Report finds job seekers frustrated with ghost jobs

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - It’s a growing frustration for job seekers: Applications going unanswered.

A new report finds some of that is due a rise in “ghost jobs,” posts from employers that are not actually hiring.

Lewis Isom brings skills to his job search.

“I’ve been around material handling for ten years, shipping and receiving, forklifts,” he listed.

Isom attended a SLATE job fair to meet hiring managers in person, after experiencing challenges that many applicants face searching for jobs on the internet.

“It’s a job trying to get a job,” he said.

What’s making a tough job market even harder is a rising number of ghost jobs that are not actually being filled.

“It may have existed in the past, it might be something they want in the future, but it’s a job posting that will not get an active hire on it,” explained Stacie Haller with ResumeBuilder.com.

A report by ResumeBuilder found 86% of job seekers have encountered a ghost job, 58% believe they’ve interviewed for one, and 39% say it’s increased their frustration.

Isom said he’s experienced it after interviewing with a company.

“Do the onboarding process and then you never hear from them again,” he said.

Haller says it happens for many reasons. Some employers may be required to post jobs even if they already have a candidate, while others may just be testing the waters.

“It could be they want to make changes in their organization and they want to see what kind of talent is out there,” said Haller.

Another problem leaving job seekers cold are job scams. These are fake job postings that can steal their identies and money.

Isom knows what being scammed is like.

“You fall into getting hacked. I was hacked for like $8,000 three months ago. I got my money back,” he said.

At the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment, Eleanie Campbell teaches job seekers to check job listings before applying.

“I tell people you have to pay close attention to the URL. Or you can say, ‘oh, this is Schnucks, let me go to the actual website and look for this position,” she said.

And now the fact that many employers use AI to scan through high volumes of resumes, they receive can also leave applicants feeling ghosted as well.

Campbell says using words in your resume from the job description and qualifications is key.

“You want to have your resume prepared for the applicant tracking system, meaning you want the computer or the bot to pick up the key words for your particular job,” she said.

Here are red flags to watch out for when applying for jobs:

• job listings that were posted months ago,
• salaries that seem too high,
• vague job descriptions,
• and an employers asking for money.

SLATE offers free workshops and help with resumes, interviews, and resources for job seekers. It is holding the Holly Jolly Holiday Hiring Fair on December 3 and 4, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Call SLATE at (314) 589-8000 for more information.