What Is a Ghost Job Posting?
A ghost job posting is a job listing that remains active for 90 days or more with no evidence that the company intends to fill the role. Candidates apply in good faith, write tailored cover letters, and wait weeks without response — not because of a slow hiring team, but because no one is reviewing applications at all.
Research suggests that 20–40% of active job listings at any moment may be ghost postings. The Respect Index tracks them by monitoring company ATS platforms nightly and flagging roles that have been live for 90+ days with no confirmed hire in our candidate database.
Why do companies post ghost jobs?
- Pipeline building. The role isn't open now but may open next quarter. Keeping the listing up lets the company accumulate applications to fast-track later.
- Hiring freeze after posting. A budget was approved, the job was listed, and then a freeze was announced — but no one updated the listing.
- Role filled internally. The company promoted or transferred someone, eliminating the need for an external hire, but the external posting was never closed.
- Projecting growth. Some companies keep listings active to signal to investors or partners that they are expanding, regardless of whether hiring is underway.
- ATS automation. Many applicant tracking systems auto-relist jobs after 30–60 days, creating repost patterns even when actual hiring has stopped.
How we detect them
The Respect Index nightly scans public ATS APIs from Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workday, and others. Each job posting is tracked from its first appearance date. A posting becomes a "likely ghost" when it has been continuously active for 90+ days and no confirmed hire has been reported for that specific role.
We also flag repost patterns — the same role taken down and relisted — which is a strong signal of pipeline-building rather than active hiring. Federal jobs and sources that refresh daily by design are excluded from ghost detection.
What ghost postings reveal about company culture
A company with a high ghost posting rate isn't necessarily acting in bad faith — but it does reveal something about how that company treats candidates as a resource. Maintaining a posting that attracts applications only to ignore them imposes real costs on real people: time researching the company, writing tailored materials, scheduling calls, and declining other opportunities in the meantime.
The Ghost Score on company profiles reflects this. A high Ghost Score means a large proportion of a company's tracked postings have been flagged as likely ghost listings. It doesn't mean the company never hires — it means candidates should research a specific posting carefully before investing significant time in an application.
Frequently asked questions
What is a ghost job posting?
A ghost job posting is a job listing that remains active on job boards for 90 days or more with no evidence that the company intends to hire for that role. Companies post ghost jobs to build candidate pipelines, satisfy internal headcount processes, or project the appearance of growth.
How common are ghost job postings?
Studies estimate that 20–40% of active job postings at any given time may be ghost postings. The Respect Index tracks hundreds of likely ghost postings identified from company ATS platforms — roles that have been listed for 90+ days with no confirmed hire.
Why do companies post ghost jobs?
Companies post ghost jobs because a hiring freeze hit after the role was listed, the position was filled internally but the external posting was never closed, they want to build a talent pipeline for future openings, or they want to project a public image of growth. ATS automation also relists expired jobs automatically.
How does The Respect Index detect ghost postings?
The Respect Index nightly monitors public ATS APIs from Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workday, and others. A posting is flagged as "likely ghost" when it has been continuously active for 90+ days and no confirmed hire has been reported in our candidate database for that specific role. Repost patterns — the same role taken down and relisted — are also flagged. Federal jobs and daily-refresh boards are excluded.
What should I do if I applied to a ghost posting?
If you applied and never heard back, submit an experience report on The Respect Index. Even a report of no response helps confirm the ghost pattern. Your report contributes to the company's Ghost Score and helps other candidates make informed decisions about where to invest their time.
Track ghost postings and research companies before you apply.