It’s been happening for some time; the WSJ is catching up now with their article on Fake Job Postings. As a job seeker, it isn’t all that hard to figure out whether a job post is real. First clue, if a real recruiter takes the time to reach out to you, it’s real. We wouldn’t waste time and energy on something that isn’t going to materialize.

What’s a ‘real’ recruiter? One that has a checkmark next to their name on LinkedIn indicating that they are verified by Clear with a government ID. ‘Real’ recruiters rarely use WhatsApp, they rarely call or text you before reaching out on a digital platform, and they know the company well. And we never would ask for the exchange of money, your social security number or credit card details, why would we?

Below is what the Journal said, I don’t agree with the final point that a job that’s not on the company website may be fake, 20-30% of jobs are often not posted. Why? Well, it could be a confidential replacement for someone who is about to leave. Often a small company can’t accept hundreds of applications, my experience is so many applicants are not remotely qualified, spamming every posting. Or, the position simply just confidential; we found out years ago when I was leading a market intelligence group, that a competitor was entering a new market by reading their publicly posted jobs!

Having said that, there’s a hundred reasons why the interview process is going slowly outside of it being a Ghost position. The hiring management could be inexperienced, those managers tend to want to look at ‘all’ available candidates before they move forward. An experienced manager knows what they want, knows ‘great’ when they see it and moves fast. Maybe there’s a work crisis, someone can’t sign off on an offer, buried in a production issue. Perhaps they have a personal situation that’s all consuming. Maybe the company lost funding or a major account and is reassessing budgets. Or maybe, you may not check all the boxes and while a good candidate, the team wants to see if they can find a closer match.

Fake Job Postings Are Becoming a Real Problem
Key Points on Fake Job Postings
What’s This?
• Ghost jobs, or roles that companies advertise but have no intention of filling, account for up to 22% of jobs advertised online, according to Greenhouse, a hiring platform.
• Companies may post ghost jobs to suggest growth, keep postings up for exceptional candidates, or comply with federal law.
• To spot a fake job, look for listings without timestamps, posted months ago, or not appearing on the employer’s website. Consider calling the employer directly for more information.