Have you ever Applied for a Job and then Never Heard Back?
Did you put in an hour of Work, completely Repetitive and Excruciating (A Rant for Another Time Perhaps), only for Nothing To Occur?
Perhaps you sent your Application, only to discover that the Job Opening is Not Open Anymore, and hasn't been for some time?
Well, this is a Consequence of what is Known as "Ghost Jobs".
These occur when Employers have Positions Listed online that they Either "Have" Already Filled, or Do Not Intend to Fill.
Now, there are a few Reasons why this happens.
But let's look at the Psychophysiological Consequences behind those Reasons to see if they make sense or if they are Poor Leadership Decisions in the Long Term.
Reason #1: The Company Is Always Open To New People
Alright, this is a Tricky One.
Do you "Mean" it when you say that you are Always Open to New People?
If it is Genuine, then the Job Listing shouldn't be a "Ghost Job".
It would make sense if it were a "General" Application in this case, and there is nothing wrong with that (as long as you respond to the applications that come in).
Now, if it is a "Specific" Application, it could become a problem.
For instance, if your current employees watch what jobs are being listed, it could easily create rumors that the Company is Planning to Let Someone Go from that Specific Job.
If a Rumor like that starts, it is a giant Recipe for all sorts of Problems.
Then, there is a different Problem if this is Not Genuine at all.
Pretty much any Problem that can go with "Inauthenticity" can be listed as a Potential here.
Inauthenticity is a Great Recipe for Ridicule, especially in Today's Social Media Obsessed World.
Reasons #2 and #7: To Keep Current Employees Motivated/To Placate Overworked Employees
Oof, these are both Problematic but are very similar.
People can see through Inauthenticity extremely quickly.
You can "Tell" people that there is a Job Opening and that you're "Looking", but that will only save you for a Couple of Months, Tops.
After that, this will become a Demotivator, and can then quickly lead to Active Disengagement.
Inauthentic Measures to Create Motivation "Always" Backfire.
On top of this, if Employees are Overworked, "Plaction" is a Terrible Goal.
Overworked Employees end up in only One Place - Burnout.
If you've Followed My Work, currently 80% of Employees are "Already" in Burnout.
Placation is a Terrible Goal in this Situation, and you really "Should" be Fixing the Problem of Burnout if you are Wise.
Due to this, Both of these are Horrible Reasons for Leaders to have Ghost Jobs.
Reason #3: To Give The Impression That The Company Is Growing
So this Reason is more to Placate Investors most likely.
Employees generally Do Not Care if a Company is "Growing" at this point of the Process.
Most Employees Care Significantly More about their Livelihoods than "Company Growth" when looking for a Job.
Unless the Goal is to Entice a High-Level Executive...
Except that will Quickly Backfire.
Even "If" You Entice an Executive with the "Perception" of Growth, they will discover the Lie "Immediately" upon starting work.
If they are Qualified Enough, they will then start Searching for Another Job in the Background.
High-Quality Candidates Want "Real" Growth, Not Vanity Metrics.
Most Businesses are "Desperate" for High-Quality Candidates and will Not Care if the Candidate has only been Working somewhere for a Few Months.
They may not even care if the Candidate has been in another Position for only a Few Weeks.
The Old Rule that "You Should Stay in a Job For 2 Years" is Dying and Few Candidates Care About it anymore.
Candidates also have Ample Evidence of Reasons to Job Hop Quickly - Why would they want to Waste their Talent at Toxic Workplaces?
Toxic Workplaces are So Common in Today's World that it is easy to Believe the Candidates - that they are Leaving a Toxic Workplace - and Hire them due to Business Needs.
So, if this is the Goal, it will Backfire.
Then, if we go back to Investors, it "May" work as a Tactic against some Investors, but it will Fail in Two Places.
The First is with a Savvy Investor.
If they see that there are a Lot of Job Openings, but the Headcount is Not Increasing, it either means You're Lying about Hiring or your Workplace is so Toxic that you can't Keep Employees.
Either way, the Savvy Investor will completely see through it.
Then, it will Fail because the "Impression of Growth" is a Vanity Metric.
At the End of the Day, Investors Want "Real Growth".
They Will Not Care about "Job Openings".
They want to See Increased Revenue, Increased Market Share, and Similar Types of Statistics.
Those are what Matter and All the "Job Openings" in the World Will Not Save You from Needing Real Results.
Reason #4 and #8: Job Was Filled/Forgot To Delete The Job
I'll give it to these Reasons.
If the Job was Filled, and someone Forgot to Delete the Job, I get it.
I'm Human Too.
I have Made Mistakes.
It happens to the Best of Us.
Now, this is the thing about these Reasons...
Everyone makes Mistakes and Forgets things, but will you Fix It?
If you Do Not Fix It, then you appear Lazy...
Not to mention that many platforms Charge to Keep Job Listings Open making this an Ongoing and Expensive Mistake...
Neither of these are Good.
But, if you Fix the Mistake and go back to Correct what was Forgotten, then it becomes Water Under the Bridge.
Reason #5: To Have An Active Pool Of Applicants In Case Of Turnover
This one is Interesting.
I have Two Questions about it.
How Quickly Are You Expecting Turnover?
If you Leave a Ghost Position Open for a Long Time, you'll soon Discover that your "Pool" of Applicants All Got Other Jobs.
The Truth is that Most People Cannot Afford to Wait - Their Livelihoods Depend on Income.
Then, for the other Question...
Why Are You Expecting Turnover?
If you "Expect" Turnover, it Highlights that you "Already" Know of Major Problems.
Why are you doing the More Costly Thing to Hire/Train/Rehire which is a Process that can Exceed 10x the Salary of the Position, Repeated again and again, with a Revolving Door?
Instead, you should look to Fix the Problem - The Revolving Door!
What is Causing that Revolving Door?
Fix that, and you No Longer "Need" a Pool of Applicants.
Just make your Workplace Better!
Reason #6: In Case An Irresistible Candidate Applies
I understand the "Hope" with this one, but there is a Problem Inherent within it.
Leaders who Focus on this end up Failing to Utilize the Talent they already have.
For the Vast Majority of Businesses, this is Holding onto a Pipedream that will likely Never Happen.
If you want "Irresistible Candidates", then you must First Create an Irresistible Business.
The Reality is that Irresistible Candidates can Pick and Choose where they want to go with No Challenges.
If they get the Hint that your Business is "Less Than" Irresistible, they will Never Apply Anyways.
However, if your Workplace is "Truly" Irresistible (which is Rare Today), then having a General Application will work Perfectly.
If your Workplace is "Truly" Irresistible, the Irresistible Employees will figure out how to get their Application in front of the Right Person, even if there is "No" Job Listing.
Reason #9: No Reason In Particular
No Reason is a Poor Reason to Do Anything.
Leaders Do Not Succeed with "No Reason" and "I Do Not Know".
Final Verdict
When you look at all of these Reasons, the Reality becomes Very Clear.
Ghost Jobs are a Poor Business Decision.
At Best, they are Mistakes that can be Costly and should be Amended.
At Worst, they Create More Problems than they are Worth.
Even the Reasons that "Could" Make Sense have Significantly Better Solutions Available.
In Business, many Solutions are Designed, and though they are "Technically" Solutions, it Does Not mean they are "Good" Solutions.
Ghost Jobs fall into this Category of Solutions that are Not Good.
In the Long-Term, Ghost Jobs Do Not Create Real Results.