Why are job boards full of impossible roles and ghost listings?
Job boards are flooded with positions that require unrealistic workloads for poor pay, roles already earmarked for internal hires, and multi-disciplinary jobs stapled together. This makes the search feel like a desert and causes applicants to waste months interviewing only to lose out or find out the posting was never truly open.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- It is not one crowd: 23 people on Reddit and 1 on Stack Exchange ran into the same thing.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Laughing it off and continuing to searchDid this help you?
- 2Filtering for listings that involve background MSP supportDid this help you?
- 3Passively looking for work over an extended periodDid this help you?
- 4Considering applying for companies or industries normally avoidedDid this help you?
- 5continuing the job searchDid this help you?
- 6venting online about lengthy hiring cycles and ghost postingsDid this help you?
- 7Promoting internallyDid this help you?
- 8Providing training for candidates with dedication and aptitudeDid this help you?
- 9Offering remote or hybrid work flexibilityDid this help you?
- 10Conducting heavy sourcing to find talent instead of relying on inbound applicationsDid this help you?
- 11Adjusting salary ranges after market surveysDid this help you?
- 12Accepting a pay cut to secure an offer after months of unemploymentDid this help you?
- 13Searching previous discussion threads on the subredditDid this help you?
- 14Waiting for spring recruitment cyclesDid this help you?
- 15Checking alternative regional offices or mid-sized firmsDid this help you?
- 16Getting a temporary job through staffing agencies like Robert Half to build experience or transition to permanentDid this help you?
- 17Focusing on referrals and smaller firms instead of mass applyingDid this help you?
- 18Applying to roles with three years of experience requirements and hoping for the bestDid this help you?
- 19Pursuing master's degrees or CPA licenses while continuing to searchDid this help you?
- 20studying for the CPA examDid this help you?
- 21volunteering or getting tax prep experienceDid this help you?
- 22trying to move into management using warehouse operations experienceDid this help you?
- 23considering other fields like miningDid this help you?
- 24Being open to multiple geographic locationsDid this help you?
- 25Applying broadly without being picky about the firmDid this help you?
- 26Saving the text of old job descriptions to compare them against new postings.Did this help you?
- 27Completely re-doing the cover letter and CV to swap out words to try and beat automated keyword filters.Did this help you?
- 28Changing the application format slightly, such as adding or removing a photo.Did this help you?
- 29Ignoring the job title and reading the actual job description to understand responsibilities.Did this help you?
- 30Meeting team members and asking questions during the interview process.Did this help you?
- 31Asking what a typical day looks like or why the role is open during an interview.Did this help you?
- 32Writing down core personal requirements and judging the role against that list rather than the title.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I know people are struggling to find good jobs, but we are having a hard time finding qualified and experienced people.”source ↗
“For reference, I’m in Canada and really struggling to find finance staff but finding most roles have worse applicant numbers and quality than I’ve seen in years.”source ↗
“My issue is that the hiring managers want a unicorn and want to pay rhino prices.”source ↗
“I wrote 5 job descriptions today and I know it's going to take a long time to find the right person.”source ↗
“I do a lot of recruiting and it is HARD right now. We get applications but rarely are they qualified. I have to do a ton of sourcing to get the talent we need for roles.”source ↗
“holy fuck, the job boards here are a desert for quality work.”source ↗
“If it's not those, it's either some nightmare homunculus of 5 jobs stapled together, or some small firm looking to hire an HR person to come clean up the disaster of a sinking ship they already have.”source ↗
“I've had more than a handful of first and second interviews only to get beaten out by someone else.”source ↗
“Staff accountant position I applied for in May is still open + reposted several times”source ↗
“4 months later they are still looking.”source ↗
“I graduated university with my degree this May, and I’ve probably applied to over 300 jobs. From the ones I’ve heard back from, all I’ve gotten is an automated email saying they are not moving forward.”source ↗
“so currently never worked any accounting related jobs, i have tried hard to get in but feel like giving up”source ↗
“idk if im good enough for the CPA and wasting my time constantly applying for jobs doesn't seem to be getting me anything.”source ↗
“For B4/BDO/GT/MNP I know that most of the positions for sept 2027 are closed but I didn’t land anything yet. Does anyone know if they will still be opening any positions for sep 2027 in spring recruit or is that it? :(”source ↗
“Yeah don’t know if I should go into this field with all the ai/offshoring/no jobs available conversations.”source ↗
“Seems like there aren’t many accounting positions open right now.”source ↗
“It’s not that I’m being picky about where I apply, there just aren’t that many openings.”source ↗
“I have seen the same accounting supervisor position reposted around my area for 2 years now 🤣”source ↗
“just saw yesterday the company put up a new posting for the same position”source ↗
“That ships already sailed. I’ve applied to over a 100 internships and haven’t gotten even an interview offer from any”source ↗
“When I go to the company website the post date is recent even though I applied months ago.”source ↗
“It’s the same job so I can’t reapply.”source ↗
“Been unemployed since March and have been applying for staff & senior accountant roles, internal audit, FP&A. Countless interviews and have been beaten out a few times after final interviews.”source ↗
“Took me a year post-grad to find a job in the field. It really is that brutal.”source ↗
“Got rejected from internships my whole college career. I was also in beta alpha psi and took on accounting volunteer opportunities as well, but I have yet to get any positive responses from any company”source ↗
“I couldn't find a job for 6months after graduation. And that is what I did. Going thru a temp to hire @ roberthalf. Pay is a joke tho.”source ↗
“I've been looking for a new role for almost 2 years now, most of the positions I've applied for have ended up being filled internally, which makes me ask why it was posted externally in the first place.”source ↗
“On the other hand I've came across several listings that are just heinous for what is asked of you versus the pay.”source ↗
“I've been having a lot of trouble getting a new job and haven't been getting many interviews. I have a feeling a lot of job postings are somehow "fake".”source ↗
“For example there's one well established company (over 1,000 employees) that keeps reposting the same job. I started saving the job descriptions and am certain it's 100% the same as their last posting from 3 weeks ago.”source ↗
“If they are reposting this frequently does this mean there is something wrong? Why wouldn't they just interview more candidates or go with other short listed ones from the first posting?”source ↗
“Should I bother applying to the same job, either with the same resume or a different one?”source ↗
“Job searching can be overwhelming due to the large amount of options available on job platforms so It gets hard to know if a role will be right for you as the roles may not be very clear.”source ↗
“Two companies could have the same title but different expected skills, responsibilities and experience.”source ↗
“Titles mean nothing anymore. Two "marketing managers" can have completely different day-to-day responsibilities so you kinda have to read between the lines.”source ↗
“i would absolutely play this instead of scrolling through the same 47 reposted leasing consultant ads, my attention span is shot anyway”source ↗
“the 47 reposted leasing consultant ads is painfully accurate lol”source ↗