Ghost Jobs vs. Real Roles: How to Stop Chasing Phantoms
It’s the first full week of January. You’ve had your coffee, you’ve opened your tracking sheet, and you’re ready to execute your "Resilient Search." But as you scroll through the major job boards, you notice something strange: a number of the roles look suspiciously familiar.
In a slower economy, one of the most frustrating obstacles for job seekers is the Ghost Job. These are postings that look active but aren't actually being filled right now. They might be left up to build a "talent pipeline," for brand awareness, or simply because a company hasn't bothered to take down a role that was put on hold by a hiring freeze.
This is Week 2 of The Resilient Search. Today, we’re going to learn how to spot these phantoms so you don't waste your precious time and energy on roles that don't exist.
How to Spot a Ghost Job
When the market is lean, your energy is your most valuable currency. Don't spend it on a black hole. Watch for these red flags:
1. The "Perpetual" Posting
If you saw the exact same job description in September, October, and December, and it’s still sitting there today, be cautious. Unless it's a high-turnover role at a massive corporation, a job that hasn't been filled in four months is likely an "evergreen" post meant to collect resumes for a rainy day.
2. The Lack of a Recruiter "Vibe"
In an active hiring cycle, recruiters are usually vocal.
The Check: Go to the company’s LinkedIn page and look at the "People" tab. Filter by "Recruiter" or "Talent Acquisition." Are they posting about this role? Are they sharing "We’re hiring!" updates? If the recruiters are silent, the role might be stagnant.
3. Generic, "Copy-Paste" Descriptions
Active roles in a tight economy are usually born from a specific, urgent need. If the job description is a list of generic responsibilities with no mention of specific Q1/Q2 goals or recent company developments, it might just be a template that was never turned off.
How to Verify a Role is "Real"
Before you spend an hour tailoring your resume, use the 15-Minute Reality Check:
Check the Company Site Directly: Third-party job boards (like Indeed or LinkedIn) often pull data from "scraping" sites that might be outdated. If the role isn't on the company’s official "Careers" page, it's a ghost.
The "Recently Hired" Audit: On LinkedIn, look at the company's "Posts" or "Life" tab. Are they celebrating new hires? If the company hasn't announced a new hire in three months, they might be in a quiet hiring freeze.
The Direct Ask: This is the most effective method. Send a brief, polite message to a recruiter or a potential peer at the company:
"Hi [Name], I saw the [Job Title] role posted recently. Given the start of the new year, I wanted to see if the team is actively interviewing for this position or if you're just building a pipeline for later in the year. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!"
Your Week 2 Action Item: The "Vetting" Phase
Find 5 Roles: Identify 5 jobs you want to apply for.
Run the Audit: For each role, spend 10 minutes checking the company career page and the recruiter’s LinkedIn activity.
The "Go/No-Go" Decision: If you can't find evidence that the role is active (e.g., posted in the last 14 days or shared by a human being), move it to a "Low Priority" list and focus your energy on the ones that are clearly live.
Stop treating every posting like a real opportunity. By being a "skeptical seeker," you ensure that 100% of your effort goes toward roles where there is actually a desk waiting for you.
See you next week, when we dive into the most important rule of a slow market: The Referral-First Rule!