Found out most job postings are fake or already filled internally

I was digging into some hiring data last week and read a stat from a LinkedIn study that said around 40% of job listings are never actually filled. They just post them to build a talent pool or make it look like the company is growing. Has anyone else run into this where you apply to a dozen roles and hear nothing back?

1 comments

1 Comment

dixon.ryan1mo ago

40% feels LOW honestly. I've seen places where its more like 60-70% of postings are either internal only or just ghost listings to make the company look busy. Best piece of advice I can give is find a contact on LinkedIn inside the company BEFORE you apply. Send them a short message, ask about the role or team culture. If they dont reply or give a vague answer that's your sign the job isnt real. Also look for postings that have been up for more than 30 days those are almost always fake. Focus on roles that are less than a week old and have a specific hiring manager listed not just "HR department".