If you have spent any time job hunting recently, you will already know that something feels off. The roles look good on paper, the companies seem credible, and yet applications disappear into the void, responses never come, and the whole process starts to feel less like a job search and more like shouting into an empty room.
If you have found yourself staring at your screen, wondering why job searching feels so much harder than it used to, you are not alone. At Lets Recruit, we speak to candidates every day who are doing everything right and still hitting wall after wall.
So we decided to put together something honest.
A breakdown of the issues we are seeing emerge across the job market right now, and more importantly, what you can actually do about them.
Ghost Job Postings
With the job market at the moment at what feels like an all-time low for opportunities, and with issues getting interviews and jobs becoming more and more of a problem in the UK. There has been a new virus that is spreading through LinkedIn like the plague.
Ghost Jobs. Ghost Jobs are roles that seem too good to be true; that’s because they are.
A ‘Ghost’ job posting, or a ‘just in case’ job posting, as they are otherwise known, can be posted for a number of reasons; here are a few main ones.
A ghost posting is a job ad that:
- Isn’t tied to an active real opening
- Has no budget approval
- Is posted “just in case,” for optics, or for data collection
From the employer’s perspective, these listings were often described as pipeline-building or evergreen roles. From the worker’s side, they are false signals.
The overarching question for this is obvious: why? Why would companies do this? It's simple, really. They do it mostly to collect data.
Posting a job ad doesn’t cost the company anything and gives them the option to test the job market and see which skills are readily available when they come to hire. It’s also a good way for companies to build up candidate pools without committing and to build a database for future reference.
Investors also look at job posting metrics to gauge how desirable the company is to work for, which can give the impression that the company is expanding or planning to, suggesting it is doing well financially.
Interviews that never end
There has been an emergence of a style of interviews in the job market that many people have noticed in the last few years. The emergence of six interview rounds, a takeaway project and a partridge in a pear tree when it comes to roles that are often entry-level in many industries. This new expectation that hiring managers are expecting people to give up so much of their time and work for free to prove themselves has become a real issue in several industries.
The CV Blackhole
All of this, paired with the integration of AI in the workplace and the issue with AI bots screening CVs before going to hiring managers, often means that the ‘CV black hole’ has doubled in size and gravitational pull as more and more you hear about people that apply and don’t hear anything back at all, not even a rejection email.
Fighting Back: What Can You Do?
The job market may feel stacked against candidates right now, but there are ways to protect your time, energy and sanity while navigating it.
Research Before You Apply — Before investing time in an application, do your homework. Check how long the job posting has been live, as roles that have been open for several months are a red flag. Look at the company's LinkedIn activity, Glassdoor reviews and recent news to get a clearer picture of whether they are genuinely hiring or simply fishing.
Set Your Own Boundaries — If a company requests an unpaid task or project as part of the hiring process, it is completely reasonable to ask questions about the scope, how it will be used and whether it is compensated. Pushing back professionally signals your self-worth and can also reveal a lot about how the company treats its people before you even walk through the door.
Use Your Network Intentionally — With so many postings potentially being ghost listings, getting in front of real people matters more than ever. Reaching out directly to hiring managers, attending industry events and leaning on warm introductions through your existing network significantly increases your chances of connecting with roles that are genuine and actively being filled.
Track and Limit Your Applications — Rather than mass applying and burning yourself out, be selective. Keep a log of where you have applied, when, and any response received. This not only protects your mental energy but helps you spot patterns, such as which industries or companies are consistently unresponsive, so you can redirect your efforts more wisely.
Trust Your Gut — If a role seems vague, the salary is suspiciously absent, the process feels endless or communication from the employer is inconsistent, these are all warning signs worth taking seriously. In a market flooded with noise, learning to recognise the signals of a genuine opportunity versus a time-wasting one is one of the most valuable skills a job seeker can develop right now.
Use a recruiter – If you are newer to an industry or are struggling, using a recruiter to find a role in a certain field is always a good option, as it eliminates part of the job search for you and expands your industry network tenfold for the time you are looking for work.
The modern job market is broken in ways that are becoming impossible to ignore. Ghost listings, algorithmic gatekeeping and exploitative hiring processes have made what should be a straightforward exchange of your skills for a genuine opportunity feel like an uphill battle with no clear finish line.
The problem is larger than any one person, so try not to get too down on yourself, you deserve better than a process that seems to be designed to waste your time, and knowing that is half the battle.
At Lets Recruit, there are no ghost listings, no black holes and no games. Just honest recruitment that respects your time and connects you with employers who are genuinely ready to hire.
Get in touch with Lets Recruit today, because your next role should be real.
Tel: 0333 577 7157
Email: hello@letsrecruit.co.uk
