A client recently came to me after what felt like a promising interview process. She had applied for a role she was genuinely excited about. The initial screening went well. The hiring manager interview went even better. At the end of the conversation, she heard the familiar line: “You’ll hear from us by the end of the week.”
A week passed. Then two. Then a month. There was no update. No rejection. Just silence. Eventually she noticed something strange: the job posting was still online, unchanged. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
This situation has become increasingly common in today’s hiring landscape. It often intersects with something you may have heard about recently: ghost jobs.
The Rise of “Ghost Jobs”
The phrase ghost job has gained significant attention over the past couple of years, particularly as job seekers began sharing similar experiences online. While the practice itself isn’t new, the term has become a shorthand for job postings that appear real but aren’t actively being filled.
There are several reasons companies may post roles like this.
Sometimes organizations are building a pipeline of candidates for future hiring. In other cases, companies are required to publicly post a position even when they already have an internal candidate in mind. Some organizations also use postings to gauge market interest or signal growth.
From a company’s perspective, these practices may serve administrative or strategic purposes.
From a candidate’s perspective, however, the experience can feel confusing and discouraging—especially when applications seem to disappear into a void.
The Other Kind of Ghosting
What I actually hear more often from clients isn’t just ghost jobs; it’s ghosting during the hiring process.
Clients apply for a role, complete an interview or two, and are told they will hear back soon. Then the communication stops entirely.
This experience is far from rare. A report from the hiring platform Greenhouse found that more than 60% of job seekers say they have been ghosted after a job interview at least once.
From the candidate’s perspective, this can feel deeply unprofessional. Preparing for interviews takes time and emotional investment. When communication disappears, it’s easy to assume you did something wrong.
But in many cases, the explanation is less personal than it feels.
What’s Often Happening Behind the Scenes
One thing I remind clients frequently is that hiring timelines almost always stretch longer than companies expect. A hiring manager may genuinely believe the process will wrap up within a week. But then something changes. A key decision-maker travels. Budgets shift. A new candidate enters the process. Internal discussions take longer than anticipated.
Suddenly the promised timeline has passed—and no one has communicated an update.
Sometimes there is also simple miscommunication between HR, recruiters, and hiring managers about who is responsible for following up with candidates.
None of this makes the silence less frustrating. But it does help explain why ghosting can happen without malicious intent.
How to Spot a Potential Ghost Job
If you’re applying online and repeatedly hearing nothing back, it may be worth adjusting how you evaluate job postings.
One practical step is verifying that the role appears on the company’s official career site. If a position exists only on a large job board and not on the company’s own website, your chances of getting traction can be lower.
Another signal can be a posting that remains active for months without any visible movement.
None of these indicators guarantee that a role is a ghost job, but they can help you decide where to focus your time and energy.
What to Do If You’re Ghosted
When a client hasn’t heard back after applying, my advice is often simple: keep moving forward. It’s rarely productive to spend weeks waiting for a response that may never come.
However, if you have already spoken with someone at the company, a thoughtful follow-up can be appropriate. A short email reiterating your interest and asking for an update often helps clarify where things stand.
Another situation I occasionally see is when someone interviewed for one role, the process went quiet, and then a different role appears later at the same company.
In that case, it can absolutely be worth reaching out to the person you previously spoke with. A brief message expressing interest in the new opportunity can reopen the conversation.
Sometimes those follow-ups lead to new opportunities that would otherwise never have happened.
The Most Reliable Strategy: Find the Humans
The biggest pattern I see when ghosting becomes a recurring frustration is that the job search is happening almost entirely through online applications. That approach relies heavily on systems rather than relationships.
Applicant tracking systems filter thousands of resumes, and many qualified candidates never make it past that first screening layer.
That’s why networking remains one of the most effective job search strategies. Research consistently shows that the majority of professionals find new roles through connections rather than cold applications. According to CNBC, up to 80% of jobs are filled through networking or personal connections.
When someone inside an organization refers you or introduces you to a hiring manager, your application enters the process differently. Instead of being one of hundreds of anonymous submissions, you arrive with context and credibility.
That dramatically increases the likelihood that someone will actually review your background and respond.
Don’t Let Silence Define Your Search
Ghost jobs and interview ghosting can make the job market feel impersonal. But they are rarely a reflection of your qualifications or potential.
More often, they reflect the complexity—and sometimes the inefficiency—of modern hiring processes.
The professionals who navigate this environment most successfully are the ones who focus on building relationships alongside submitting applications. So:
- Look for the humans behind the process.
- Use your network whenever possible.
- And when silence happens, don’t let it stall your momentum.
When You Need a Strategy, Not Just More Applications
If you’re feeling discouraged by a job search that seems to lead nowhere, it may be time to step back and rethink the strategy.
At Jody Michael Associates, our career coaching services help professionals clarify their positioning, strengthen their networking approach, and navigate complex hiring processes with greater confidence and direction.
Because the most effective job searches rarely rely on job boards alone—they rely on relationships, strategy, and intentional outreach. And those are skills that can be learned and strengthened.
Learn more about Career Coaching