Job postings are plentiful on the internet, but many people find that their resumes seem to disappear into thin air when applying for them, never receiving any response from the hiring companies. Why is that? Well, one possible reason could be that the job you’re applying for simply doesn’t exist.
According to a report from CBS News, a survey conducted by Resume Builder, a job search website, in May of this year with 650 hiring managers revealed that 40% of companies admitted to posting job listings for positions that did not actually exist. The survey indicated that currently, around 30% of companies have been posting false job listings on their websites or in their recruitment ads.
Although 70% of the recruiting managers surveyed believed that this practice is ethically acceptable and beneficial for the company, it complicates the process for job seekers and erodes their trust in the companies.
“This is not something new, but from what we are seeing, it has escalated to a whole new level,” said Stacie Haller, Chief Career Consultant at Resume Builder, in an interview with CBS.
The report mentioned that recruiting managers told Resume Builder that their human resources departments, senior managers, executives, and in some rare cases, investors or consultants, have come up with such recruitment schemes. These non-existent positions span across all levels, from entry-level to senior positions.
Nearly 60% of the companies interviewed stated that they collect resumes for future use and have no immediate plans to hire anyone. In certain cases, recruiting managers revealed that their goal is to show their existing employees that they are replaceable.
The rise in such deceptive job listings may explain why many job seekers report never hearing back from recruiters after submitting their resumes.
Nearly 40% of companies claim that they always contact applicants for non-existent positions. Among them, 85% of the companies stated that they even conduct interviews with these applicants.
45% of companies admitted to occasionally contacting job seekers, while 17% of companies rarely or never reach out.
It can be challenging to distinguish between genuine and fake job listings, especially when companies decide to interview applicants through lengthy procedures. Even if the hiring manager archives your resume, perhaps for future reference, if the company has no immediate plans to fill the position, it could be considered as non-existent. Therefore, Haller suggested that job listings with extended posting periods, such as several months, might be fictional. Additionally, if the salary range for the position is too broad, it could indicate that the company is not serious about filling the position.