'Ghost jobs': How to sidestep fake job listings

"Ghost jobs fall into a variety of categories, ranging from outright scams to HR white-washing. And they're on the rise. Indeed, a recent study by ResumeUp.Ai says that roughly 27.4% of the jobs posted on LinkedIn are phantoms - listings by real companies that have no intention of hiring."

"Why would legitimate companies post help-wanted advertisements that they don't intend to fill? Some companies want to give the impression that they're growing, even when they're not. Others have a preferred internal candidate, but their human resource rules require them to search more broadly."

"Meanwhile, scammers capitalize on job-seeker frustration and desperation by posting advertisements, too. Often these are aimed at either conning applicants into paying up-front fees or providing personal information that the scammers later use to gain access to credit in the victim's name."

"Notably, social media sites ranging from LinkedIn to TikTok benefit from the fake ads both directly and indirectly. After all, even scammers pay for their advertisements, which creates a direct boost to the social media company's bottom line. But the indirect benefits are equally significant."

Ghost jobs are fake job advertisements posted by both legitimate companies and scammers, representing roughly 27.4% of LinkedIn listings. Legitimate companies post unfilled positions for various reasons: to project growth, comply with HR policies requiring broad searches before hiring internal candidates, scout future talent, or due to stale listings. Scammers exploit job seekers by posting fraudulent ads designed to extract upfront fees or steal personal information for identity theft, costing victims $840,000 in 2023—a 250% increase from the previous year. Social media platforms benefit financially from these fake postings through direct advertising revenue and indirect engagement metrics, as even fraudulent job posts generate significant user activity including clicks, views, applications, and shares.

Read at San Diego Union-Tribune