Mint Primer: Are ghost jobs spooking the job hunt for Indians?

What are ghost job postings?

Ghost jobs are vacancies posted by companies across various sectors, either on job portals or their company websites. They look like real vacancies but here’s the catch: there is no urgent need to fill these positions. In some cases, the jobs don’t even exist. These job postings are often created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). Within weeks of applying, the job seeker gets an automated email saying that the resume has been accepted and that it is getting processed. However, these applications never move to the next stage. A real recruiter is absent and applicants are unable to directly contact the firm.

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Why do firms post ghost jobs?

Ghost jobs may be distressing and frustrating for applicants. But for firms they test the market and are an indicator of the interest for jobs that may open up in the future. In other words, such postings act as a ‘data aggregation’ project where the company gets a huge bank of resumes it can dip into, going ahead. In addition, the company’s brand image as a regular recruiter is protected, particularly if it has fired people and is facing poor ratings from former employees on social media sites such as Glassdoor. For startups, too, recruitment postings signal growth and could be particularly useful while raising funds.

Which firms have been posting ghost jobs?

Mainly medium to small companies in IT, retail, quick commerce; micro, small, and medium enterprises; and startups in early stage funding. Ghost jobs are not an accepted practice in multinationals or larger corporates. Internal teams can get questioned on the number of vacancies that have remained open for long, an audit that is absent in mid-tier companies.

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How can you be sure it’s a ghost post?

See when the job was advertised. Was it a few quarters back? If that is the case, one can be reasonably sure about it being a ghost job. In addition, such posts usually don’t have the contact details of a hiring manager. Further, the automated email response when a candidate applies will not be followed up with any other mail or call from a hiring manager associated with the company. The candidate should also check if the posting is available on other platforms and if team leads are posting about these openings.

Will ghost job posts increase, going ahead?

Watch out for these triggers: the festive season hiring is around the corner; the IT sector is opening up its campus programmes. In the last two quarters, companies have estimated more orders from their clients and are hopeful of adding more people to their payrolls. To avoid a sudden supply crunch, many companies would want to build a data bank of resumes—and ghost job postings could be one way to go about it. They are also a more cost-effective way, compared with depending on external head hunters.

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