Woman shares about 'ghost jobs' at tech companies, calls it the 'new horrific trend'. Threads post shocks people
In a post on 'ghost jobs', a Threads user shared how she was asked to keep interviewing despite having a "hiring freeze" in her company.
A Threads user shared a post on the hiring trend "ghost jobs," and her share left people shocked. She posted how she was asked to keep interviewing candidates while working as a hiring manager despite having a "hiring freeze" in the company. She further highlighted that this is a trend that many tech companies, especially startups, follow.

"There's a new super cool trend in tech: ghost jobs. What are these? Well, they're jobs that are 'open' on the company website but don't actually exist. How do I know? Well, I was a hiring manager with a new position to fill. As I went through the process with candidates, a buddy said, 'Hey, do you know there's a hiring freeze?' I went to HR, who confirmed. They told me to keep going with interviews since the request 'might' be reopened. Nope. I refused to waste candidates' time and my own," Threads user Maureen W Clough wrote.
Also Read: Company asks candidates not to apply if their goal is 'work-life balance', Reddit post shocks people
Replying to her post, she also shared a link to an Instagram video explaining this trend. In her post, she shared, "This new horrific trend is running rampant at tech companies."
"The company just wanted the good PR of 'we're hiring!' Hiring managers, if you are in a position to push back on this horrible practice when you see it at your workplace, please do. After all, you're going to leave a company that does this since they clearly don't have a good culture, and soon, you'll be interviewing other places yourself. You know what they say about karma," she added.
Take a look at this post on Threads about 'ghost jobs':
The post was shared three days ago. Since then, it has collected nearly 400 likes. The share has also accumulated tons of comments from people.
What did Threads users say about this hiring trend?
"They do that to make it seem there isn't a hiring freeze. It's bad for their image. I worked in HR. Another fun fact. If you lay off a certain number at one time, you are under the WARN Act, and it becomes public. So you know what they do? They stay under the number and lay off every two months. Over one year, they have six layoffs involving hundreds. But no one knows because they stay under the radar. It makes them look stable. I know because that's what my company did," commented a Threads user.
Also Read: Woman laid off from job records creative video for potential employers. It goes viral
"This is a shadier form of benchmarking that some companies have employed for a long time. Companies will create fake management or design job postings and then interview people with experience with their competitors to gather information," added another.
"Most large companies do this now. I was a cog at a corporate grocery chain for a long time. I was responsible for calling and scheduling interviews for jobs that didn't exist so we could meet the weekly interview quota in every department. I felt dirty every time," joined a third.
"Once, I was asked to keep interviewing people in the pipeline even if we had already hired someone just not to give a bad impression. I don't know what they are thinking," wrote a fourth.
ABOUT THE AUTHORTrisha SenguptaTrisha Sengupta works as Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of experience in the digital newsroom. Known for her ability to decode the internet’s most talked-about moments, she specialises in high-engagement storytelling that bridges the gap between viral trends and traditional journalism. Throughout her tenure, Trisha has focused on the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. She frequently covers personal finance and real estate struggles in hubs like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, while also documenting the unique challenges of the NRI experience. Her work often highlights the movements and philosophies of global newsmakers and personalities like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Nikhil Kamath, Dubai crown prince, and MrBeast. From reporting on Amazon or Meta layoffs and startup culture to the emergence of AI-driven platforms like Grok and xAI, she provides a grounded and empathetic perspective on the stories shaping our world. When not decoding the internet, Trisha is likely offline: lost in a book, exploring a historical ruin, or navigating the world as a solo traveler. She balances her fast-paced career with family time and a healthy dose of curiosity, currently trading her "human" sources for silicon ones as she masters AI to future-proof her storytelling.Read More

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