Ask HN: Who is pretending to be hiring?
Many tech workers suspect that companies are advertising roles they have little or no intention of filling, using job postings to signal growth to investors, meet internal headcount optics, or satisfy visa and compliance formalities. Commenters describe open requisitions that stay unfilled for months, sham interview loops, and “unicorn-only” roles, arguing this wastes candidates’ time, distorts labor statistics, and erodes trust in hiring. Proposals range from better regulation and fraud enforcement to public tracking of “ghost jobs,” while others note that perverse incentives and weak accountability for managers and HR make meaningful change unlikely.
Why “Fake” or Aspirational Job Postings Exist
- Many anecdotes of companies listing multiple roles while only seriously trying to fill one, or none.
- Reasons cited: “nice-to-have” headcount, only hiring if an exceptional “unicorn” appears, or just building a future candidate pool.
- Startups and growth-stage companies use long job lists to signal momentum to investors, customers, and employees.
- Some roles are posted solely to satisfy legal or immigration requirements (e.g., H-1B “we tried to hire locally” paperwork) with no intent to hire external candidates.
Managerial Incentives and Corporate Signaling
- Managers are said to pursue team growth for status, promotion, and perceived importance; this can later contribute to layoffs.
- Rumors and experiences in large orgs: manager promotion tied to headcount numbers.
- Some managers argue fake reqs are irrational for line managers and usually driven by higher-level leadership and budgeting politics.
Impact on Candidates and Hiring Process
- Job seekers report mass ghosting, auto-rejections, and long-open roles that never close.
- Applicants waste time on tailored resumes/cover letters for roles that aren’t real, worsening burnout and mental health.
- High applicant volume plus low recruiter capacity leads to heavy reliance on ATS filters, “AI” screening, and shallow heuristics.
- People note that direct outreach to hiring managers or existing employees often works better than applying via portals.
Debate on Legality, Enforcement, and Ethics
- Some call fake postings fraudulent and argue they should be illegal, especially when used to mislead investors or satisfy quotas.
- Proposed remedies: fines, whistleblower bounties, mandated statistics on hires vs. postings.
- Others say not every disliked practice should be criminalized; distinguishing “not really hiring” from “very high bar” is seen as hard and easily gamed.
- There’s concern about over-regulation vs. recognition that markets alone are not fixing the issue.
State of the Tech Job Market & Coping Strategies
- Several comments describe a frozen or very tight market (especially UX/design), despite abundant postings.
- Others contrast tech favorably to non-tech professions but acknowledge current hiring freezes and “growth theater.”
- Suggested responses: track and avoid chronic “ghost job” companies, share information (e.g., dedicated sites), name-and-shame, apply very quickly/cheaply, or seek “boring” but real jobs in non-tech industries.