Overview
Goal: Save applicants time by flagging likely ghost postings and spotlighting verified, responsive employers.
What we analyze: posting age, repost frequency, job description quality, salary transparency, multi‑agency duplication, candidate outcomes, and contextual employer signals.
Output: Each job page shows a Ghost Score (0–100), a breakdown of signals, timeline events, corroborations/disputes, and any employer statement.
What is a “Ghost Job” (our working definition)
A posting that appears public but isn’t truly being recruited for: paused, internally filled, resume‑fishing, market‑testing, or otherwise unlikely to lead to active interviews or offers. We avoid certainty claims and publish evidence‑based likelihood with an employer right‑of‑reply.
The Lifecycle
1) Report
Users submit the job URL, company, title, dates, observed signals, and optional evidence (screenshots, redacted email headers). Anonymization is on by default.
2) Snapshot & Normalize
We capture a text snapshot of the job description and normalize key fields (title, location, platform) to detect reposts/duplicates.
3) Score
We assign an initial Ghost Score from rules‑based signals (below). No single signal is determinative.
4) Verify
Community corroborates or disputes; moderators review edge cases; scores and labels adjust with new evidence.
5) Publish & Update
The job page shows the score, signals, and timeline. We update status when the posting changes or the employer provides verified context.
Ghost Score (0–100)
0–39 Low Risk 40–69 Under Review 70–100 Likely Ghost
Signals & typical weights (MVP)
- Posting age (60–90+ days unchanged): +15 to +25
- Reposts (same JD checksum, minimal edits): +10 to +25 (scaled)
- Generic/vague JD (no team context): +5 to +10
- Salary missing where typical: +5
- Multi‑agency duplication: +10 to +20
- Candidate outcomes (no response/auto‑reject): +10 to +20
- Internal fill rumor or pause (unverified): +5
- Employer signals (e.g., layoffs/freeze reports): +5 to +10
We show “Why this score?” with exact signals used for each job. We’ll tune weights over time based on accuracy and feedback.
What We Ask You to Submit (and why)
- Job URL — snapshot, dedupe, and monitor changes.
- Company & Title — group on employer pages; trend analysis.
- Platform & Location — see where ghosting clusters happen.
- Dates (posted/applied) — compute age & response timelines.
- Outcome — calibrate scores with real experiences.
- Signals observed — quick checklist.
- Details & Timeline — brief narrative without PII.
- Evidence (optional) — screenshots/PDFs/email headers.
- Anonymize — default on; remove identifiers before public.
Evidence Guidelines
Helpful
- Screenshots of postings showing dates/IDs; recruiter auto‑responses (redacted).
- Public signals (identical descriptions across platforms, unchanged content after months).
Avoid
- Personal information of recruiters/hiring managers.
- Confidential or non‑public internal documents.
Redaction: We auto‑blur obvious PII and offer a manual blur tool. Evidence stays private; public pages show summaries, not raw files.
Privacy & Anonymity
- Reports are stored privately; public pages omit PII.
- Submit anonymously or with a handle; optional email for updates.
- Employers see aggregated signals, not identities.
Verification & Moderation
- Community corroboration: members can corroborate/dispute with a note; higher‑rep users weigh more.
- Moderator review: edge cases and disputes; labels can change to Paused or Under Review.
- Appeals: employers may request re‑review with verifiable context.
Employer Right‑of‑Reply
- Verified reps can add official context.
- With evidence (e.g., interview invites, announcements), labels adjust.
- We display an Employer Note with timestamp and source.
Labels & Statuses
- Under Review — initial report, awaiting corroboration.
- Likely Ghost — multiple high‑impact signals; proceed with caution.
- Verified Real Role — credible evidence of active hiring.
- Paused / On Hold — employer indicates temporary pause.
- Closed — employer confirms filled or removed.
- Disputed — significant disagreement; investigating.
Employer Pages & Verified Employers
- % Likely Ghost vs. Verified Real over time
- Median response time to applicants
- Salary transparency rate
- Average posting age & repost rate
- Recent changes (hiring surges, freezes)
Verified Employer badge (future): consistent low ghost rates, salary ranges, and right‑of‑reply engagement.
Reputation System
- Earn points when reports are corroborated or labels hold up.
- Lose points for overturned reports or rule violations.
- Higher rep increases verification weight; unlocks light moderation tools.
Abuse Prevention & Rules
- No doxxing; no naming individual recruiters/hiring managers.
- No defamatory claims; stick to observable facts and evidence.
- Submissions with PII or violations are removed; rate limits reduce spam.
Data Handling & Retention
- Evidence stays private and encrypted at rest; public pages use summaries.
- Uncorroborated evidence auto‑deletes after 90 days (MVP policy).
- Deletion requests honored; minimal audit metadata retained for abuse prevention.
Review Time & Updates
- Initial triage: usually within 24–48 hours.
- Label updates: as corroborations or employer notes arrive.
- Notifications: opt‑in emails when watched postings change.
Roadmap
- Browser extension overlaying Ghost Scores on major job boards.
- Saved searches & alerts for ghost‑likelihood spikes.
- Public API / CSV export for personal job trackers.
- Machine‑assisted scoring with transparent feature importances.
FAQ (selected)
Can a company remove a “Likely Ghost” label? Yes—by providing verifiable context showing active hiring or by changing the posting; labels update and we keep an audit trail.
Do you store my evidence publicly? No. Evidence remains private; we display summaries and signal counts.
What if I made a mistake? Contact us with the report ID. We can annotate or retract after a brief review.
Do you rank individual recruiters? No. We evaluate postings and employer patterns, not people.