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There are many obstacles that can arise during your job search, including so-called “ghost” jobs.
These could be ghost job listings that don’t exist, or advertisements posted so long ago that the job appears to be unavailable.
Luckily, according to career experts, there are ways for job seekers to get around the problems of potential ghost jobs and improve their chances of landing a real job.
Ghost jobs are not a nascent phenomenon, but the hot pandemic-era job market has reinforced some seemingly bad behavior patterns.
For example, ghosting among job applicants and employers has become more common as parties increasingly remain silent during the hiring process.
Recent labor market dynamics have also led to the emergence of terms like “big layoff,” “quiet layoff,” and “high-profile layoff” into the collective lexicon. Such “fun” new names belie the fact that these trends existed — although perhaps with less prevalence — before the pandemic, said Mandy Woodruff-Santos, a career coach.
10% had their jobs open for at least six months.
However, there appear to be plenty of long-unfilled positions, creating headaches for job seekers.
For example, a basic search on LinkedIn showed that there were about 1.8 million jobs posted on the site more than a month ago, according to data available Friday.
In 2022, 10% of hiring managers reported that they had job postings that had been available for six months or more. according to in a Clarify Capital survey.
There is a “good chance” that jobs posted online for longer than two months are ghost jobs. wrote Aaron Case is a senior content writer at Resume Genius.
As a former hiring manager, Woodruff-Santos has seen first-hand why ghost jobs can exist: For example, a media company might simultaneously advertise “senior editor” and “deputy editor” positions when in fact the company only has one job available.
The strategy helps companies expand the network of talent they attract for each position, although it creates ghost work, she said.
“It takes time for workers to apply online,” said Woodruff-Santos, founder of MandiMoney Makers. It is “very unpleasant and in some cases terrible.”
Problems with staff recruitment are also to blame.
Recent ZipRecruiter survey The survey found that 57% of employers lacked qualified candidates, and 41% were unable to fill a position in the previous six months because candidates wanted more salary than the business could offer, the survey found.
Employers can also post “dead-end” messages online to signal that their company is growing and to gather resumes in case a job opens in the future, Case said.
“The Secret of Finding a Job”
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As one firewall, Case said, workers who see an attractive ad on an online job aggregation site should check whether the ad is also being displayed on the employer’s dedicated online job portal. Additionally, if the firm is still hiring, it may have recently posted a job opening on its social media, he said.
“There are cases where it still makes sense for job seekers to apply online for a job posted several months ago, especially for candidates who are particularly interested in a role for which they are also well suited,” Woodruff-Santos said.
That’s because there is a possibility that the hiring process was extended due to a lack of qualified candidates or that the company may contact the candidate later if a position becomes available, she said.
However, she said online applications only scratch the surface when it comes to maximizing your chances of finding a new job.
According to her, building personal relationships is the most powerful tool at a job seeker’s disposal.
For example, successful job seekers try to use contacts such as friends, family, former colleagues and others who can refer them to a manager at a promising company; or they organize conferences, meetings, seminars and trainings to meet people who may have opportunities now or in the future.
“It’s about being in a place where you might get lucky, where you might run into someone in an elevator who might know someone,” Woodruff-Santos said. “This is the secret to finding a job,” she added.
“The real goal you should have is to build such a great reputation in your industry and build so many relationships that people come to you before you even need work,” she said.