Ghost Job
Etymology
A 2020s recruiting term; the "ghost" is the posting that looks alive but has no substance behind it. It draws on the same imagery as "ghosting" — a presence that isn’t really there and never responds. Surveys of employers publicizing the practice gave the phrase currency.
noun · /GOHST JOB/
A job posting for a role a company has no real intention of filling — kept up to gather résumés, project growth, or keep current staff on notice.
What it names
A name for a specific bad-faith move in the hiring market, and for why diligent applicants can pour effort into openings that were never actually open.
Example
She tailored her cover letter for a week before learning the listing was a ghost job that had been up for eight months.
Related idea
A ghost job is the hiring side of information asymmetry: the employer knows the role isn’t real, and the applicant, working blind, spends effort accordingly.