How do I spot a ghost job?

Watch for stale reposts, vague or evergreen listings, and companies perpetually "hiring" the same role. Resuvia’s free scam / ghost-job detector flags common warning signs before you apply.

Definition

Ghost job

A ghost job is a posting kept open without active hiring — to build a candidate pipeline, satisfy policy, or project growth. A meaningful share of online listings are ghost jobs, so it’s worth verifying a posting before investing time.

Ghost (or "phantom") jobs waste applicants’ effort because there’s no real intent to hire soon. Signs include very old repostings, vague descriptions, roles that never seem to fill, and companies that always appear to be hiring the same title.

You can’t always tell, but you can screen. Checking posting age, cross-referencing the company’s careers page, and using a ghost-job detector before applying protects your time for the roles that are genuinely open.

Common questions

How do I spot a ghost job?: Watch for stale reposts, vague or evergreen listings, and companies perpetually "hiring" the same role. Resuvia’s free scam / ghost-job detector flags common warning signs before you apply.

Put it to work

Related terms

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software employers use to collect, organize, parse, and filter job applications. It reads each resume into structured data and helps recruiters search and rank candidates before manual review.

See it on your own resume.

Paste a resume + a job description and get a free ATS match score in 30 seconds.

Try the free match check →