The term "ghost job" finally made me realize why I kept getting rejected

Saw someone on LinkedIn post about this new slang term 'ghost job' for listings that aren't real. Looked back at 12 applications I sent out last month to this one company in Austin. Every single one got auto-rejected within 3 hours. Turns out they've had the same post up for 6 months and never hired anyone. Has anyone else noticed this blowing up on job boards lately?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakotawood1mo ago

12 applications to the same company in one month seems a bit excessive honestly. I get that ghost jobs are annoying but blaming one company for not replying to a dozen identical resumes feels like aiming at the wrong target.

rubyk861mo ago

Look at it this way though. I have a buddy who runs a small startup in Phoenix and he keeps job posts up even when he's not hiring. He says it helps him build a pool of candidates for when he actually needs someone. Plus it helps him keep an eye on what kind of talent is out there in his field. Those 12 applications you sent, maybe they weren't a fit for that one specific role but the company might reach out to you in 6 months when a real opening pops up. It's annoying sure but companies have their reasons for doing it beyond just wasting everyone's time.

terry_carter151mo ago

Wait, did you seriously send 12 applications to the same place in one month? Man, that is rough. I totally get why you'd be frustrated though, especially when you're putting in that kind of effort and just getting auto-rejected within hours. It's like they're not even looking at you, just running some algorithm that spits out rejections before you've even had a chance to breathe. I had a similar thing happen last year with a company called "TechVault" in Denver - I applied to a role there, got rejected in 20 minutes, then saw the same exact posting up 4 months later with no hires made. It makes you feel like you're just screaming into a void, you know?