[US] The ghost job listing phenomenon

There is a mysterious phenomenon at large in the US job market. Jobseekers apply for a position and hear nothing back yet the ad stays online for months and in follow-up inquiries the company says it isn’t really hiring. It transpires that not all job ads are attached to actual jobs, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The US labour market is still robust, with 10.8 million job openings in January, according to the Labor Department. However, companies are feeling budgetary constraints leading to some pulling back on hiring. Now recruiters say that despite businesses keeping job postings up, many roles are not being filled.

This phenomenon has been confirmed by hiring managers. In a summer 2022 survey of more than 1,000 hiring managers, conducted by Clarify Capital, 27 per cent reported keeping job postings up for more than four months. Among those admitted advertising job postings that they weren’t actively trying to fill, close to half stated that they kept the ads up to give the impression the company was growing, according to the study. 

One-third of the managers who said they advertised jobs they weren’t trying to fill said they kept the listings up to pacify overworked employees.

Other reasons for keeping job ads up, the hiring managers said, included stocking a pool of ready applicants in case an employee quits, or in the event that an “irresistible” candidate applied.

Postings for these “ghost jobs” - as recruiters and candidates sometimes refer to them - can be frustrating and time-wasting for job seekers. However, there are reasons beyond the practice.

Vincent Babcock - a Nashville-based recruiter - suggests that the uncertain economic outlook might lead to some job ads being wishful thinking on the organisation’s part. But he told WSJ that such a strategy risks putting off applicants who may view the ads as misleading.

“They’re posting jobs with the intention of hiring, but not anytime soon,” he said and added that some companies posting jobs now might not be aiming to hire until the third or fourth quarter.

Kelsey Libert - co-founder of Fractl, a digital marketing agency - said constantly looking for talent can make sense for some employers. She told WSJ that her company keeps ads up for associate positions even when they aren’t hiring because turnover for those jobs is often higher than for 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,” Ms Libert said.

In addition, some job ads have little correlation to actual job availability because companies require that all jobs be posted, even if a candidate has been predetermined. Elliott Garlock - founder of recruiting firm Stella Talent Partners - said that in other instances, especially at larger companies, poor coordination is to blame.

In his previous role working on talent strategy at Wayfair Inc., Mr Garlock told WSJ that the online retailer frequently advertised jobs that it wasn’t actually hiring for. Plans and budgets reportedly changed constantly with so many teams involved in the hiring process that it was hard to ensure job postings remained up-to-date.

“It’s not because we were ill-intentioned and out to trick the candidate market,” he said.

Wayfair told WSJ it intends to fill every job it posts and makes every effort to treat candidates with care. The company announced layoffs in January, it said that it is transparent with applicants about changes in hiring decisions and, for companies of its size, removing job postings takes time.

Mr Garlock also suggested that companies might be reluctant to take down ads because “we don’t want to signal we’re slowing down, so we’ll let these things ride.”

To identify and avoid ghost ads, Scott Dobroski - vice president of communications at the jobs site Indeed - advises jobseekers to look for detailed job descriptions. More specifics, such as schedules or clearly defined responsibilities, might indicate that an employer is serious, he said. Mr Dobroski also suggests checking timestamps on adverts to ensure they were posted recently.

Indeed removes millions of job postings that don’t meet its standards from the website every month, he said, including inactive job postings.

Indeed said it has recently seen more employers dial back their recruiting efforts. Job postings on the site have reportedly fallen by 11 per cent since the start of 2023.

“Many companies are proceeding with caution,” Mr Dobroski said.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

There is a mysterious phenomenon at large in the US job market. Jobseekers apply for a position and hear nothing back yet the ad stays online for months and in follow-up inquiries the company says it isn’t really hiring. It transpires that not all job ads are attached to actual jobs, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The US labour market is still robust, with 10.8 million job openings in January, according to the Labor Department. However, companies are feeling budgetary constraints leading to some pulling back on hiring. Now recruiters say that despite businesses keeping job postings up, many roles are not being filled.

This phenomenon has been confirmed by hiring managers. In a summer 2022 survey of more than 1,000 hiring managers, conducted by Clarify Capital, 27 per cent reported keeping job postings up for more than four months. Among those admitted advertising job postings that they weren’t actively trying to fill, close to half stated that they kept the ads up to give the impression the company was growing, according to the study. 

One-third of the managers who said they advertised jobs they weren’t trying to fill said they kept the listings up to pacify overworked employees.

Other reasons for keeping job ads up, the hiring managers said, included stocking a pool of ready applicants in case an employee quits, or in the event that an “irresistible” candidate applied.

Postings for these “ghost jobs” - as recruiters and candidates sometimes refer to them - can be frustrating and time-wasting for job seekers. However, there are reasons beyond the practice.

Vincent Babcock - a Nashville-based recruiter - suggests that the uncertain economic outlook might lead to some job ads being wishful thinking on the organisation’s part. But he told WSJ that such a strategy risks putting off applicants who may view the ads as misleading.

“They’re posting jobs with the intention of hiring, but not anytime soon,” he said and added that some companies posting jobs now might not be aiming to hire until the third or fourth quarter.

Kelsey Libert - co-founder of Fractl, a digital marketing agency - said constantly looking for talent can make sense for some employers. She told WSJ that her company keeps ads up for associate positions even when they aren’t hiring because turnover for those jobs is often higher than for 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,” Ms Libert said.

In addition, some job ads have little correlation to actual job availability because companies require that all jobs be posted, even if a candidate has been predetermined. Elliott Garlock - founder of recruiting firm Stella Talent Partners - said that in other instances, especially at larger companies, poor coordination is to blame.

In his previous role working on talent strategy at Wayfair Inc., Mr Garlock told WSJ that the online retailer frequently advertised jobs that it wasn’t actually hiring for. Plans and budgets reportedly changed constantly with so many teams involved in the hiring process that it was hard to ensure job postings remained up-to-date.

“It’s not because we were ill-intentioned and out to trick the candidate market,” he said.

Wayfair told WSJ it intends to fill every job it posts and makes every effort to treat candidates with care. The company announced layoffs in January, it said that it is transparent with applicants about changes in hiring decisions and, for companies of its size, removing job postings takes time.

Mr Garlock also suggested that companies might be reluctant to take down ads because “we don’t want to signal we’re slowing down, so we’ll let these things ride.”

To identify and avoid ghost ads, Scott Dobroski - vice president of communications at the jobs site Indeed - advises jobseekers to look for detailed job descriptions. More specifics, such as schedules or clearly defined responsibilities, might indicate that an employer is serious, he said. Mr Dobroski also suggests checking timestamps on adverts to ensure they were posted recently.

Indeed removes millions of job postings that don’t meet its standards from the website every month, he said, including inactive job postings.

Indeed said it has recently seen more employers dial back their recruiting efforts. Job postings on the site have reportedly fallen by 11 per cent since the start of 2023.

“Many companies are proceeding with caution,” Mr Dobroski said.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

(Links and quotes via original reporting)