Nov 18, 2024

Tackling the “Ghost Job” Crisis: A Conversation with GhostJobs.io

Explore the ever-growing trend of "ghost jobs", why fake listings hurt job seekers and companies, and how to tackle the problem with transparency.
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Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

At this point, many of us have experienced the frustrating phenomenon plaguing today’s job market — what we now refer to as “ghost jobs.” Whether you’re in IT or other industries, it feels like applying for jobs that don’t lead to an actual hire has become the norm. The process often involves sending out hundreds of applications, only to be met with silence or a generic, automated rejection. Job seekers are finding themselves stuck in a cycle, applying week after week, getting ignored, and in some cases, searching for jobs for over six months or more without any real feedback or explanation. It’s not uncommon to be “ghosted” at every stage of the hiring process — from initial application to final interview.

While the tech and CS sectors seem particularly affected by this trend, it’s clear that this issue has spread across multiple industries. The prevalence of ghost jobs erodes trust and wastes time for both applicants and genuine employers.

In response to this frustrating trend, GhostJobs.io was born. Created by a team of founders who have personally been affected by these deceptive hiring practices, the platform aims to bring transparency and accountability back into the recruitment world. However, due to the nature of what they are building, they anticipate some pushback from larger corporations, particularly those who benefit from maintaining the status quo. They acknowledge that some adversaries may emerge along the way, which is why they’ve chosen to keep their identities anonymous for the time being.

Our team at DART Studios sat down with the founders, to discuss their journey, provide some insights into what goes on behind the scenes, and how their platform is aiming to help job seekers navigate this confusing landscape.


What is GhostJobs.io?

ghostjobs.io
ghostjobs.io

Q: What inspired you to create the platform?

GhostJobs.io was born out of the frustration many of us, as job seekers, have experienced when applying for positions that never materialize. Both founders were laid off in the earlier parts of 2024, and over time, we personally encountered countless listings that seemed promising, only to find they were stale, repeatedly reposted, or never led to actual interviews.

Studies show there are unfortunately many reasons why a company may do this — data harvesting, gaining followers to expand their brand presence, giving employees false hope of growth or reinforcements, reminding their workforce that they are always replaceable, and appeasing their investors with a facade of expansion. The list goes on. This all creates a massive waste of time, misleads candidates, and ultimately erodes trust in the job market. This realization, combined with feedback from many other job seekers, pushed us to develop a platform where transparency, accountability, and community-driven reporting could bring more awareness to this issue.

A common way of fishing for followers through job posting on LinkedIn
A common way of fishing for followers through job posting on LinkedIn

Q: Were there any personal experiences or insights as a job seeker or recruiter that pushed you to start this project?

I remember applying for a role at a fairly reputable organization back in January. It felt like an amazing opportunity and I was well qualified for it, had used their products many times, and it seemed like a great company culture. I was rejected for the role and didn’t think too much about it until I saw the same role reposted again. Then again, then again. Month after month. I remember looking at the applicant counts via LinkedIn and thought to myself “There is no way that they haven’t found a qualified candidate for this position”. Over the course of ~6 months, the job posting remained up, reposted every month or so, and total applicant counts continued to grow. That one position must have had at least 10k -15k applicants over 6 months. I then started looking at other roles I had applied for, many of them had the same trends happening, so I started asking ‘why’. That was the catalyst for me to keep digging and asking questions… I realized fairly quickly that companies posting ‘ghost jobs’ is a real thing, and it’s a real problem — one that needs fixing.

Unfortunately, stories like this aren’t uncommon, and some of us at DART have experienced similar situations. It’s a problem that doesn’t just waste time but also erodes trust in the entire hiring process. No wonder job seekers feel like they’re sending their resumes into a void.

Q: How long have you been working on GhostJobs.io, and how has it evolved over time?

We’ve been developing GhostJobs.io for only a few short months, and what began as a simple idea to help job seekers report and track suspicious listings has evolved into a much bigger vision. The founders met through a series of posts and direct messages via Reddit, and instantly aligned on vision and core values to pursue the concept further. After seeing traction and interest on various social media platforms, we began building a Discord server to unify our community.

Companies talk about ‘community’ — to us, that isn’t just some buzzword. We are looking to truly embrace it and define it in a whole new way. We want ghostjobs.io to be built differently. We believe there is immeasurable strength in our community, and it’s amazing to see the engagement, support, and overall growth in just a short amount of time. Each and every one of the members comes with a unique set of skills and experience, and we are all rallied around a cause. That is something special. Something unique. Something powerful. Something that we believe will redefine what a ‘community’ really is.

The long-term vision is to not be just a platform and job seeker community but to leverage all of the efforts to drive real change in the market. Phase 1 is focused on developing the platform and tools, expanding our community, gathering insights, and building awareness.

Building a reliable platform

Q: How do you make sure the reports and reviews from the community are accurate and reliable?

At GhostJobs.io, we’re building a platform where job seekers can report suspicious or misleading job postings and share their experiences. We’ve drawn inspiration from popular job boards, balancing user transparency with respect for free speech and privacy. Our platform operates under protections similar to the Communications Decency Act (CDA), ensuring users can share their honest opinions.

To ensure reliability, we have a two-step moderation process: initial technology screening for inappropriate content, followed by manual review. While we don’t edit user submissions, we may remove content that violates our guidelines (e.g. profanity, threats). We avoid making direct claims about job postings, instead presenting user reports alongside objective data like posting frequency and application trends to help users make informed decisions.

Although we strive for accuracy, it’s impossible to verify every piece of content. We aim to foster a balanced dialogue, allowing both job seekers and employers to have a voice. In the future, we plan to include vetted job listings, offering more confidence in job authenticity. Ultimately, GhostJobs.io is a resource for informed job searches, with insights shaped by the community.

Q: Let’s also explore the potential of Artificial Intelligence to help identify fake job listings and improve accuracy. Since companies already use AI for resume filtering and even writing job descriptions, could we use similar tools to combat this issue?

Absolutely. AI is at the core of how GhostJobs.io is being developed to identify and track trends. Just as companies can use AI to automate job postings, we can leverage AI to analyze job posting patterns, detect suspicious activity, and identify listings that may be missing crucial information. We believe AI will play a major role in the future to help bring integrity back to the process. Our AI models will continuously improve, learning from data such as user sentiment and job posting data, evolving to detect new trends and ultimately helping shape a better future for job seekers and companies alike.

A Short-Term Tactic with Long-Term Consequences

Q: Do you think ghost-posting will eventually backfire and hurt a company’s reputation in the long run?

We believe that any unethical practices that a company implements may ultimately harm them. Over time, job seekers may become wary of applying to companies known for deceptive hiring practices. In the long run, it will most likely affect a company’s ability to attract quality talent because candidates will avoid engaging with them if they believe the process is insincere or manipulative.

A company that engages in these types of practices may wind up self-inflicting this harm to itself, damaging not only its hiring pipeline but also its broader public perception. We believe there is a better future ahead of us though, one where the market is reformed through a system of accountability and transparency.

Q: And what would you recommend to companies that genuinely want to improve transparency in their hiring process?

Start by being transparent and consistent with job postings. Only post roles when actively hiring, respond to applicants and remove listings once a position is filled. Clear communication about timelines and expectations builds trust. Engaging with accountability-focused platforms like ours shows a commitment to fairness. We also recognize the challenges companies face, from fake applicants to overwhelmed recruiters. The solution requires collaboration, and we’re looking to partner with companies to build a coalition for positive change, rather than just calling out the problems from one side.

Q: We’ve heard many reports from people that say it was indeed easier to navigate the job market before 2020 and COVID-19, do you think that the rise of remote work has had an impact on the prevalence of ghost jobs?

We believe that remote work has, in many ways, exacerbated the issue. With remote listings, companies can easily repost jobs to stay visible, and the high volume of applicants may lead them to post ‘ghost jobs’ to build talent pools. It’s also harder for job seekers to verify remote roles, especially when the company might be based in another location, increasing the risk of misleading postings. The anonymity of remote work, in our view, has unfortunately created more opportunities for suspicious listings.

Plans for Advocacy and Future Directions at GhostJobs.io

Q: Many people believe that government intervention is one of the most critical changes needed to address these issues. Are there any plans to present your research to authorities or push for legislation that would discourage ghost job listings?

Yes, this is something we’re actively pursuing. We are building a movement that we think will provide a strong case for legislative change. We believe that governments must step in at some point to regulate deceptive practices in job postings, just as they do with other forms of false advertising. Laws that enforce transparency and penalize companies for abusing job boards would go a long way in solving this issue, and we are building a coalition to push for this kind of legislation.

Q: Which steps you’re planning to take with the platform? Are there any points of focus for you in the near future?

Our next steps focus on expanding our platform’s reach, features, and capabilities. We’re looking into partnerships with other platforms, media outlets, and employment advocacy groups to amplify our message and bring transparency to as many job seekers as possible. In addition, we’re also developing more AI-driven features to detect trends and provide tools that help job seekers better protect themselves. Ultimately, we want GhostJobs.io to be a cornerstone of trust in the employment industry.

We have outlined our initiatives in three phases:

Phase 1 is focused on initial platform development and community expansion-rallying job seekers around the cause, gathering insights, and providing the tools to build awareness around harmful practices so that we begin to build a case so strong that it can’t be ignored.

Phase 2 is focused on further building a strong coalition. This includes job seekers, ethical employers, advocates, and allies. We believe that by joining forces, we will create a movement that demands change.

Phase 3 is focused on transformation in the market. We know change won’t come without action. Public campaigns, lobbying efforts, and collective action will all help drive a better future in the labor market. We are not just advocating for policy changes — we are advocating for a future where job seekers and companies alike are treated with dignity, and every opportunity and candidate is real. Together, we truly believe we will change the system.

Conclusion

As they continue to build their platform and rally a community around this cause, it’s clear that their mission is only just beginning. Together, with the support of job seekers and ethical employers alike, we can look forward to a future where every opportunity is real, and trust is restored in the hiring process.

Thanks to everyone at GhostJobs.io for offering some insight into this phenomenon and their community platform! Check out their blog for more insight and tips and tricks on how to adapt your portfolio for the current market. While many of us would agree that job applications shouldn’t require RTS-level strategies to apply for a position, these resources are more than relevant right now due to necessity.

GhostJobs.Io: Website | X(Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram

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