How to Spot and Avoid Ghost Job Postings

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Double-certified career expert Mandy Fard explains why some companies post ghost jobs and how to spot them

Co-authored by Mandy Fard and Devin McSween

Last Updated: July 21, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Signs of a Ghost Job
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• What are ghost jobs?
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• Why do ghost jobs exist?
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• Finding Real Jobs
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

Have you ever applied to a job, waited for weeks for a response, but never heard anything back? You may have applied to a ghost job, which is any role that either doesn’t actually exist or that a company doesn’t actually intend to fill. Unfortunately, lots of companies post ghost jobs on job boards, but we’re here to help. We partnered with career experts and coaches to learn how to spot the red flags that a posting is a ghost job and the reasons why companies post them. Plus, our experts also shared tips on how to find and apply to real jobs so you can land your next gig without frustration.

Best Ways to Avoid Ghost Jobs

Double-certified career expert Mandy Fard says to avoid jobs that aren’t listed on the company’s website and that are reposted often. Also, stay away from jobs that have been posted for 30+ days or have a vague description. Instead, look for jobs posted over the past 72 hours and apply on the company’s website.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Signs of a Ghost Job

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   The job isn’t listed on the company’s website. According to Fard, sometimes a job posting will appear on a third-party site but not even exist on the employer’s own website. If you’re seeing a job on LinkedIn or Indeed but not on the company’s website, that can be a sign that it’s actually a ghost job, or in some cases, even indicate that it’s a scam.

   • So, Fard recommends checking the company’s Careers page instead of just relying on the job boards.
   • Double-check that the posting sends you to the company’s official website, the company’s details match up (contact info, location, etc.), and, if possible, that the poster actually works for the company to avoid scams.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Mandy Fard is a double-certified career expert with over 30 years of experience. She helps job seekers navigate the complexities of the employment market across every major sector.

   Madeline Mann is a career coach and job search strategist. She is the best-selling author of Reverse the Search.

   Amber Rosenberg, PCC, is a career coach and owner of Pacific Life Coach, with over 20 years of coaching experience.

   Darci Smith is a recruiting consultant and career coach. She runs Career Coach Darci, where she helps professionals with their job search.

   Terry Jones is a career and executive coach who has guided hundreds of professionals through career transitions, promotions, and leadership challenges.
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   The job was posted over 30 days ago. If the job posting is old, that’s a red flag that it’s a ghost job. Also, if the posting has been up for months, or if there’s no post date at all, that’s a pretty clear sign that the company has no intention of actually filling the job—whether they already filled it and forgot to take it down or just want to keep applicants interested.
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   The job has been reposted several times. Fard says to pay attention to reposted jobs. “If the exact same position keeps appearing week after week with very little change, chances are high the company is either struggling internally with the hiring process or not moving very actively on hiring,” she explains. Mass postings of the same role over and over are another red flag that it’s a ghost job.
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   The job description is vague. If the posting uses a lot of buzzwords without explaining anything substantial about the job, or if it simply includes generic responsibilities, unspecific qualifications or requirements, and little detail about the company, that’s a sign it may be a ghost job. Fard adds that an extremely broad salary range can be another red flag. Not including any information about the salary or benefits can be another bad sign.

   • For example, Fard says a broad salary range like $55k to $85K can sometimes suggest that the company hasn’t clearly defined the role yet and may not yet have a clear idea about the required qualifications of the ideal candidate, either.
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   The company has negative reviews from applicants and employees. To avoid fake job offers, Israel Vieira Pereira, a PhD Student in Text & Discourse at Unisul University, recommends searching the company online to check its reputation. See what other applicants and employees are saying on Glassdoor or Indeed, and pay attention to any reviews that mention never hearing back or getting scammed.
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   The job seems too good to be true. For example, Dr. Pereira says to avoid any company that promises an easy hiring process, like not requiring any interviews or other tests, or guarantees a lot of money from the beginning. This can indicate that the job is fake, or worse, a scam.

   • Lots of scams are about work-from-home positions, especially ones involving easy tasks that earn you a lot of money. The company may ask you to deposit a check, but claim to overpay you and ask you to send back the difference, all while never actually sending you money and just collecting yours.
   • Avoid any companies that ask you to pay for something to get the job (like job materials, certifications, or start-up kits). A legitimate business will never ask you to do this.
   • Many of these scams may be sent from “recruiters” via text, too.
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Section 2 of 4:

What are ghost jobs?

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1. 
   Ghost jobs are positions that are either fake or will never be filled. In other words, nobody actually gets hired when they apply to a ghost job. Some ghost jobs are completely non-existent, while some companies create postings even though they’re not planning to hire someone immediately (we’ll go over some reasons why in the next section).

Section 3 of 4:

Reasons Companies Post Ghost Jobs

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   The company wants to appear like it's growing and successful. Even though a company might not actually be hiring, they may post fake ghost jobs to make it seem like they’re expanding and growing even more profitable. This might do this to appear more attractive to investors or potential employees, or to placate shareholders and clients.
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   The company wants to collect resumes for future positions. Fard says she’s noticed that some companies leave certain positions posted for long periods of time, especially highly specialized roles, even when they are not actively interviewing. They might be doing this to collect resumes for future HR needs, rather than trying to fill an open job. This provides them with a pool of candidates at the ready if and when they decide to hire.

   • For example, some companies might do this when they’re in a hiring freeze or experiencing budget cuts, but still want to see what candidates are available for the role.
   • Other companies may be simply looking for the perfect candidate, so they’ll leave the position open until they find one.
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   The company wants to keep potential employees interested in them. Posting ghost jobs can be a way for a company to market and promote itself. If they add posts to job boards—even if they’re not actually hiring for them—they’ll likely stay towards the top and get seen by more people. And if they do eventually hire someone, there will be a lot of people interested in them.
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   The company wants to motivate employees to work harder. They might do this in two very different ways. A company might create ghost jobs to show employees that they’re replaceable, so they’ll be incentivized to work harder. On the other hand, a company might post ghost jobs so overworked employees feel like their workload will be relieved soon, which can help them feel happier and more satisfied at work.
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   The company wants to gather information about potential candidates. Some companies may post ghost jobs as a way to do market research. They might want to know what their general candidate pool is like to assess their quality and skills, or to find out what applicants’ salary expectations are. This can help them make hiring decisions in the future.
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   The company can’t hire anyone due to budget cuts or a hiring freeze. Some companies may have had every intention to hire someone, but something stopped them. For instance, the company may have planned to bring on several new team members and posted the jobs online, but budget cuts or a hiring freeze prevented them from interviewing and hiring applicants.

   • It’s also possible that the company thought they needed a specific role, but their needs or priorities changed.
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   The company is hiring for a role that has high turnover. Some roles are “evergreen,” meaning that the company is almost always looking to hire someone for the job because it has a high turnover rate (i.e., employees leave and get replaced quickly). So, many companies will keep up the posting for these roles indefinitely because they need to hire new people so often, and don’t want to deal with the trouble of putting up and taking down the posting.
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   Some companies don’t post ghost jobs intentionally. Not all ghost jobs are purposefully created. For example, the company might fill a job but forget to take the posting down, or forget that they posted it on multiple job boards. They also could have hired someone internally and just created the posting to satisfy HR regulations.

   • If you never hear back from a company that you applied to, it could also just be that they’re overwhelmed by the number of applicants and don’t have the time or resources to get back to every person.
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   Some ghost jobs are posted as scams to get money from applicants. Ghost jobs can be malicious and a way for scammers to steal your personal information or con you out of your money. For example, Dr. Pereira says a common fake job scam tells you to send money to a “contractor.” They usually claim that this amount is to cover hiring expenses and that you’ll get it back after you're hired. However, they never actually send you your money back.
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Section 4 of 4:

Expert Tips for Finding & Applying to Real Jobs

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1. 1
   Apply to roles posted in the last 24 to 72 hours. According to career coach Madeline Mann, applying to a job within the first 24 hours it was posted can make a big difference, especially if the role is at a big company. Most job boards, like Indeed and LinkedIn, and company career pages have filters that allow you to search for jobs by the post date to make this easy.

   • Lots of jobs get hundreds of applications, so being one of the first to apply can improve your chances of getting seen. Plus, it helps you weed out potential ghost jobs.
   • If you’re not finding a lot of jobs, it’s okay to expand your search to roles posted in the past 1 to 2 weeks.
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   Apply to jobs directly through the company’s website. It’s fine to find jobs on job boards, but it’s best practice to apply to the job on the company’s website. This can potentially help your application get noticed, as fewer people are likely to apply on the website than on the job boards.

   • Plus, applying to the job through the company is safer. As we mentioned, this helps you verify that the job posting exists on the company’s website in the first place, which helps you avoid ghost jobs.
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   Reach out to the hiring manager or recruiter to see if the job is available. Companies appreciate proactive applicants, says recruiting consultant and career coach Darci Smith. Type up a quick message that clearly references the role and send it to the person who posted the job. If you know someone at the company, you can send it to them, too.

   • For example, Smith suggests sending something like, “I’m very interested in this role and wanted to check if it’s still available. Do you know if it’s still open, or if there’s a similar position that I might be a good fit for?”
   • Bonus tip: If you haven’t heard back after submitting your application, Smith says to wait about 48 hours and then send a message saying that you’re excited about the role and want to move forward. Feel free to ask if there’s anything you can provide, like references, and if you can check in a week or two later. She explains that this is a great way to show interest and enthusiasm, which hiring teams appreciate.
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   Tailor your resume to the job description. According to career and executive coach Terry Jones, applying to jobs is all about quality over quantity. He suggests modifying your resume so it’s in line with the job description. For example, include your experiences and skills that are relevant to the job, and use the keywords from the posting in your resume.

   • Jones adds that it’s helpful to read job descriptions carefully so you’re strategically targeting jobs that are aligned with your experience and the requirements of the job.
   • He also recommends taking your time filling out the application and answering all of the questions thoroughly.
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   Optimize your LinkedIn profile for the jobs you want. While you might be applying for jobs on LinkedIn, Jones says you actually want LinkedIn to be working for you even when you’re not actively applying. He suggests polishing your profile and including important keywords for the roles you’re targeting so that your profile rises to the top when recruiters search for potential candidates.

   • Mann agrees and adds that you should pay attention to your job titles, your headline, and your location on LinkedIn so that you’re passively attracting opportunities while also actively pursuing opportunities.
   • Plus, Mann says that her clients note that 50% of their profile views come from companies finding them on LinkedIn!
6. 6
   Network to find unique opportunities and to get your foot in the door. When you’ve found a few jobs that you want to apply to, career coach Amber Rosenberg, PCC, suggests seeing if you know anyone at the company, whether you’re LinkedIn connections, colleagues, friends on social media, or neighbors. Then, message them and ask to talk about the industry and their company. She says this is a great way to find out about 80% of jobs that are never advertised!

   • If you don't have any job leads, simply reach out to any old colleagues, friends, or family members to let them know you’re looking for work. Attend networking events in your city and join groups or organizations related to your profession.
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