That Plum Job Listing May Just Be a Ghost

[Mosby]

A mystery permeates the job market: You apply for a job and hear nothing, but the ad stays online for months. If you inquire, the company tells you it isn’t really hiring.

Not all job ads are attached to actual jobs, it turns out. The labor market remains robust, with 10.8 million job openings in January, according to the Labor Department. At the same time, companies are feeling budgetary strains and some are pulling back on hiring. Though businesses are keeping job postings up, many roles aren’t being filled, recruiters say.

Hiring managers acknowledge as much. In a survey of more than 1,000 hiring managers last summer, 27% reported having job postings up for more than four months. Among those who said they advertised job postings that they weren’t actively trying to fill, close to half said they kept the ads up to give the impression the company was growing, according to Clarify Capital, a small-business-loan provider behind the study. One-third of the managers who said they advertised jobs they weren’t trying to fill said they kept the listings up to placate overworked employees.

Other reasons for keeping jobs up, the hiring managers said: Stocking a pool of ready applicants if an employee quits, or just in case an “irresistible” candidate applied.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/that-plum-job-listing-may-just-be-a-ghost-3aafc794

I think this might be a gift link, I don't have a WSJ subscription (and never will) so I hope it works for you.

This article describes everything I have been experiencing in my current job search. Indeed, Glassdoor, Monster filter my job searches (unless I log out) and when I want to apply, many times I have to go to the employers site, who use 3rd party HR apps where I have to create an account, and often spend hours taking tests. Most of the time I never hear from anyone. One of the last interviews I did was about a year ago, I was offered a mgmt job, but it was recinded because I tested positive for THC.

One company in particular I want to mention is Petsmart. Over a nearly 20 years span, I have applied for various positions, all of which I was qualified for but I have never once received a call or email. Not once. I gave up on them.