Last Updated on June 26, 2024 by Fellow Press

A new survey found that almost 40% of companies posted a fake job listing this year — and 85% of those companies interviewed candidates for fake jobs

If you aren’t hearing back from a job you applied to, it might be because it’s not real.

A new survey from Resume Builder revealed that 39% of hiring managers said their company posted a fake job listing in the past year.

The disheartening results show that among those who posted fake jobs, “approximately 26% posted one to three fake job listings, 19% posted five, 19% posted 10, 11% posted 50, 10% posted 25, and 13% posted 75 or more.”

The fake jobs ranged from entry-level roles to executive positions, said Resume Builder, which surveyed 649 hiring managers.

Companies said they are posting fake jobs for a laundry list of reasons, including to deceive their own employees.

More than 60% of those surveyed said they posted fake jobs “to make employees believe their workload would be alleviated by new workers.”

Sixty-two percent of companies said another reason for the shady practice is to “have employees feel replaceable.”

Two-thirds of companies cited a desire to “appear the company is open to external talent” and 59% said it was an effort to “collect resumes and keep them on file for a later date.”

What’s even more concerning about the results: 85% of companies engaging in the practice said they interviewed candidates for the fake jobs.

“It’s a concerning scenario, particularly when these misleading postings originate from HR departments — the very entities entrusted with shaping accurate perceptions of their organizations,” Resume Builder’s Chief Career Advisor Stacie Haller said.

“Whether it’s to create an illusion of company expansion or to foster a sense of replaceability among employees, such practices are not acceptable,” she added.

Haller said workers “deserve transparency about the companies they dedicate their time to, rather than being led astray by false representations.”

She also called it “deplorable” that companies are purposely “undermining employees’ sense of value and security.”

But the practice doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon. Almost 70% of those who posted the phony jobs told Resume Builder that fake job listings positively impacted revenue. Employers also reported the listing had a positive impact on “employee morale” — although it’s not clear how.

“Companies engaging in this practice not only tarnish their reputation but also sabotage their long-term prospects,” Haller said. “Deceptive practices erode trust, dissuading potential applicants from considering them in the future as viable employers.”