Ghost Jobs: the job offers that pollute HR

What is a ghost job?

A ghost job, or “phantom offer” in French, is a fake job offer published with no real intention of recruiting. The problem for candidates? These are simulated to look like real offers, but do not allow access to any jobs.

Why do businesses use Ghost Jobs?

If the use of ghost jobs recruiters has become very (too) frequent, it is because the practice unfortunately has a number of significant advantages for companies.

Valorization of brand image

In a very competitive job market, recruiters use these ads to simulate an image of growth and dynamism among teams and potential investors. This process contributes to improving the company's visibility among future talent. A study relayed by Mashable indicates that 43% of managers interviewees have already posted a fictional ad to give the impression that their company is growing.

Building a pool of candidates

Even if no immediate recruitment is planned, some companies collect CVs to build up a pool of qualified profiles. This strategy allows them to anticipate a rapid increase in recruitment needs and thus respond more effectively to future demand.

HR Communication and Marketing

Ghost jobs also serve as an HR marketing tool. By maintaining an active presence on recruitment networks, companies can strengthen their employer brand attractive and innovative, without engaging in new hires.

A few telling figures

• 43% of managers admit to posting fictional ads to maintain a positive image. (source: Mashable)
• Internal investigations in the United States suggest that nearly 30% of offers published online could be ghost jobs.
• near 338,000 Ghost ads identified on 1.3 million of offers analyzed for the French market.

These data show that the use of fake job offers has indeed become a widespread, although problematic, strategy.

Recruiters: Why and how to avoid falling into the ghost job trap?

Although they may be useful for you, these false offers published damage the credibility of your company, the candidate experience, and more generally the employer image. Here are some best practices for recruiters who want to remain ethical and effective:

To be transparent :

Simulating growth or a recruitment phase when there are no open positions can seriously damage the trust of candidates... and your own employees. Transparency within a company is an essential value for building a lasting relationship with your current talents and those of tomorrow.

Update your offers:

Leaving an online ad lying around when the position is already occupied may seem trivial, but it adds to the vagueness around your HR policy. Automate this process as needed, but be sure to regularly update your offerings, as well as your career space to remain credible.

Bet on the HR marketing :

Everything comes to those who wait, the right profiles will know how to identify your company if your employer brand has been developed correctly. Value your values, your corporate culture and your concrete commitments: that's it Who attracts the right talent, not ghost ads.

The Consequences for Candidates

For an applicant, responding to a fictitious offer is a waste of time and can generate frustration. Discovering that the position does not exist after sending your resume can undermine trust in companies and especially complicate your job search.

A few tips for candidates:

• Learn about the company : Check out platforms like LinkedIn and Glassdoor to check the employer's reputation and transparency.
• Analyze the ad : Beware of offers that are too vague or generic.
• Choose well-established businesses : Opt for those with a transparent and consistent recruitment policy.
• Check the republication frequency : If the same offer is republished regularly, either the company is experiencing a big deal Turnover, or it's a fictional announcement, in both cases it doesn't bode well!

The ghost job therefore illustrates how the digital transformation of recruitment can play in favor — or at the expense of — the employer brand, but also lose the trust of its employees and employees; While these ads contribute to creating an impression of dynamism and building a talent pool, they also pose challenges in terms of transparency and credibility for companies.

With Seeqle, you centralize your recruitments on a ethical and efficient platform : targeted and intelligent campaigns, access to a qualified talent base, integrated CRM... everything to recruit effectively, without falling into the trap of pretending.

For more analysis on HR trends and the evolution of recruitment practices, do not hesitate to follow the latest publications on Seeqle.

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