On this topic, do y'all think the HN Who's Hiring thread has ghost jobs? I know I've applied to one and never had back (a few years ago).
lol and all those endless "we're hiring" Flexport ads, even after they did layoffs
Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
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Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#32What kind of political action can we take to stop this infuriating practice?
union
Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#33> They also made ads to “trick overworked employees” into believing that more people would be brought on to alleviate their overwhelming workload.
The part of the picture I'm more interested about is how the managers see it.
There must be a lowly manager actually trying to do something about their overworked team, and I assume they have access to HR and know which positions are real which aren't. And they know the company not only doesn't intend to hire, but is also gaslighting them, and they're made part of it.
It feels so gloom and just depressing beyond words.
Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#34Don’t use LinkedIn or Monster or Indeed. You’re better off searching on Google with “ inurl:careers” and finding positions these companies are directly hiring for.
Or Dice. Dice is just a spam magnet for "I know you're a PM in Washington looking for remote roles, but we have this two month onsite Kubernetes contract in Indiana, can we talk?"
I got one the other day asking if I'd take a down leveling and move to Korea for a six month contract even though my profile says I only accept permanent remote roles
Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#35Related discussion:
Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#36Many companies have policies requiring that all jobs have to be posted both internally and externally before being filled. The intent is to prevent Sam the VP from just slotting his buddy into the job. At the end of the day, Sam the VP is just going to slot his buddy into the job but now you made a whole bunch of people apply for a job that was never available to them. Same thing happens with H1B/PERM, except now it'…
In Europe jobs have to be published. Even if there is no intention of filling it from the public. And companies also publish bullshit jobs which are used to manipulate regulatory requirements if needed (eg. if you want to hire a foreigner, you must prove you couldn't fill the position locally - by publishing it for 3 months).
Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#37Don’t use LinkedIn or Monster or Indeed. You’re better off searching on Google with “ inurl:careers” and finding positions these companies are directly hiring for.
I have a good job now and got this one through LinkedIn. I think it is hit or miss. I wish there was a better alternative. I’ll try your tip.
Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#38Many companies have policies requiring that all jobs have to be posted both internally and externally before being filled. The intent is to prevent Sam the VP from just slotting his buddy into the job. At the end of the day, Sam the VP is just going to slot his buddy into the job but now you made a whole bunch of people apply for a job that was never available to them. Same thing happens with H1B/PERM, except now it'…
H1B has evolved into a bizarre collaborative scam between the government and tech corporations; there is, in fact, a US citizen who can fill any software engineering role a US company has.
Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#39Hireing and being hired seem to have devolved into a bilateral spamfest. The more applicants per position, the more applications you need to fill. “Always, always, always put networking as one of the top components of your job search strategy,” This is such a strange advice. It is too late when searching for a job. A 'network' takes year to build.
Well I think the person quoted is suggesting you work on your network now, presumably before you are looking for a job. But I could see an argument that even going to meetups and just talking to people while you're actively looking is more likely to be successful than emailing resumes. That is to say, even the act of building a network from the ground up could be highly effective.
Sure, ye I guess you are right.
"Knowing people" seem to have become even more important. But I feel that is a really long term thing. It is really hard to get into a position where you get valuable contacts or do interesting stuff. And your contacts more or less need some power.
It is just that, I feel it is like telling some lonely child "so get friends". For most programmers trying to get a job, I think "just keep the grind up, champ! I'll buy you some ice cream if you give it your best" is more helpful.
These "ghost jobs" the article writes about is poisoning the well. Applicants need to spam even more. Employers get more half hearted applications.
I've noticed these probably fake job ads for years, but it seem to have escalated.
It wouldn't surprise me that we will end up in the straw man "first man or woman through the door with a firm handshake that looks the boss in the eyes gets the job" hiring process as the current formal one gets totally dysfunctional.
Re: Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on tech workers
#40I’m not shocked at all. Another issue is recruiters posting fake jobs and asking for references as step one. Soon as I say “I don’t provide references until the last step, and only to the company hiring” they hang up on me
Yea this is a weird one. Some job applications actually require me to fill in reference contact information. I can't submit the application without that detail. Of course, I try to skirt it.
Is this normal?