Have you ever applied for your ideal job but have yet to hear back? Then, it’s possible that you saw a ghost job posting. Cybercriminals are typically the ones behind recruiting scams. Still, employers are also publishing job openings for positions they don’t plan to fill.
The website Resume Builder surveyed 649 managers who oversee hiring procedures to better understand this phenomenon. About 39% of them said that in the previous year, their organization had posted at least one fictitious job listing. Though some were seeking positions with more responsibility, middle managers accounted for the vast majority of these advertisements (68%).
These “ghost jobs” were posted online for varied periods of time: 31% of businesses kept them up for a month on recruitment sites, while 9% kept them up for a year or more.
Sometimes, these were merely oversights; an HR department might not have thought to go through and remove all of its outdated advertisements. In other instances, though, it was a planned action.
Posting job offers increases a company’s visibility. It conveys the sense that it is expanding and looking to hire new staff. However, this isn’t always the case in practice; in fact, some recruiters use phony job postings to obtain a variety of resumes. After that, they file these documents to contact the applicants again when a real vacancy opens up.
Moreover, some businesses lie to their staff members by using “ghost jobs.” Managers surveyed by Resume Builder claimed that the impression of reinforcements being sent might be used to soothe staff members who are complaining about their workload (63%).
Sixty-two percent of individuals who posted bogus jobs acknowledged that the purpose of these advertisements was to exert pressure on disgruntled workers. The false advertisements serve as a reminder to “quiet quitters” that they are not worthless in the workforce.
Suppose the managers polled are to be believed. In that case, it’s a questionable tactic that works well: According to 65% of them, false job offers boost employee morale and, according to 77% of them, productivity.
Although recruiters may finally call some job applications for an interview, ghost jobs can be significantly more detrimental to applicants as they constitute a significant waste of time. These career setbacks may eventually demotivate individuals from seeking new employment and have a negative psychological impact.
If you’re searching the internet for new career prospects, exercise caution when clicking on recruiting adverts. Take note of the advertisement’s posting date. Make sure it appears on the company’s website as well, not just on job-search portals.
To learn more, get in touch with the company’s HR division if you have any questions.
