How to Spot a Ghost Job Before You Apply

A ghost job is a posting that stays public without a real, current opening behind it. Companies leave them up to collect resumes, to look like they are growing, or because nobody closed an old req. You cannot prove a posting is fake from the text alone. You can see when it is a poor use of an evening.

The ghost job checker scores a pasted posting and, when the title and company match, reports how long a similar role has been open in our employer feed. This is what it looks for, and what you should look for yourself.

Signs in the posting

It is a talent pool, not a seat. Phrases like "talent community," "general consideration," "future opportunities," "evergreen," or "pipeline requisition" mean they want a resume on file. There may be no hiring manager waiting on this req.

It says the role was reposted. A repost can be legitimate. It can also mean the seat was never filled and the same text went back up. Ask when the team expects to interview.

The description is a few sentences. A real req names the team, the stack or the work, and who you would work with. A paragraph of filler is not that.

No pay, and no place. A missing salary is common. Combined with "various locations" or "location TBD," it is a weak posting. You are being asked to apply blind.

The title is only two words. "Software Engineer" with no team or specialty is harder to match to a real opening than "Backend Engineer, Payments."

Urgent language with no work described. "Hiring immediately" plus "rockstar" and "fast-paced environment," and nothing about the product, is a template.

How long it has been open

Age is the clearest outside signal. A role that has sat on the company board for 30 days deserves a question. One that has been open for 60 days or more often is a standing req or a search that stalled. The checker adds that only when it finds a matching open row in the feed. No match does not mean the job is real. It means we do not have that posting.

What to do next

1. Paste the title, company, and description into the ghost job checker.
2. Open the company's own career site and search the title there. If it is gone, stop.
3. If it is still up and the score is high, email the recruiter and ask which team is hiring and when they last interviewed.
4. Spend the tailored resume on roles you can see on the USA job board, where the row names the company, the board, and the location.

A high score is a reason to confirm the role. It is not proof the employer is fake. A low score means the text looks like a specific opening. You should still apply on the company site, with a resume written for that description.