October is the season for ghosts, and some of the scariest ones are showing up in the hiring process. Hiring has always involved uncertainty, but employers and job seekers are facing a growing trust issue involving “ghost” jobs and “ghost” candidates. A “ghost job” is a position that is posted online even though the company isn’t actually ready—or doesn’t intend—to hire someone for the role. There can be legitimate reasons a job stays posted, such as a change in budget or a decision to consider an internal candidate. But employers should still make an effort to keep job postings current. Job seekers are already becoming more skeptical about whether online job openings are legitimate, and that can hurt an employer’s reputation and make good candidates less likely to apply. One recent survey found that nearly one-quarter of employers had encountered at least one fake or fraudulent applicant in the previous year.
There is another side of the problem that employers should be thinking about: ghost candidates. Some applicants may exaggerate their experience or qualifications, while others may use technology or AI to create a very convincing application without actually having the skills needed for the job. This can be particularly concerning with fully remote positions. Ghost candidates can land a fully remote position and collect a few paychecks before the employer realizes something is wrong. By the time the employee is identified and terminated, the company may have already paid someone who was never genuinely qualified—or even the person who participated in the hiring process in the first place. Taking a little extra time during the hiring process to meet at least once in person, check references, verify credentials, and use skills-based assessments or multiple interviews can help confirm that the person sitting across the screen is really the person described on the resume.
None of this means employers should stop using online recruiting sites. They do, however, need to be a little more careful about what happens on both sides of the application. Keep job postings up to date, take down positions that are no longer active, and be honest when you’re simply building a pipeline for a future opening. And when evaluating candidates, don’t let a great-looking resume or impressive video interview be the end of the process. A few additional steps to verify someone’s experience and abilities can prevent a bad hire—and potentially save the company a considerable amount of time, money, and frustration.