Get Hired
How to Spot a Fake Job Posting Before You Waste Time Applying
Roughly 18 to 27% of active job postings right now are ghost jobs. Real companies, real listings, zero actual intent to hire anyone. If you've spent hours tailoring applications and heard nothing back, not even a rejection, some of that silence isn't about you.
Why Ghost Jobs Exist
Some companies want to look like they're always hiring. Some are quietly building a resume pipeline for later. Some already have an internal hire picked and are satisfying a posting requirement. None of these reasons have anything to do with how qualified you are.
Four Real Signals a Posting Isn't Live
Posting age. Live more than 30 to 45 days with no real update is a documented pattern tied to ghost postings.
No named hiring manager or team. Genuine openings usually tell you who you'd actually be working with.
No salary range. A role with real, approved budget typically comes with a real number attached.
Only listed on a job board, not the company's own site. Often leftover residue from a posting nobody bothered to take down.
One Regional Note Worth Knowing
New legislation in Ontario now requires employers to disclose whether a posting is for an existing, genuine vacancy, and to follow up with applicants after interviews.
What This Actually Means for Your Search
Checking these four signals takes about a minute per posting and saves hours across a real search. If you'd rather skip this filtering entirely, this is exactly what the SalesBuddy Hit List does for every candidate, 30 to 50 companies that are actually, currently hiring, not just listed as if they are. For the full picture of why a targeted list shortens a search this much, see How Long Does It Actually Take to Break Into Tech Sales in 2026?.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of job postings are fake?
Roughly 18 to 27% of active listings show signs of being ghost jobs, postings with no real intent to hire, according to current research.
How can I tell if a job posting is real before applying?
Check four things: how long it's been live without an update, whether a hiring manager or team is named, whether a salary range is listed, and whether the role also appears on the company's own careers page.
Why do companies post jobs they're not actually hiring for?
Common reasons include appearing to always be growing, building a resume pipeline for a future opening, or satisfying an internal posting requirement when a candidate is already chosen.
Is it illegal to post a fake job listing?
In most of North America, no, though Ontario has introduced legislation requiring employers to disclose whether a posting reflects a genuine, existing vacancy.