If you are currently job hunting, you may have encountered this familiar scene: a perfectly suited job post, with a clear description, the right requirements, and a role that seems to match your experience. You send an application, submit your CV, maybe fill out a few screening questions, and wait.
Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and not only do you never hear back, but the job itself seems to never get filled.
You may start wondering whether your application simply wasn’t strong enough. But in some cases, there was never a real possibility of anyone getting the job in the first place.
These are known as “ghost jobs”: vacancies advertised despite there being no immediate intention to hire. Here’s everything you need to know about why they exist, how to spot them, and how to avoid them.
Why Do Companies Post Ghost Jobs?
Ghost jobs are more common than many job seekers might expect. According to a 2024 Resume Builder survey cited by CNBC, four in 10 companies said they had posted roles without immediate hiring plans that year, while three in 10 reported actively advertising ghost positions.
But why would companies advertise positions they do not intend to fill? The reasons vary. Some postings may be kept online to build a pool of potential candidates for future vacancies, while others may appear before a position has received budget approval. In other cases, the motivation may be less about recruitment and more about appearances.
Job openings are often interpreted by investors and economists as a sign that a company is growing and looking to expand. As Decode Econ explains, advertising vacancies can therefore create an impression of organizational strength, even when those positions are not actually available. For applicants, however, the result is the same: time spent pursuing an opportunity that may never have existed. (CNBC, 2024; Decode Econ, 2026)
How to Avoid Ghost Jobs
Ghost jobs are not always easy to identify, but there are a few warning signs worth looking out for. One of the clearest is how long and how often a vacancy appears online. If the same position is repeatedly taken down and reposted, or remains open for an unusually long period without appearing to be filled, it could indicate that the company is not actively hiring for the role.
Job seekers can also try to make direct contact with people inside the organization. Dr. Jasmine Escalera recommends networking with hiring managers where possible, noting that conversations with actual employees can provide a better indication that a vacancy is genuine.
This does not mean every old or repeatedly advertised vacancy is a ghost job. However, checking when a position was first posted, looking for patterns of reposting, and reaching out to someone at the company can help you determine whether an opportunity is worth pursuing before investing significant time in an application. (BBC, 2025)
If you are currently looking for a job, keep your head up. While ghost jobs can make an already challenging search even more frustrating, they do not mean that genuine opportunities are not out there.
One place you can always turn to for real, verified opportunities is Fisher’s job catalogue. Every vacancy listed is tied to an active recruitment process, so you can apply knowing there is a real opportunity on the other side.
You can explore Fisher’s latest job openings at:
References:
Al Bahrani, A. (2026, January 28). The rise of ghost jobs: Employers broke the job market. Decode Econ. https://www.decodeecon.com/p/the-rise-of-ghost-jobs
CNBC. (2024, August 22). Ghost jobs: Why fake job listings are on the rise. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/22/ghost-jobs-why-fake-job-listings-are-on-the-rise.html
Lawton, M. (2025, December 18). Should more be done to tackle ‘ghost jobs’, vacancies that don’t exist? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyzvpp8g3vo
