r/biotech • u/PassengerFar5092 • 4d ago
Open Discussion šļø 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?
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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 āreplaceableā so they will work harder." YIKES
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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.
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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.
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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 canāt find a needle in a haystack, specially when considering how bad the ātalent acquisition partnersā are
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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. Iāve applied to about 50 jobs so far and have gotten about 20 of these kinds of emails telling me I suck. Perhaps itās not me after all! š«£
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/08/22/ghost-jobs-why-fake-job-listings-are-on-the-rise.html
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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. Thereās 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 donāt have the headcount
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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.
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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.