Are you applying to ghost jobs? How to spot fake listings that collect data, not hire

Be wary if job post skirts around what the role entails, is vague about management structure, seeks too many details

Job seekers scrolling LinkedIn and other boards are running into “ghost jobs”. These are roles that appear legitimate on the surface, but in reality may not exist, may have already been filled, or may never have been intended for hiring at all. So how do you avoid them?

According to a 2025 study by resume-building service MyPerfectResume, in June 30% of job openings in the US never resulted in a hire, more than 2.2 million roles that did not materialise. That means there were a significant number of people who handed over their full work experience, contact details, full name, even demographic information to nobody's benefit but the company's.

A 2024 study showed that companies would put up ghost jobs to build a talent pool (keep information about prospective hires for future use), benchmark salaries, or maintain a “presence” in the market (make the company look like it's growing by letting people think recruiters are "keeping busy"). A Greenhouse survey in December 2024 backed this up, showing that as many as 22% of online job ads may be fake, remaining active only to capture resumes for future reference.

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While job boards like LinkedIn have not taken explicit action to combat ghost jobs, other than explaining how users can avoid these listings, they do take down jobs that go against their policies.

Unfortunately, it still comes down to the applicant to stay vigilant when job hunting. So here are a list of questions to ask yourself before applying.

How long has the post stayed up?

According to a study in 2023, jobs were taking longer to fill, with companies filling positions over an average of 44 days. If a job posting is still live for more than 45 days, you can assume that it is a ghost job.

Are there identical listings by the same company?

If a company is advertising the same job in multiple cities, with the same description, or with no meaningful variation, it may be a “data-gathering” or brand-visibility listing. Job boards like Glassdoor and LinkedIn make it easy to scroll through “All company jobs” to check for patterns.

Is it too good to be true?

Jobs that sound too good to be true — remote work, high pay, low hours, and/or low requirements — are usually just that. LinkedIn's head of career products (HCP) recommends using their "hiring insights" to track the company's average hiring time and see whether the job is verified.

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Is the job description very vague?

If the job post uses generic phrasing that skirts around what the role entails or doesn't explicitly mention the team or management structure, you should be wary. Ghost jobs often use templated (and AI-generated) text.

Does the job ask for too many things up front?

If the application demands your full date of birth, gender, expected salary, full work history, even personality tests before any screening call, that’s a sign the company may be collecting data, not hiring. Legitimate employers will likely ask for these things later into the process.

These are just some of the ways you can check for fake job listings. Always make sure you research the role opening on the company's main portal, if there is one, and if you can call a number to verify information then do so. LinkedIn's HCP also recommends building a trusted network of people with whom you can share your job interests and qualifications with, so that they can help you with your job search directly.