never provide financial information through a job application process).
Nearly 70 percent of companies using Greenhouse posted at least one ghost job in the second quarter of last year. And 15 percent of companies were regular offenders, with one in every two jobs they advertised languishing with no hire. The industries with the highest percentage of ghost jobs were construction, the arts, food and beverage, and legal.
According to The Wall Street Journal reporting by Lynn Cook, Greenhouse can see behind the curtain on its clients’ hiring because its software is used to create job descriptions and post them on corporate websites and job boards like Indeed. Greenhouse can also see when a job is posted and who, if anyone, is hired.
Greenhouse and LinkedIn recently began tagging job listings as verified to give workers better information amid the rash of ghost listings. The tag looks like this:
In a post on its website by Samen Anjum Arani, on LinkedIn reports that 60 percent of LinkedIn job posts may be fake.
Samen Anjum Arani provides advice on how job applicants may spot fake job listings and protect themselves:
How to Spot Fake Job Listings
Identifying fake job listings requires a keen eye and a bit of skepticism. Here are some red flags to watch for:
- Too Good to Be True: If a job listing promises an extraordinarily high salary, minimal qualifications, and incredible perks with little to no experience required, it might be too good to be true.
- Vague Descriptions: Authentic job postings typically provide detailed descriptions of the role, required qualifications, and company information. Vague or generic descriptions can be a red flag.
- Unprofessional Communication: Poor grammar, spelling mistakes, and unprofessional language in job postings or follow-up communications are indicators of a scam.
- Suspicious Application Process: Be wary if the application process requires providing sensitive information upfront, such as social security numbers or banking details, or if it redirects you to external websites.
- Lack of Company Details: Genuine job postings will often include detailed information about the company. A lack of such information or difficulty verifying the company’s existence should raise suspicions.
Protecting Yourself from Fake Job Listings
- Research the Company: Always research the company before applying. Check their website, look for reviews on platforms like Glassdoor, and verify their LinkedIn profile.
- Use Official Channels: Apply through official company websites or trusted job boards. This minimizes the risk of falling for scams.
- Guard Your Information: Never share sensitive personal information upfront. Legitimate employers will not ask for social security numbers, banking details, or other sensitive information early in the application process.
- Report Suspicious Listings: If you encounter a suspicious job listing, report it to LinkedIn. This helps protect other users from falling victim to scams.
Companies need to clean up their job-listing practices to improve the credibility of job postings. There are two good ways to do this. One is to promptly close jobs that are filled or canceled, and second is to get back to job candidates not selected for a role. Sadly, nearly half of all rejected candidates do not receive a rejection notice. Today’s applicant tracking software makes it easy to provide rejected candidate communications instantly.
About Victor
Victor Assad is the CEO of Victor Assad Strategic Human Resources Consulting and Managing Partner of InnovationOne, LLC. He works with organizations to transform HR and recruiting, implement remote work, and develop extraordinary leaders, teams, and innovation cultures. He is the author of the highly acclaimed book, Hack Recruiting: The Best of Empirical Research, Method and Process, and Digitization. He is quoted in business journals such as The Wall Street Journal, Workforce Management, and CEO Magazine. Victor has partnered with The Conference Board on innovation research. Subscribe to his weekly blogs at http://www.VictorHRConsultant.com