Fake Ads – Why Responding to Classifieds Can Be a Fool’s Errand
Any good career advisor will steer you away from basing your job search on responding to classified ads on LinkedIn or other job boards.
Why? Because half of them are bulls*#t.
I have been telling clients for decades that 50% of the ads they see are fake. The problem is that you can’t know which half is real and which half is bogus. I used to explain that the phantom half existed simply so recruiters could refresh their databases with new resumes.
While that is still true today, there is more to the story.
In an article in The Playbook, Associate Editor Marq Burnett dives into what he calls “ghost jobs”—and these fake postings are becoming more common than ever. Citing the 2026 Hiring Trends Report by Resume Genius (which surveyed 1,500 hiring managers), the findings are startling:
• 90% of hiring managers believe companies intentionally post jobs they have no plan to fill. • Nearly 66% admit to misrepresenting some aspect of an open role. • Over 33% post ghost jobs strictly to signal growth to investors, clients, or competitors. • A similar number post because HR policy mandates it—even when an internal or hidden candidate has already been selected. (Research consistently shows ~80% of management-level hires happen before an ad ever goes live).
Welcome to the hiring realities of the 2020s.
Just as bad: when an ad is for a real job, it frequently downplays the actual difficulty of the position. Notably, generational differences are stark: • 51% of Gen Z hiring managers admitted to intentionally understating a role’s difficulty, compared to only 16% of Baby Boomers. • Conversely, 52% of Baby Boomers insisted their companies would never engage in such tactics, compared to just 20% of Gen Z hiring managers.
A mentor told me years ago: “Anyone who bases their job search on responding to classifieds is deluding themselves into thinking they are looking for a job.”
With half the listings out there being pure fiction—and hundreds fighting for the few that remain—it is easy to see why.
Next column: On October 15th, we will explore “Talent-First Hiring,” a framework making career transitions viable for practicing attorneys.
About the Author:
Bruce Blackwell is ranked at the top of the 2026 list of “The 10 Best Career Coaches in New York City” by Digital Reference and shortlisted for “Top Alternative Career Solutions 2026” by Management HR magazine. He has also been recognized as a “Dean of Career Counselors for Attorneys” by the New York State Bar Association.
If you are an attorney or executive evaluating your next chapter, schedule a confidential, no-cost 20-minute discussion here:
👉 https://live.vcita.com/site/bruce.blackwell
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