Fake Job Postings Are Ruining The Job Market.

Key Concepts

• Evergreen Job Postings
• Pipeline Roles
• Quota-Based Job Postings
• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
• Resume Tailoring
• Career Branding
• Data Brokers

Evergreen Job Postings

• Definition: Job postings that remain continuously open, often for entry-level positions.
• Characteristics: High turnover rates, low pay, limited career growth.
• Problem: Applying to these is often a waste of time for career-focused individuals.
• Red Flag: The same entry-level job posted month after month for the last year.

Pipeline Roles

• Definition: Job postings created to collect resumes without immediate hiring needs.
• Motivation: Talent acquisition teams may be underutilized or anticipating future hiring needs.
• Process: Resumes are collected, screening calls may occur, but the role isn't real and there's no urgency.
• Problem: A complete waste of time for serious job seekers.

Quota-Based Job Postings

• Definition: Job postings used to fulfill legal or internal requirements rather than to genuinely hire someone.
• Examples: Visa requirements (proving no local candidates), internal policies (requiring external postings even with an internal candidate identified).
• Problem: Applicants are going through the motions and wasting their time.
• Experience: Getting rejected after a screen or two only to find out that it was an internal hire.

Broken Application Processes

• Issues:
  • Requiring account creation for a one-time application.
  • Duplicate information entry due to poor ATS parsing.
  • Requests for sensitive information (SSN, date of birth) early in the process.
  • Personality assessments or behavior-based interview questions as part of the initial application.
  • Hidden instructions in the job description to test attention to detail.
• Problem: Endless hoops and wasted time for applicants with a low chance of success.
• Mass Applying: Applying to a 100 jobs, you're likely wasting your time on 90 of them that weren't even serious in the first place.

Delete Me Sponsorship

• Problem: Low-quality employers may share applicant data with background check companies, which then sell the data to data brokers.
• Consequences: Increased spam calls and emails.
• Delete Me Solution: A service that finds and removes personal information from public directories.
• Offer: 20% off discount with code "layoff" at joindeleteme.com/layoff.

Strategic Job Searching

• Focus: Specific, relevant, and clearly written job postings.
• Avoid: Generic or vague postings.
• Alignment: Only apply for jobs aligned with your overall career direction.

Identifying Red Flags

• Repeating Evergreen Reqs: Check for those repeating evergreen wrecks.
• Pipeline Job Requisitions: Job posting is listing that we're not hiring right now, but it's for a future time.
• Outdated Systems: Old school portals or lengthy registrations.

Effort Assessment

• Consider: How badly do you want the position?
• Evaluate: Is the time investment (long assessments, questionnaires) worth the potential outcome?

Resume Tailoring

• Recommendation: Tailor your resume for roles you're genuinely interested in.
• Strategic Adjustments: Make smart, targeted changes to match the job requirements.
• Ré Rocket Fuel: A system for identifying key resume elements and tailoring them quickly.

Becoming In-Demand

• Goal: Increase your marketability to avoid tolerating poor job search experiences.
• Strategies:
  • Upgrade your resume.
  • Build a better career.
  • Strengthen your career brand.
  • Build better networks.
  • Position yourself as the obvious choice.

Conclusion

The job market is challenging, and many job postings are not genuine hiring opportunities. By recognizing red flags, being strategic in your applications, tailoring your resume effectively, and focusing on becoming more in-demand, you can take control of your job search and avoid wasting time on fruitless endeavors.