The curious case of ghost jobs listings and three ways to identify fake job openings
Sure, it could be that your resume needs improvement, or there’s a salary and skills expectation mismatch. However, in some cases, the problem could be deeper, which probably has nothing to do with your lack of skills or an unimpressive resume.
If you have come across situations like this, you might have fallen prey to ‘ghost job listings’, says Mukul Goyal, co-founder of Stratefix Consulting.
What is a ghost job listing?
These are positions that companies post without any intention to hire. There are a variety of reasons why companies put out such listings including the objective of gauging the market, keeping a pipeline, or fulfilling quotas.
Why do companies post such job listings?
In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, Goyal discussed a survey that stated that up to 30% of online job postings may be classified as ghost jobs, with certain industries being particularly prone.
A report from MyPerfectResume reveals that as many as 81% of recruiters admit to posting ghost jobs, the positions that either don’t exist or are already filled.
“Companies use ghost jobs to assess the talent pool, keep a backup list of candidates, or even create the illusion of growth during economic downturns (answer to job openings amid layoffs). The rise of ghost jobs raises questions about transparency in hiring practices and the ethical responsibilities of companies in the job market,” he explained.
However, he believes there are two sides to the problem — from the employers’ as well as from the employees’ ends.
Employers or employees — who is at fault?
From the employee side, Goyal is of the view that two key issues are moonlighting and applying to more jobs than ever.
“For example, earlier, people used to apply to two companies. Now they take offer letters from five companies and choose which company they want to work for. We have witnessed in our own company where a person already has an offer letter with some company. They have joined our company with this intent. Let me check this organisation for one week and see if this organisation makes work for me or not. If yes, I will continue and decline the job offer over there. Otherwise, I will leave this organisation after a week and take the offer letter from that company and join it,” he said.
While applying for multiple jobs is no crime, one always has to be more and more relatively safe and secure to find a job. “The problem is in holding those offer letters.” On the other hand, the recruiter cannot give the offer letter to multiple people.
Meanwhile, from the employers’ end, ghost job listings are increasing in order to do market research, salary benchmarking, and fictionally creating hype for the company.
And lastly, companies often post more openings than they actually have because that makes candidates think they have higher chances of getting hired since multiple positions are open. “Hence, the company also will put more positions than required so that it can attract more talent.”
When asked if companies are required to follow any ethics in hiring practices, Goyal said there are a lot of rules but they are not laws, which means rules are created by the organisation for the organisation and they may not be followed by every organisation. “It’s a moral policy right now rather than law-specific.”
How to identify ghost job listings?
Goyal thinks there are multiple data points that indicate whether a job opening is real or fake.
Here’s a list of three things he suggests candidates must consider:
-Check if a company is listed, whether it’s a corporate or a startup. If they’re saying they have a thousand people opening on LinkedIn or any other source, candidates should check the news and financial reports about the organisation from the last six months or a year. “Certainly if a company is making losses, corporates specifically that is responsible for the shareholders, will not hire thousand people.”
-Job seekers must check current surveys of the organization on platforms like Glassdoor, via news, and stock exchange filings.
-Just like the employer, a candidate must also do a background verification of the company. Read reviews, market reputation, reach out to alumni, and get in touch with current employees.
Apart from spotting fake openings, Goyal also suggests candidates engage in personal branding.
“You have a humongous opportunity for employees or the prospective employee to do their branding, which is where LinkedIn comes into the picture. I have seen so many students who are currently studying in the colleges but have crossed to around 70,000 followers, 1 lakh followers, and 50,000 followers. I’ve got great recommendations on what they’re posting. Would it not be very easy for them to get a job placement?”
