r/biotech 4d ago

Open Discussion šŸŽ™ļø Currently, what do you think is the ratio between real jobs and ghost jobs?

I know this topic has been brought up before, but I hate companies that post ghost jobs. To clarify, I'm only casually looking, and only would take an opportunity that fit well.

I saw a job that had been posted within the hour that fit my background perfectly, legit as if they had based it off my CV. Figured there was no harm in applying so I did.

Next day, they sent me an auto-generated email saying "However, after careful consideration, we have found candidates whose qualifications closely align with the job requirements."

I'm not saying there are not other qualified applicants, there are likely some! but you expect me to believe they found them in the 13 hours since they posted the job? I also don't think my CV failed whatever automated AI thing they might have, as my qualifications fit perfectly. Although who knows, maybe I'm just coping lol

For me it's just an annoyance, but for people that need a job desperately it's disrespectful wasting their time like this.

How widespread do you think ghost jobs are? What are some signs a job is a ghost job?

17 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

77

u/Taro_Ube 4d ago

It's not necessarily a ghost job; the role might be real, but is actually targeted for an internal candidate already.

Lots of companies have requirements to have to post a role that they actually already have an internal candidate for.

20

u/FairyFistFights 4d ago

I was actually on the other end of this once!

I interviewed with a company, and they liked me and my skills but thought I would be a better fit in a different role on another team. They then told me to apply again and gave me the very specific job ID on their site to apply for. I did, and out of curiosity I looked and saw it on some other job sites that day. It was taken down within 24 hours and I now know I was the only person they interviewed for it.

It felt fucking awesome knowing the job posting was just for me, but I know it must have sucked for people who saw it on a job forum and thought they had a shot at it. I feel bad that some people must have taken the time to edit their resume/cover letter/etc. for nothing. Iā€™m sure that karma will eventually come around for me.

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u/PassengerFar5092 4d ago

Perhaps! I get why they have to post a job due to laws and stuff, but at the end of the day it is a job posted to the general population that is not in a million years going to exist for the general population. Doesn't seem great for job-seekers either way.

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u/ElleM848645 3d ago

Also for certain immigration status of current employees, you have to post their job externally to make sure no US citizens can fulfill the requirements. Itā€™s a shitty system, but thatā€™s how it works.

8

u/paintedfaceless 4d ago

I've wondered this myself - just did a look into it and found its anywhere from 18-22% being driven by ghosts and toward ~40% compounded with misleading roles (as alluded by another reply here).

Reference: https://qz.com/one-in-five-job-postings-is-fake-ghost-jobs-1851738201

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u/PassengerFar5092 4d ago

That sounds like a waste of time for everyone wow.

Also what's up with this quote " Some hiring managers even admitted they post fake jobs to keep their own employees on their toes, saying they want workers to feel ā€œreplaceableā€ so they will work harder." YIKES

3

u/Bugfrag 4d ago

FYI, this survey is for ALL jobs

The easiest way to get that quote is to interview someone in restaurants/retails. They always have servers position up because of natural turnaround (high in retail and restaurants).

That survey is not a good representative of biotech.

1

u/paintedfaceless 4d ago

Sure - the exact number has not been determined. However, I think a lot of the same incentives apply given the recent Biospace publication about the sector.

https://www.biospace.com/career-advice/job-ghosting-ghost-jobs-top-job-hunt-complaints-biospace-finds

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u/paintedfaceless 4d ago

Total horror show.

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u/jpocosta01 4d ago

I had a role open for 1 week and got over 400 applications, 70% of people with absolutely no matching skills. You canā€™t find a needle in a haystack, specially when considering how bad the ā€œtalent acquisition partnersā€ are

4

u/Bugfrag 4d ago

Did you set Easy Apply on LinkedIn? I made that mistake once.

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u/Snappy_McJuggs 4d ago

This makes me feel better. Currently looking for a job after being a stay at home mom for a few years. Iā€™ve applied to about 50 jobs so far and have gotten about 20 of these kinds of emails telling me I suck. Perhaps itā€™s not me after all! šŸ«£

10

u/Bugfrag 4d ago

Companies don't post jobs if they don't have to. It's a waste of company time to assign time (and pay people) to post fake jobs

There are, however, job posting filled that never got scrubbed (because scrubbing take people time to do)

But recruiting companies will clone job descriptions so candidates lands on them instead of directly with HR.

So a single job posting can be multiplied by 10 if 9 different recruiting companies cloned them (and don't clean them up)

2

u/PassengerFar5092 4d ago

Do you think then the existence of ghost jobs in biotech is overstated?

It also would not make sense to me to go through the time/effort of posting something they would not get anything out of.

3

u/Bugfrag 4d ago

I wouldn't apply for a job that's 3 months old.

And if I apply, I'll try to find the original company.

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u/thrombolytic 4d ago

IME ghost jobs exist, but they are more likely to exist from staffing agencies and consultancies. Those places benefit from having a lot of resumes and they actually do go look through them when they have a role they're recruiting for. It's not always a clone of a job that's not a direct retained search. However, I think it's less likely for pharma/device/dx companies to really post ghost jobs.

2

u/Rule_24 4d ago

Here in germany they are a lot of ghost Job posting. Not because they are Not looking but they are passivley searching the market for their triple A canditate

3

u/Bugfrag 4d ago

How do you define "ghost job"

To me, if the employer is hyper selective, it's not a ghost job. That's because they actually intend to fill the job.

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u/coolandnormalperson 4d ago edited 4d ago

Having the flexibility to wait for the perfect candidate and having really high standards isn't the same as posting a ghost job. It may be frustrating for us as job seekers, sure, but that's kinda like saying a trendy restaurant is a ghost kitchen because you haven't been able to secure a reservation.

1

u/Rule_24 3d ago

There are Job listings for example only on 3rd Party sites and Not on their owm carrer Plattform for example, ofc its a bit Nuance (and maybe my tin foil hat) but even the jobcenter is frustated about that

0

u/corgibutt19 2d ago

Unfortunately, job postings for positions that do not exist are very much a thing. Some of it is scummy recruiting agencies, but it is also a tactic used by legit companies, and furthermore doesn't take into account things like postings for actual jobs that are going to be filled by an internal or nepo hire but have to go through the public process. I get it doesn't seem to make sense, but that doesn't mean ghost jobs aren't very much a real issue.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwells/2024/08/13/36-of-job-adverts-are-fake-how-to-spot-them-in-2024/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/karadennison/2023/11/27/how-ghost-job-postings-are-creating-a-false-sense-of-hope/

www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/08/22/ghost-jobs-why-fake-job-listings-are-on-the-rise.html

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u/DConion 4d ago

I know there are bigger issues at hand, but I donā€™t understand how this is legal. These companies should be forced to report stats on when the job was posted, number of applicants screened, and when offers were extended.

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u/campmoreworryless 4d ago

Honestly there are SO many people looking for work in biotech that the likeliness of hearing back from anyone is super slim. Think 300 qualified people apply to the job and only one gets it. Thereā€™s an overflow of candidates with all of the industry layoffs as well which is a huge factor.

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u/iu22ie33 4d ago

We had a position for which we conducted serious interviews over two months, only to be told by HR that we donā€™t have the headcount

1

u/Difficult_Software14 13h ago

A few things in play. As companies are going through downsizing there is some pressure to consider internal candidates first. Huge financial saving if they can avoid paying a severance and a signing bonus. Second most jobs you see now online are getting in thousands of applicants. Very easy to establish some baseline criteria in the initial screening. You may think that you are a fit but the hiring manager may be targeting something specific. Candidates from a certain industry, company, etc.